Phi Beta Sigma fraternity defended its title as the most talented group at Northwestern against 10 other performers at the second annual NU’s Got Talent show Saturday.
Performers competed at the Technological Institute’s Ryan Family Auditorium to raise funds for Young Athletes Field Day, a Special Olympics event held in the spring. About 250 people attended the show, which was organized by Northwestern to Benefit Special Olympics and hosted by Mee-Ow.
Special Olympics champion Peter Lindquist, psychology professors Ben Gorvine and Renee Engeln-Maddox, quarterback Dan Persa and safety Brian Peters judged the performances.
The judges ranked Boomshaka, NU’s dance, drum and rhythm ensemble, and TONIK Tap, a tap dancing group, as the two other top finalists in addition to Phi Beta Sigma.
TONIK Tap performed two tap routines, one dance to Regina Spektor’s song “Two Birds” and another without music.
“Footwork is hard, and hard work pays off,” Lindquist said after the performance.
Phi Beta Sigma won by applause for their stepping routines, which they concluded by dancing off the stage to Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R.”
Art Schmidt, a returning performer and physics professor, sang a folk song and played his guitar.
Engeln-Maddox scored Schmidt with an eight.
“I can’t sing, I can’t play guitar and I can’t do physics,” she said. “I’m impressed.”
Communicaton junior Lex Singer performed stand-up comedy.
“I felt good,” he said after his act. “I was worried going up alone, and some of the material is offensive, but hopefully no one hates me or holds a grudge. It’s all jokes.”
Rum Lotus, the last act, performed a cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “By The Way” and an original song called “Memory’s Museum.”
“This was a lot of fun,” said McCormick sophomore Alec Sampson, the band’s bassist. “We try to play around campus as much as we can. We were playing open mic at Kafein, and someone approached us to play for NU’s Got Talent.”
Other contestants included Steam Heat, a musical theater dance group; Freshman 15, a male a cappella group; Purple Haze, a coed a cappella group; and individual students who played guitar.
“I’m really happy to see the same acts return from last year,” said Weinberg senior Anne Randhava, co-president of NU’s Special Olympics. “I’m glad the highlights of Northwestern’s talent could come out and support Special Olympics.”
Medill junior and special events co-chair Gregory Swiatek said many fundraisers are hosted throughout the year to fund the Young Athletes Day, but the talent show is the “big winner event.”
“NU has got talent,” Schmidt said. “There’s no question about it.”
