Tasha Lewis | Phoenix Staff

The Balkan Brass Band perform at the packed Minus Malaria Variety Show.

BY DAISY SCHMITT

In print | Published February 26, 2009

This past Friday, Sci 101 was filled with sights and sounds from all around the globe, as well as that unifier, laughter. The cause? Global Health Forum’s first annual Variety Show. The purpose of the event was to showcase performance groups around campus while simultaneously raising awareness and money for the group’s major cause, the eradication of malaria.

The suggested $2-5 donations will go toward purchasing insecticide-treated bednets. The packed reception—people were sitting on the windowsills—is a testament to caring members of the community, and helped GHF raise $615.71 (which amounts to 123 bednets). “The Variety Show was a hit,” GHF Executive Board member Maryanne Tomazic ’09 said. “I think one of the reasons why this show went so well was because all of the performers were passionate about what they do and had fun up there … It was also great to see how generous everyone was.”

The show’s enthusiastic emcees, Hoa Pham ’10 and Jess Downing ’12, spoke about the GHF and Minus Malaria initiative between acts. Things stared off with the a capella stylings of Mixed Company. Callie Feingold ’12 sang a solo during the group’s rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You.” “All the groups seemed to be having a great time, and the audience was really wonderful,” Feingold said.

The Balkan Brass Band was next, blowing everyone away. They featured several saxophones, a trumpet and drums, as well as a variety of other instruments. They entered from the back of the room with majestic fanfare. Their music was spirited, and the silly hats sported by each member of the band only added to the fun.

The next group, Essence of Soul, got everyone’s feet tapping. Their rendition of “In the Still of the Night” was especially beautiful. During “The Way You Make Me Feel,” soloist Charles Inniss ’09 was quite the crowd-pleaser (and he made another appearance on-stage later in the night during the Capoeira performance). Chele-Elizabeth Harrington ’12, a new member of the group, said that since re-forming only three weeks ago, the group wasn’t sure about performing. But it worked out in the end. “[The audience] responded well and seemed to enjoy our soul music as much as we enjoyed performing for them,” she said.

Other performances were Capoeira, the Mariachi Band, Rhythm n Motion and Vertigo-go. The event showcased the wide variety of talent on campus. “I was impressed with everything. I really loved watching so many groups on one stage. It makes you appreciate how much extracurricular talent we have at Swarthmore,” event coordinator Sahiba Gill ’12 said.

Each group got the audience involved in a different way. Kaz Uyehara ’10, a member of Capoeira, led a demonstration, teaching the audience a traditional song in Portuguese and invited members of the audience to learn the martial art dance for themselves. This led to the spectacle of Inniss attempting Capoeira in his formalwear, a sight that entertained the crowd.

Sixteen Feet, always a crowd-pleaser, began their performance with the short song “Day Man,” from the cult favorite TV show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” They continued with some well-known favorites, including “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and “Starfish and Coffee” by Prince. Their flannel style and sense of humor — highlighted during a medley of Destiny’s Child songs — were greatly appreciated by all.

The Mariachi Band got the audience involved by teaching everyone the words to a song. At this point, all inhibitions were shed and people sang and clapped along. Vertigo-go closed the show with a hilarious 15 minutes of improv comedy all from one audience-suggested word, “sweater.”

Everyone left the show entertained as well as informed. Gill said, “The increased awareness of our organization and about the upcoming campaign was the most important outcome, but I was also really proud that we were able to integrate the campaign into a fun event on campus. People could come learn about malaria and have a good time, rather than just listening to a guest lecturer.”
The group will continue fund raising this week by tabling outside of Sharples.

Additional reporting by Alex Israel

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