UConn Idol
On April 1st, I went to watch the UConn Idol hosted by the International Chinese Student Association (ICSA)in the Student Union Theater. ICSA of the University of Connecticut was founded in 2010. It is recognized as the university's largest and most influential Chinese, non-profit organization managed by international Chinese students. ICSA provides social and recreational services for more than thousand of Chinese undergraduate and graduate students on the campus.
After years of dedication, ICSA has rapidly developed into an active and successful member of the UCONN community by applying a unique "company" management technique, leading to a step-by-step expansion of influence. The association has launched 4 distinguished programs: UConn Idol 2012, Fruit Blossom Bubble Tea Festival, ICSA Annual Chinese Basketball Game, and the ICSA Annual Pool Game all of which had brought extensive success to the organization.
UConn Idol is a dancing and singing competition. Weeks before the showcase, ICSA posted the audition sign-up on social media and great awards for the first, second and third places. For the first place, ICSA prepared Nintendo Switch plus the game cards. For the second place, the performer will receive a home theatre projector (which I really want!). As for the third place, the award is Vinyl record player of Urban Outfitter. This year, ICSA received more than 30 participants who would like to show talents. ICSA finalized the number into 8 performers and they all shined at the stage.
The first performer was a rapper named Salt Y from Chengdu, China. He brought two hip-hop songs written and composed by himself. I personally love listening to hip hop music in my spare time. But the microphone and stage sound did not adjust with his voice which sounds too loud to enjoy listening to. My suggestion to the backstage group is that matching each performer’s sound by adjustment of the microphone. Though it can also be noticed by singers and adjust the distance between their mouth and the mic. The second signer, Wanxi Duan, did a good job on that. He performed a similar song named Ambiguity. This kind of popular songs are the ones I do not add them to my personal account. But I can always hear them and eventually know the lyrics. Wanxi’s voice is deep and stable, delivering the sorrow hidden behind the lyrics.
The third group of performers was a dancing crew, 4S. Four of the group is from China and other members are African Americans. They brought two energetic dances. One is K-pop and another one is Hip-hop. The crew acted in perfect unison, combining power and beauty. The performance set the whole auditorium on fire and every audience was cheering and clapping for them. After 4S dancing crew, it was Yongkang Qiu’s soulful voice led a soft atmosphere into the theatre. I first heard him singing in Chinese New Year Gala and I really enjoyed how he mixes his own voice into the beat. It sounds not the same as the original song but has his own style. This time, Yongkang’s performance has improved to a new level. He added the engagement part with his creative ideas during singing. He walked down the stage and greeted the audiences with high-fives.
Next, we had Jiangyi Wu, a senior student who loves dancing and singing. To be honest, I have known her for a long while but all I knew is that she is good at dancing. I didn’t know that she could sing and sing such well. When her first lyrics were sung, I was immersed in her singing. Her voice is steady but delivered erratic emotions of the song at the same time. My friend sat next to me whispered, “She would be the winner! She is the best singer so far!” And I nodded, her singing was really appealing. I haven’t heard of the song before but I could feel the emotions through her singing. After this candidate of the first award, we welcome a band named Gandong. It was founded last year and first consists of six college students who want to pursue their music dreams. This year, it has enlarged into 20 members who love the singing, composition and playing musical instruments. They brought the audience an original song about the lost feelings. The voice of the female lead singer is very soft and gentle, sending the listeners into their musical world.
When I saw many people took out their phones to shoot, I knew that it was the JW team coming on the stage. JW Team is a campus dancing group composed of Chinese students. They use their spare time to rehearse their own dances and participate in various cultural events held inside and outside the school. Their major performances are under the area of k-pop and Chinese style. This time, the JW team is the guest performers and has three groups of dancers. Among these three, I remembered the last one is a k-pop named La La Love. Their dancing cover brought youthful feelings.
Last but not least, I want to introduce my favorite performance. The theatre cheered for the girl standing on the stage. Her name is Helen Zhou who was the first place of UConn Idol last year. This year, she came back as a guest performer with a refreshed outlook and style. Last year, she sang a soft Chinese song with a colorful dress so I identified her performance as “cute and sweet”. However, this year, she came in all black with the song Me, Myself and I. Her voice was powerful and her facial expressions were so determined that I could feel her strong energy. It seems like she has grown from a little girl into an independent woman on the stage.
After voting for the best three performance, ICSA announced the third award belongs to Yongkang Qiu. And the second award goes to the 4S dancing group. The most exciting first award is Jiangyi Wu. My friend commented, “Once she sang, the game is over. She must be the first place.” Then, it comes to the end of the 3-hour performance. UConn Idol is one of ICSA biggest events each year. It hosted other activities such as Hello Huskies to welcome new students. Through future endeavors, ICSA seeks to play an integral role in event coordinating, promotion through social networking sites, and overall establishing itself as the central port for serving international Chinese communities.
