Dances with Snakes: Lip Sync Leaves Crowd Screaming

By CAROLINE FORD

Homecoming week started with a bang Wednesday night with the University of Mary Washington’s annual Lip Sync Competition. Hosted by Class Council, this year’s competition proved to be tremendously popular, with 13 performances.
Crowds starting pouring in to Dodd Auditorium at 7:30 p.m., and the seats kept filling up until the show started at 8 p.m.
Once the lights dimmed, Isaac Whalen took the stage to introduce the judges. The judges were director of the Office of Student Activities and Engagement Joe Mollo, Dean Cedric Rucker and Chad Murphy, professor of political science Contestants were judged on their lip-syncing abilities as well as their dance moves, costumes and audience reaction.
The night was full of Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Single Ladies and yes, even Gangnam Style. The $200 third place prize went to “Chutney.” “Chutney,” made up of senior Kaitlin Smart majoring in German and international affairs, junior Alicia Almberg majoring in biology and sophomore Brianna Berling majoring in psychology, did a mash-up of girlfriend/boyfriend related songs that included “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber.
All three contestants wore matching black outfits, and depicted a girl being sought after by two guys.
The $300 second place prize went to a duo made up of seniors Malik Thomas and Quin McCarthy, called “Ebony and Ivory.”
Extremely well received by the crowd, they started off their number with, what else, the classic song “Ebony and Ivory” by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.  They continued their hilarious song choices with “I Will Survive,” by Gloria Gaynor, and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” by Cyndi Lauper. It was their song choices, their impressive dance moves and the screaming reaction from the audience that landed this duo in second place.
The $400 first place prize went to the most talked about performance of the evening. This routine not only got a standing ovation, but also was the only act performed by a single individual.
Under the stage name “It’s Britney, Bitch,” senior Andrew Hogan danced along to a montage of Britney Spears hits, mimicking her dance moves from each song with perfection. Dressed in a plaid skirt and white button-down blouse, he later stripped down to a pair of bedazzled black underwear and provocatively danced to Spears’ hit “Slave 4 U.”
The crowd erupted with a standing applause, screaming with excitement and amazement, but he wasn’t finished yet. Hogan took it to the next level and draped a live snake around his shoulders, mimicking Spears’ performance at the 2001 Video Music Awards.
The crowd went wild, and Hogan was given a standing ovation. Even during the judges’ deliberation, people were screaming out his name. Hogan took home $400 all to himself for his brave, amazing, spot-on performance.
All in all, this year’s Lip Sync Competition was a tremendous success. Students are already talking about planning for another round of incredible performances next year. Granted, Hogan’s performance may be a tough act to follow.