On Dec. 6, ALANA presented the popular campus event, “The Spot”, an open mic night for students and staff to display their unique talents.
This is the third annual open mic night that ALANA has hosted in their club history. The event is often a big hit, and this time was no different. Students and staff filled Munro Parlor on Saturday night as the ENC community came out to watch the open mic festivities hosted by Timmy Greene and Lainie Block, two prominent members of ALANA.
There was a variety of performances from fellow students and a even a professor, including singing, rapping, instruments, and spoken word and poetry readings. Junior Becca Roberts painted live throughout the event, and attendees saw the painting’s advancement as the night progressed.
Some notable performances were junior Raijene Murchison, who sang “Someone like You” by Adele, and senior Darrell Young who performed an original rap freestyle with accompanied music from junior Hughens Dely and senior Chris White.
Sophomore Tiffany Adams wrote and performed an original poem entitled, “Be Quiet”, which discussed recent racially charged events including the deaths of Mike Brown and Eric Garner. Her slam poem earned a standing ovation from the club members and audience present.
Senior Dan Cantrell performed the song “Babylon”, originally written by popular reggae band Sublime.
The entire event was an overall success from start to finish. The performances were well-received by the crowd. A set list and emcees Blocke and Greene kept the event running smoothly.
Junior Christina St. Pierre, a three-year member of ALANA, considered the importance of getting students together.
“We really wanted to put together something special together for students to enjoy before the end of the semester,” St. Pierre said.
As well as the success of garnering student participation, “The Spot” manages to grab the interest and presence of many students on campus who are eager to see classmates share their personal talents.
“The Spot did a good job displaying different people with different talents, I think there’s a lot of talent on campus and it’s nice to see a large portion of the community come together to support those people brave enough to perform,” junior Jessica Johnston said.
ALANA plans to continue the success of “The Spot,” and put on another event next semester.