WORDS Alex Petry I I PHOTOS Kazu Ftgisa111a Spring Sing 2017 was a historic year for men's and women's social clubs Omega Phi and Delta Gamma Rho (DGR) and their friends. The two clubs took home the John H. Ryan Sweepstakes .ward for their show "Chicken Fillet: The Moo-sical," a satirical look at the origin story of Chick-fil-A. This marked the first overall win for the two clubs since they teamed up to perform together. It was al o the first win for DGR in 20 years and the fir twin in club history for Omega Phi. The show wa a combined effort of directors alumna Kim Chambers, junior Kayla Meeler and seniors Caroline 1 el on and Jackson Eldridge. The team worked for a year staging choreography writing lyric and crafting the story they wanted to tell with their parody of the popular fast food chain, which was met with enthusiasm from their clubs. "Our clubs seemed pretty open ro the idea," Meeler said. "DGR has never been a huge Spring Sing club, and freshmen are not required (to perform). \'v'hen they found out the theme was about Chick-fit- , I think a lot of people g t excited. It definitely persuaded older members to be involved." nee rehearsals began in spring 2017, the directors began to piece together all of the odds and ends of the how they had cultivated in their heads for so long. With a cast who was willing to work hard and directors who were open to trying new things, the show began to come together. OS WI rsJ SP-81rsJG SING "Llke any good pring ing show, we tried to create a rehearsal atmosphere that was a blend of lighthearted fun, socializing and dedicated work," -< ldridge said. ''Because of my ta k-oriented nature, I pushed the performers every day to perfect their singing, dancing and character-work. As we hit milestones and accomplished our goals, there was a growing sense of momentum and anticipation because of the special show we knew we were creating." The directors attributed the success of their how to their dedication to detail and practice. According to elson, the stress of hard practices proved worthwhile. 'We loved our idea, and we knew that it was clever," elson said. 'We just wanted to make sure everything was in place to make it the best show that it could be." At the end of Spring Sing, when the overall winner was announced, the directors and cast of the show realized that their hard work had paid off The two clubs and friends scored their first win as a team and earned ·2,000 for their charity, Hope Cottage, whose missi n was to decrease domestic violence. "That moment when I took theJohn H. Ryan first-place trophy from [President] Bruce McLarty's hands, hoisted it above my head and celebrated with my fellow show members in front of a packed Benson uditorium is my favorite Harding experience thu far," Eldridge said. "Winning together for the first time was an unforgettable joy and honor." I DGR, OPhi and friends' Spring Sing 2017 show, directed by seniors Jackson Eldridge and Caroline Nelson, explores the origins of Chick-fil-A from the perspective of cows and chickens. This was the first year DGR and Omega Phi won the John H. Ryan Sweepstakes award since they began performing together. // Photots by Kazu Fujisawa (f) -0 :::0 z G.) (f) ·z G.) :::::: ........
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