By Deanna Fraser [1]
BELLEVILLE – Loyalist College [2] students gathered in the dining hall for the chance to face off in a lip-sync battle this past Wednesday.
This event was held as part of the college’s weekly universal break [3] between noon and 1 p.m.
Lip-sync battles have become more popular recently, inspired by videos of celebrities facing off, such as Jimmy Fallon and Ellen DeGeneres [4].
Laura Naumann, Loyalist’s director of student enrolment services, said the universal-break events are a chance for students in different programs to get together at a common hour and have some fun.
“Everybody knows that your primary objective when you come to college is to get an education,” she said, “but we want people to leave the institution and think, ‘Wow – I made a lot of great friends, I had fun, I remember this and I remember that.’ Those are the things students carry with them.”
The student government plays a big role in planning the activities, Naumann told QNet News. “It’s critical that we do things that students like,” she added.
“A few meetings ago the lip-sync idea came up. It was something a bit more fun. People love the idea – it’s current, and people generally know the Jimmy Fallon contest [5] and what they do.”
But the events planned for students during universal break are more than just something to pass the time; they are a way for the college to give back, she said.
“We give out great prizes. We do a lot of gift cards, because students like money and that’s something that’s helpful and useful to them.”
Radio Broadcasting student Nik Ignatov was one of the lucky ones who walked away with a gift card Wednesday afternoon for his performance to Jose Llana [6]‘s version of To Excess.
When he heard about the lip-sync battle, he said, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do what he loves: make people laugh.
“I’ve always loved lip syncing. It’s one of my favourite things,” he said. “I was a competitive dancer for five years, and in three or four of those years I did musical theatre. So lip syncing was a huge part of that. That’s actually where that song was taken from.”
When QNet News asked what it takes to get up on stage and lip sync, Ignatov replied: “I think out of all things, first off, you need to have no shame. You have to leave your humility at the door. But it also takes a lot of practice.”