by: Rachel Watson & Katherine Wisen

The songs were selected. The steps rehearsed. Weeks of practice, tears and sweat led up to this night.

The second annual “Dancing with the Sections” competition finally arrived last week. Every section from VanOsdel and Cook Halls participated in the competition held in the Corum on Friday, March 28, at 8 p.m.

The winning team was Lisa Gregornik’s section in Cook, who danced to a medley of “Lion King” songs and other selections, including a number from “High School Musical” and “Saddle Up Your Horses.”

Before the competition began, energetic music played to set the mood. Performers with painted faces, brightly colored costumes, and three-piece suits paced back and forth on the sidelines in anticipation of the coming moments.

The crowd was hopping—some of them literally— while the drone of voices defeated any possibility of dead air. Scores of current and prospective students filled the room wall to wall. The lights dimmed; the music faded. The heat began.

Petra VandeZande’s section, the second place winners, wore masks, face paint and ties, and they danced to a mix that unexpectedly flowed straight from one song into the next.

It jumped from “Ice, Ice, Baby,” to “I’m Blue,” to “Every Time We Touch,” and then seamlessly transitioned into “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas, a startling redirection that caught the audience off guard and set them laughing.

Laughter, in fact, defined the evening.

From Leah Bailey’s section who performed a dance patterned after a Richard Simmons exercise video, to Stephanie Dreyer’s section who danced to a 90s mix, to Chris Thompson’s suit-clad team performing Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” to Adam Knoll’s group who achieved a near-flawless rendition of “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” there was never a dull moment.

About a week before the event, Erin Jewell, junior and co-host of the competition, shared her hopes for the show.

“I for sure expect some very original, unique choreography, maybe some acrobatics and hopefully many laughable moments from the contestants,” she said. “I really hope that each group puts thought into the dance, but what’s most important to me is that they look like they’re having fun.”

After the show, her smiling face showed forth her satisfaction with the competition’s level of success. “I liked all the acts,” Jewell said, “but I think Lisa’s section went the extra mile.”

Katie Winne, resident director of Cook and co-host and planner of the event, agreed. “I thought it was fun and light-hearted,” she said. “I am so happy so many people came.”

Jewell emphasized another point in her pre-interview. “This is the type of thing that makes college life what it is,” she said. “I really hope someone just totally surprises us with some sweet pop-and-lock routine or a back flip.”

No “popping and locking” went on; instead something just as unforgettable happened.

After the judges announced the winners (Gregornik’s section took first place, VandeZande’s second and Andy Kolkman’s third), they called the first place title holders up for an encore.

That encore was supposed to close out the show, but the crowd unexpectedly demanded a second performance from Kolkman’s group, too, who had originally danced to “What is Love?”

Kolkman protested that the fifth member of their group had left, but the crowd still shouted for an encore even without him.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, junior Buddy Carr, who does not live in VO and was not planning to participate, appeared on stage and danced in the fifth member’s place.

The crowd roared as he slid forward on his knees at the song’s pinnacle, and again toward the end when the four men lifted him on their shoulders as part of the original routine.

After the show, Carr explained what was going through his head at that moment. “I thought the guys did a good job so … they should have a second chance. They were down a guy, and my housemates told me I should go up, so I went,” he said, grinning.

What a night!