Various campus groups and organizations will take the stage for four minutes and show off dance routines and lip-syncing talents on the Air Jam stage tonight.
The event is at 9 p.m. in the John R. Emens Auditorium. Twenty groups of five to 20 members have set their sights on the prize, a first place win in three different categories - greek, residence halls and independent. Judges will also crown an overall winner and crowd favorite.
Some teams are returning champions and others are taking the Air Jam stage for the first time. Practicing hard to win first place, these teams have been getting ready to hit the spotlight.
BLACK STUDENT ASSOCIATION
Junior dance major Rebecca Lomax sat stretched out, ordering 14 others to follow her lead. She instructed them to spread their legs, lean forward and touch their toes.
"We are going to be working on cleaning up your individual parts, and then we will run through with costumes, props and everything," Lomax said to the stretching dancers. "Save your questions for the end, because I will make my way through the entire thing. Be patient tonight."
The Black Student Association held its final practice for Air Jam on Oct. 4.
Lomax said the group won the overall competition last year and is looking forward to bringing something new to the competition again this year.
"This year's theme is not very hip-hop, which is what we did last year," Lomax said. "So we are trying to keep it fresh and come with something unique that still relates to the theme."
Tiara Gibson, a sophomore theatre studies major, practiced her own moves as Lomax helped the other solo acts. Gibson competed last year and said she is looking forward to getting back on the Emens Auditorium stage again, she said.
"This year, we have a little more pressure on us to compete, but overall, we just want to go out there and have fun," Gibson said. "We veterans know what to expect, so we have been working extra hard this year."
The group met two or three times a week to get the moves and lip-syncing perfected. Halfway through practice, Lomax handed out lyrics to one of the songs the members have to memorize.
"The hardest part is memorizing the lyrics," Gibson said. "Some of the songs I have never heard before, and I wouldn't listen to them in my free time. It's major that we know these songs, so I'm going to be practicing all the way up performance time."
GYMNASTICS
Morgan Coslow, a senior sport administration major, and 16 gymnastics team members were putting the finishing touches on their Air Jam routine Monday night. This will be the first year for the gymnastics team to participate in Air Jam, and it is not something they are taking lightly.
"Most of the girls have been to Air Jam before, so we know that the competition is tough," Coslow said. "We want to bring our A-game and let people see that we are more than flips and tricks."
The team has been practicing since it turned in the application in September, with practice three to four times a week.
"Even if only four people show up, we run through the moves and try to find ways to improve our dance," Coslow said.
Freshman sports administration major Denasiha Christian worked on her chair routine. She repeatedly lunged onto the chair with her hands, throwing her legs into the air behind her, trying to perfect her timing.
"I had never heard of Air Jam before I signed up, but it sounded like a lot of fun," Christian said. "Now I'm really nervous because it's a lot bigger than I thought it was."
The team member incorporated its gymnast backgrounds into the routine. Sophomore magazine journalism major Brooklyn Schumacher took the spotlight during one of the songs and flipped her way across the stage.
"We only do a few tricks, because we don't want to rely on them, and we don't want to risk hurting ourselves for something that has nothing to do with gymnastics," Schumacher said. "But we do have some [tricks]. What is easy for us might not be easy for the other groups. We do back handsprings every day."
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