Art by Caitlin Roark
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and with it comes the first day of rehearsals for the 2019 edition of Songfest. This time-honored tradition that has been going on for almost 47 years is a huge part of Pepperdine’s identity. While participating in Songfest is no small feat, the experience that it brings is something that all students should live before they graduate.
Songfest is a considerable time commitment, but the payoff is worth it. Practices from 10 p.m. to midnight are late, but the friendships forged in those night hours can be stronger than any others formed on campus.
“It was incredible to be so welcomed and so loved immediately,” Shyann Ford from Eta Theta Tau said in Sofia Telch’s article “Lights, Camera, Songfest takes the stage for 46th anniversary,” published by the Graphic on March 21, 2018. “It’s just the most enthusiastic, excited, energetic people you’ll ever meet on campus — they all get in one room and we just have such a good time and you can tell there’s nowhere else we would rather be.”
Songfest is also a great way to stay active with a fun group of people. A year study from the University of Brighton in the UK shows that “dancing burns about 600 calories per hour … about the same or more than going for a swim or a run for about the same amount of time, according to Jennifer Stahl’s article “Why Dancing is the Best Exercise,” published on Jul. 26, 2017 by Dance Magazine. The article went on to reference studies that showed dancing to “improve mood, lower stress, boost energy, curb anxiety, slow cognitive decline [and] increase confidence.”
Putting together a stage production and perfecting it in three weeks is also an impressive accomplishment that students can look at on performance week and be proud of. The performances are proof that students can come together and create amazing things as long as they have a positive attitude and put their hearts into it.
As a member of Gamma Ghkkkkket Sigma and Friends, Songfest is an event that I look forward to every year. After the curtains closed on last year’s final performance, I was already excited for our next performances — those that will be going on next month. Please join me and other Songfest participants at Elkins at 10 p.m. Thursday and make this year the best one yet!
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