By Natalia Kapacinskas

Pirate Bike jousting is forbidden. That is just one of the many crucial tips we learned in the “How to Treat Your Pirate Bike” segment of this year’s SING! production, produced by the Student Foundation at Southwestern March 28.

This year’s theme, “Spirits of Southwestern,” sought to examine the past, present, and future of SU’s community as it celebrated the 35th SING! Eleven acts performed, and in the spirit of SING!’s competitive aspect, this reporter reviews the acts as follows:

Alpha Xi Delta 2/5
SING! opened with Alpha Xi Delta’s musical reflections on Southwestern’s past as well our future. This act had great costumes and did a good job incorporating SU-specific humor. A particularly great plot point of a student being hit by a pirate bike on the way to Midnight Breakfast.

Kappa Alpha 3/5
Kappa Alpha’s performance was built around the refrain of “Greek or not, we all deserve respect”, a theme which resounded with the audience. Despite a few forgotten words, Kappa Alpha’s rewrite of the theme song from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was both witty and incredibly entertaining.

Alpha Delta Pi 5/5
Alpha Delta Pi capitalized on the event’s theme, “Spirits of Southwestern”, to set their rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in a graveyard, where several of the sisters played witches who called upon the names of the renowned alumnae of the university, Susan Mood and Alma Thomas among them. Tap dancing and melodious singing added to the creativity of the performance, making their act the highlight of the night.

Phi Delta Theta 4/5
Phi Delta Theta’s performance also focused on a theme of Southwestern’s past and its’ progress. By rewriting hit songs by Big Sean and The Jonas Brothers to fit the theme, and with the help of strong singing, Phi Delta Theta produced an energetic and catchy performance.

Sailors and Sirens 5/5
Sailors and Sirens, an acappella group on campus, took the audience on a journey through “Paideia Nights,” a play on “Arabian Nights” from the Disney movie Aladdin. Extremely creative lyrics and well-timed singing made this performance a delight to experience.

Kappa Sigma 4/5
Kappa Sigma’s Southwestern-themed parody of The Wizard of Oz was creatively written and fun to watch. “Follow the Paideia brick road,” they sang to a prospective student character. With strong vocals, the performance seemed to beg for a singalong.

Zeta Tau Alpha 4/5
The women of Zeta Tau Alpha tackled the issue of finding your spirit animal on campus. “Chandelier” and “Born This Way” were used to celebrate the things we as students love and love to hate about Southwestern. The skit, set during a yoga class, highlighted rewritten versions of hit songs

Mask and Wig 5/5
Mask and Wig did a phenomenal job incorporating special effects and extensive choreography, both of which were well executed. Though some of the lyrics were difficult to hear, they were witty and left the audience cheering for more by the performance’s end.

Perfectly Pearl 2/5
Perfectly Pearl’s attention to choreography was evident, and the dancers themselves did a great job in the performance. Unfortunately, it was difficult to tell how the theme was incorporated into this act, and I wished that they had used SU-themed lyrics in their songs to compliment their attention to detail in choreography.

Delta Delta Delta 3/5
Delta Delta Delta showcased the benefits of a Southwestern education by traveling back in time with the sorority. Though the academics are challenging, sang the sisters in a number fashioned after Hairspray, the payoff was incredible for SU alumni. While the premise was creative for this performance, the choreography was not always cohesive.

Pi Kappa Alpha 3/5
Closing the show, the men of Pi Kappa Alpha wondered what would happen if the horse statue in front of Smith Library was to be awakened. The music of Beyonce with Southwestern-infused lyrics and the general humor of the skit were especially enjoyable.

The five SING! judges awarded the following rankings for the top three acts:
1. Alpha Delta Pi
2. Sailors and Sirens
3. Mask and Wig

Through a system of text voting, the People’s Choice awards were as follows:
Best Costumes— Zeta Tau Alpha
Best Choreography— Mask and Wig
Best Theme Development— Alpha Delta Pi
Best Music— Sailors and Sirens
Best Overall— Zeta Tau Alpha