Air band event aids charity

Students came together in The Club last week to compete and help raise money for charity at the Kappa Alpha Air Band event.

"KA Air Band started in the 70s [when one of the KA brothers] thought of the idea that people could pretend to perform," junior communication and design major and member of Kappa Alpha Patrick Thompson said. "This is the biggest event we do for the semester and it has done well in the past. This semester we raised $1,400. All the proceeds will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Dallas."

The night consisted of performances from a number of sororities on campus, including Kappa Delta, Alpha Phi, Gamma Phi Beta, and Chi Omega, along with sets by JD Wilson and Cricket City Improv between performances.

"I really enjoyed everyone's performance," junior general business major and Chi Omega member Cat Hall said. "It was funny seeing what aspect everyone brought into their presentations. The whole process was a great experience, though very stressful. There was a lot of trial and error and I think I'll be better prepared next year. It was also a lot of work, but in the long run it was completely worth it."

The winner of the event was Chi Omega, while duo KA Rose Suzzie Jones and JD Wilson won best filler act.

The event took many sororities a number of weeks to prepare for.

"There were practices almost every evening, during which we worked on two dances." Hall said. "I had set up a Facebook group so I could communicate with everyone more easily. It's pretty crazy trying to get everyone on the same track, seeing as how we're all pretty busy with school, work and whatever else we have going on. Props didn't really get started until a few days before the competition. We literally finished them before we left for the competition."

The other participating sororities also put a large amount of time into this event. Gamma Phi Beta's Alice in Wonderland-themed performance showcased music from the recently-released Tim Burton version of "Alice in Wonderland."

"I choreographed the event and personally spent about five hours a night on the dance." Sophomore education major and Gamma Phi Beta philanthropy chair Maricel Amashta said. "The performance went great. I'm very proud of the girls. We only had two weeks to do it and we did our best."