Letters bouncing on the stage creating sentences of expression. There were exposed teeth and cheek to cheek grins lighting up the darkened scene; small but consistent blips of enjoyment in a mysterious sea of faces. The lights shined shamelessly on the people on stage, all collected together and glued with memorized choreography and sweat. Themes from all times and all cinema history from

The Wizard of Oz to Grease colored the stage in different patterns throughout the night. The seats were devastatingly packed the moment I walked into Carnesecca Arena, forcing me to stand for the entirety of the night. A pack of 1920s flappers passed me, which introduced me to the various skins the stage would be wearing.The first group to grace the stage with flavor was Alpha Phi Delta, who utilized NSYNC and Backstreet Boys as a way to win over a nostalgic crowd. The room was pitch black and an eerie purple light Embedded itself into the stage. Eyes were ceaselessly fixated on the stage, with no sign of distraction. In a quiet room, where the smallest of pennies would’ve created a reverberation of noise, three words sprung out of the speakers and landed themselves on the crowd: “Bye Bye Bye.”Of course, there’s a certain reality to the lip sync competition, an event where Greek Organizations perform choreographed dances and immerse themselves in different themes, which goes unnoticed as the product is typically polished to the point that an audience member wouldn’t think twice about considering the routine that went into perfecting the dance.

“If you haven’t practiced until 3 a.m. and been kicked out of a building by public safety, did you really do lip sync?” says Javier Fernandez, a brother of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity, who did a reimagination of “The Wizard of Oz” by using pop songs and references from the past 10 years. The titles are given to the sorority and fraternity who had the best dances among their division. Theta Phi Alpha, whose Scooby Doo rendition spooked and excited the audience, earned the first place prize. “We heard our name called and we just freaked out, because no one’s ever done three years in a row,” said Jessica Carrera, a sister of the first place sorority. “There was so much excitement and so much relief.”Lip sync is also a chance for new members to be fully ingratiated into their organization’s activities, and showcase to the world their ambition and passion for it. Brittney Fields, a new sister of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, said she was “so excited to actually be a part of one of the teams who placed,” and that she “wouldn’t have rather spent lip sync a part of any other organization,” When the competition ceased and the winners were announced, the arena was flooded with sweat and wide smiles and handshakes of both genuine appreciation and sympathy. Of the organizations who participated, Pi Lambda Phi seemed to be taking it the hardest, yet the bravest.“Not gonna lie,” says Steven Furlan, a brother of Pi Lambda Phi, “It’s an okay day to be average.”