LIPSYNC
University of Connecticut students traveled “Around the World” at this year’s annual Homecoming Lip Sync battle, which made its return after last year’s COVID-19 restrictions prevented the event and others from occurring. The 2021 Homecoming festivities further demonstrated the UConn community adapting and coming together.
Homecoming, hosted by the Student Union Board of Governors, is a revered UConn tradition that features several exciting events leading up to the Homecoming football game at the end of Homecoming Week. The student teams are categorized by clubs, cultural centers, or Greek life pairings of fraternities and sororities. At the beginning of the week, the teams, the marching band, and various other student organizations participated in the traditional Homecoming parade, followed by a carnival for all students. Perhaps the most anticipated event, however, was the Homecoming Lip Sync battle, which took place on Tuesday night of Homecoming Week.
Written by Colin Sullivan Photos by Tyler Washington“This was my first time at Lip Sync, and I was so impressed with how much energy each team brought to their dance,” Sophie Fenn, a seventh-semester civil engineering and Spanish major, said. “It was great to see everyone gathered together to cheer on other students. Next year I definitely plan on dancing because it looked like so much fun!”
Each student team represented an assigned country and created a five-minute dance routine to perform on a stage constructed in Gampel Arena. The crowd was buzzing with energy leading up to the performances, with almost half of the arena packed with students. Although ineligible to win the actual competition, the UConn Dance Team opened the festivities with a performance of their own, cheered on by the crowd.
One of the highlights of the night was the Asian American Cultural Center’s performance. Representing Japan, the team performed a narrative dance with Japanese-inspired moves, music, and an inflatable Pikachu en route to winning first overall in the cultural center category. The Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center won second place in the cultural center category, performing to Cardi B and representing the Dominican Republic. In the Greek life category, the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and the Sigma Chi fraternity won first place performing as the United States, using hit songs like “Party in the USA” as part of their routine. Team Colombia, represented by the sorority Alpha Omicron Pi and the fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon, finished in second in the Greek life category.
“It was a great event and I had a great time dancing with my brothers,” William Dwyer, a third-semester accounting major, said. He performed with Sigma Phi Epsilon in the Lip Sync battle. “I look forward to doing it again!”