Daily Collegian - Students acts join together at For The Glory Talent Show
Thirteen acts competed at Penn State Homecoming's For the Glory Talent Show on Tuesday night. Each team fought for fourth, fifth and sixth places to walk in Friday's Homecoming Parade or first, second and third places to perform at THON 2019.
The show started with a performance by the 2019 Homecoming Court, showing off a choreographed dance to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” Cardi B’s “I Like It” and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies.”
The competition ranged from dancers, a cappella groups, singing and instrumental acts and a skit created by the Lion Ambassadors.
The Coda Conduct, one of Penn State's co-ed a cappella groups, took first place with a rendition of “Move” by Little Mix. The group's fourteen members combined rhythmic a cappella beats and powerful voices to set them above the rest. Along with nine other songs, "Move" is featured on the group's first full-length album "Spectrum" that was released this year.
K-Pop Music and Dance was the runner-up, bringing the audience to life as four of its members danced to “DDU DU DDU-DU” by BLACKPINK.
According to Kylie Johnson — a performer with K-Pop Music and Dance — said the club is new, forming in 2015 and becoming an official THON-affiliated organization last year.
Johnson (junior-psychology) said that when “DDU DU DDU-DU” came out this past summer, the group knew they had to come up with a routine for it. K-Pop Music and Dance has been practicing the routine since the semester started and are looking forward to their first major performance at THON, Johnson said.
Talent show attendee Sabrina Brody found K-Pop Music and Dance's performance entertaining.
“I thought it was so cool how there [were] only four of them, no other group was that small and had so much energy," Brody, (senior-electrical engineering) said. "They really brought it."
Outcast, one of the dance groups that performed, ended in third place with a "Lion King"-themed routine, focusing in different styles of hip-hop.
Caitlin Lowe, a member of Outcast, said dedication to rehearsal, matched with team bonding, has contributed to the group's success as a newer team.
“...This is the first time this group has placed in anything [since forming] in 2016," Lowe (senior-education) said. "[We] are very blessed to have this opportunity to perform at THON."
Lion Ambassadors landed in fourth place with a skit highlighting how Lion Ambassadors can offer guidance to Penn Staters at any age. PSUkulele — who performed a mashup of MKTO's "Classic" and The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" — placed fifth, and co-ed a cappella group, The Pennharmonics, came in sixth place.
Other highlights from the night included a performance from Orchesis Dance Company, Club Gymnastics, and Theta Chi. The organizations combined to perform a "Game of Thrones"-themed lip sync routine, encompassing the many deaths characters have faced on the show through dancing and acting.
While they did not compete in the talent show, the dance group Whiplash — who won a spot to perform at the talent show by winning the Homecoming Dance Competition at Monday's Allen Street Jam — also performed as the judges voted on the night's winners.
Whiplash's performance was a highlight of the night to audience member Amanda Mitchell.
"[Dance] is just something that I could never do," Mitchell (senior-broadcast journalism) said. "...watching them is just fabulous."
The competition's judges were Penn State Performing Arts Council President Marissa Works, Penn State Alumni Association CEO Paul Clifford, THON Executive Director Kelly McCready, and Shayna Farmelant of the Penn State Thespians.