The Phi Mus during their winning performance. Photo by Donnie Bennett.
The line to purchase tickets for this year’s Lip Jam, hosted by the ladies of Alpha Gamma Delta, was wrapped around Palmer Auditorium on Nov. 20. The event is held annually by the sorority to raise money for their philanthropy, Diabetes Education and Awareness. It’s essentially a lip syncing competition among the Greek organizations on campus with a different theme selected each year. This year’s theme was “Now! That’s What I Call Lip Jam”.
“Each organization lip sync[s] and dance[s] to songs from different ‘Now’ CDs,” explained Spencer Anglin, the Alpha Gam that organized this year’s Lip Jam. “They are judged on several categories such as lip synching, choreography and creativity.”
The “Now! That’s What I Call Music” CDs are a series of compilation albums featuring popular songs. Up to four or five different “Now!” CDs are released over a year. For Lip Jam, each of the participating organizations picked a “Now!” CD at random and performed a medley of songs from it. In between performances, door prizes ranging from gift cards to different boutiques and even Doodles were given out.
The first performance of the night came from the ladies of Alpha Delta Pi, who drew “Now! That’s What I Call Music 39” (2011). The performance was a party from start to finish: the curtains parted to reveal a “shufflebot” resembling the one from LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” muisc video and the other members of the sorority came on stage to shuffle along with it and finished with “Last Friday Night.”
The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority’s performance took on a more militaristic look. Complete with camo, combat boots and a “Sgt. Squirrel” who wouldn’t tolerate any foolishness, they stepped, danced and rocked it out to songs from “Now! That’s What I Call Music 37 (2011).”
First up for the fraternities were the guys from Alpha Kappa Lambda. Giving the ladies in the audience something to cheer for, they grinded their way through a love story featuring a cross dressing member to hits from “Now! That’s What I Call Music 31 (2009).”
Cedric Norman, the assistant director of student life, joined his Alpha Phi Alpha brothers for their performance of songs from “Now! That’s What I Call Music 33 (2010).” They stayed true to their stepping roots, incorporated some krumping and asked the audience to “call them, maybe” at 1906, the year the fraternity was founded.
Not to be outdone, the brothers of Alpha Tau Omega kept it fun and flirty in all black everything to songs from “Now! That’s What I Call Music 27 (2008).”
Chi Omega sorority channeled Justin Bieber in multicolored hoodies and snapbacks looking for “Somebody to Love” and showed just how good they are at dancing with their intricate choreography to “Now! That’s What I Call Music 35 (2010).” Their performance ended with an epic onstage beach party complete with leis, grass skirts and a coconut bra.
The Delta Gamma girls started off funky with “Locked Out of Heaven” and boogied through “Feel This Moment,” both tracks from “Now! That’s What I Call Music 46 (2013).”
The Lambda Chi Alpha guys gave everyone a run for their money with the most set and costume changes, beginning with the morning after what looked to be a crazy party. The performance had everything from “Pitch Perfect”’s “Cup Song” to interpretive dance, but member Vee Basukala’s golden retriever padding across the stage in the midst of the tumbling portion was the real star of the “Now! That’s What I Call Music 47 (2013)” medley.
Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) followed with hits from “Now! That’s What I Call Music 22 (2006).” Andrew Brown came out “ridin’ dirty” in his wheelchair, and the rest of the members entered through the aisles shaking it to “Ms. New Booty.” Two members donned heels, leather leggings and wigs for “Check Up On It”, doing Beyoncé justice. Of course, no lip syncing competition is complete without someone doing a Nickleback song, and FIJI was happy to oblige by belting out “Savin Me”.
Phi Mu’s performance was a Barbie invasion set to “Now! That’s What I Call Music 33 (2010).” Beginning with carefree “Tik Tok,” the ladies strutted to “Bad Romance,” showed their “Hard” side and made the audience’s “Bed Rock.”
As the judges calculated the final scores to determine the winner, Alpha Gamma Delta took the stage to lip synch to a medley of songs from “Now! That’s What I Call Music 23 (2006).” Not to be outdone at their own event, they sassed it up to “Ain’t No Other Man,” brought “Sexy Back,” showed the audience their “Bossy” side and knocked “London Bridge” down.
When the final scores were added up, Lambda Chi and Phi Mu were announced as the winning groups. Lambda Chi received a $500 check to split between its two philanthropies, the North American Food Drive and United Cerebral Palsy, while Phi Mu’s winnings went to the Children’s Miracle Network. At the end of the night, Alpha Gamma Delta successfully raised a little over $2000 for Diabetes Awareness and Education from ticket sales.
