A pair of best-friend singers wearing black dresses and the dance group HYPEN celebrated with the crowd as FAB members released gold confetti poppers on stage Friday night in the Kiva.
The winners of judges’ choice were best friends Aubrey Nighman, a sophomore emerging media and technology major, and Alanna Dowdy, a junior public relations major. The two performed a duet of “All of Me” by John Legend.
After the girls’ final “and you give me all of you, of,” the crowd burst into cheers and applause.
“Like John Legend himself, that was legendary,” judge Joe Robinson, associate director of the Center of Student Involvement and FAB advisor, said.
The second judge Ivory Kendrick, a senior public health major and president of Undergraduate Student Government, asked them why they chose the song.
“We’ve been best friends since high school, and we followed each other here,” Dowdy said. “So, I think that also had a little bit to do with it because she’s my ride-or-die.”
The crowd awed at their display of friendship.
For the people’s choice award, HYPEN won the crowd over with their choreography to “Go Big or Go Home” by ENHYPEN.
The group was composed of six dancers: Tu Nguyen, a senior finance major; Yi Yin Lim, a junior hospitality and event management major; Julia Franz, a junior fashion merchandising major; Celeste Price, a senior biology major; Tyanna Williams, a junior fashion design major; and Liv Cook, a senior fashion merchandising major.
Another dance routine of the night was sophomore psychology major Miliani McIntosh’s choreography to “Bow Down – Homecoming Live” by Beyoncé, a crowd favorite.
The third judge, Khori Davis, a junior sociology major and president of Black United Students, was impressed by McIntosh’s moves.
“I would have torn my ACL, my MCL … my everything,” she said jokingly.
The judges gave feedback on all 10 acts of the night. Multiple times, they said the students who performed “ate that.”
The lively audience of 150 people couldn’t agree more as they engaged with the performances. They clapped along with singers and whooped for dancers.
The acts were announced by the emcee of the night, Peyton Retone, a senior hospitality and event management major and FAB’s director of entertainment.
At the end of the show, Retone announced the winner of the raffle for an Anker speaker.
She read off ticket number 3153285 with gasps from the audience between each digit. The lucky audience member stood up and pointed to his friend.
“In your face, loser!” he said.
Bianca Amoako is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
