The Clause Blogs

By Raquel Escoto

The gospel choir performed their first concert on Thursday September 23^rd. Friends and family filled Munson chapel and clapped along with the 32 choir members, dressed in black with hints of red, as they walked down the isles up to the stage. The choir was accompanied by a six member band, made up of two guitarists, keyboardist, a bass player, pianist and a drummer.

Choir director, Letitia Ugwueke began the night with an introduction and a prayer led by the previous choir director.

The choir’s bold and full sounds echoed throughout Munson, as they swayed and clapped in unison during their first song, “Clap your Hands,” written and led by student choir director Emery James. After three songs, the band played during a five minute intermission.

The next performances consisted of four interpretive dances to the first verse of the prerecorded song “He Showed Me,” by Whitney Houston. The choir divided into four groups and each performed their own choreographed dance. Their expressive mannerisms and energetic dance moves got the crowd cheering.

The final song was a lively number called “Back to Eden,” in which the crowd rose to their feet and joined along. During the end of the song, the choir retreated down the stage and left with the crowd applauding.

By Erica Redmond

On the evening of Thursday September 23, APU women gathered at the Women’s Night of Worship in Seven Palms for a time to get away from the stress of school and focus on God.

 The night started with a series of worship songs led by Sharon Silva and Natalie Nicoles, grabbing the attention of students walking by throughout the evening.

Music was not the only form of worship. A series of tables set up near the back wall offered a variety of worship styles to the young women present.

• There was a journaling and reading table with handmade journals, crayons and pens set out for those who like to worship through words.
• A prayer table was set up where people could write down their prayers. They will be reminded of their prayers when it will be sent to them a month from now.
• An environmentally friendly art table had recycled cardboard set out for students to paint whatever was one their hearts. Eventually, an undergraduate art student will compile the different ideas portrayed into one painting.
• Behind a table with note cards and pens was a small tree. The women could write the name of a person who had influenced them spiritually and hang it on the tree.
• A D-Group table made signing up quick and easy for the women present.
• A food table with coffee, cookies and other desserts was free to everyone there.

Jennifer Fleckenstein –“Fleck” – gave a few words of encouragement and pointers to everyone there. After sharing an overview of her college experience, Fleck shared three “life-giving” lessons she has learned.

First, Fleck spoke about the importance of listening. Throughout our busy days in college, there are many voices that want to be heard, but we should all learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and those around us in need, according to Fleck.

Secondly, Fleck encouraged everyone to look at quality over quantity. It is very easy to get too involved, and everyone should try to live for the necessities. She encouraged the group to devote their days to focusing on God and what He is trying to teach them in everything.

The final lesson was to surrender. Fleck said that God will meet us in our suffering and allow us to grow through it. She encouraged everyone to give their hopes and life plans to God because He will do things no one can imagine.

By Lauren Belanger

Residence Life’s annual Street Meet was aglow Tuesday, September 21^st, on Trinity Lawn. The theme was “Neon Disco”. Though the theme seemed to be a little confusing, neon being 80s and disco being 70s, it still made for a night of super fun performances and crazy 70s disco dancing.

“The RAs have been planning these dances to make fools of themselves for you,” Community Advisor of Engstrom Tyler Van Leeuwen said. The Engstrom RAs started off the evening of dances, with a Glee mash-up that included the songs “Midnight Train,” and “You’re a Jerk.” It also included 80s throwback music, N’Sync and Usher. Engstrom RAs killed their performance and had their residences roaring in applause.

The next group of dancers was Smith Hall, and with Smith, you never know what to expect. Dressed in all black, the Smith RAs started out by “pop, lock and droppin” it on the floor! Then, as the men turned around they put white masks on and danced around the stage with ribbon gymnastics. Their finale was throwing an RA up to crowd surf over the Smith residents.

Adams was the next group, turning Beyonce’s hit song “Put a Ring on It” into their own Adams version, mentioning “Ring by Spring” and wooing Smith boys. The performance brought a few unexpected elements out of the Adam’s girls, as a few of the girls did back flips out of a dance line!

The show closed with Trinity Hall. Before the show, Trinity handed out white flags to their residents to wave during the performance. There was no doubt that Trinity had shown up in all its glory. Their dance included back flips and confetti. The dance finished with David Bisbal’s song “Wave Your Flag,” as all the Trinity RAs and residents waved their white flags in the air.

By Lauren Belanger

Did you go to Unplugged Friday, Sepetember17th? If you didn’t, I think you truly missed out. It was a night filled with beautiful musical performances. The night started out with an acoustic set by Alyssa Wheelon. With a mix of guitar and piano, her music takes on a classically infused sound that reminds her fans of a Michelle Branch or Vanessa Carlton vibe. Her passionate, mellow voice left audience members wanting more.                

The second act was Johnny Strat & Project Wavelength. Accompanied by his band and other instrumentalists, Johnny Strat led his audience on a journey through his sweet and soothing sound. He played many different songs and you could feel his passion and love for music. Strat played one of his songs on piano and showed his humor when he laughed off a few mess ups in his solo. Strat ended his set with an upbeat performance of his song “That’s the Way it Goes.”

Joel Simpson topped off the night’s great acts with a performance that had the crowd dancing, singing and clapping along. He covered a few hit songs like Chris Brown’s “Down” and also played a few of his own songs like “Orange Grove” and “Whose Bad Now?”, which is a song he wrote after Michael Jackson’s death. Simpson was the perfect end to a great concert. If you missed unplugged, check out the artist’s Facebook pages to hear some of their music!