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The Echo
Taylor University, Upland, IN
Thursday, April 25, 2024
The Echo
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Airband: sneak behind the curtain

Hannah Haney | Echo

Airband is one of the most anticipated events of the fall semester. You all have your tickets and are already figuring out what time to get in line for the best seats. But before the show starts, get an inside look at some of the acts.

Malinda Hall rocks out with Bergwall girls during Airband rehearsal. (Photograph by Luke Lines)

Fourth Berg (with a few guys thrown in) will be performing "Higher Melody." Airband leader junior Courtney Forkner is excited to see the audience's reaction.

"They'll (the audience) definitely be surprised and there will be parts where they'll definitely get into it. It's very upbeat," Forkner said. Her favorite part of their act is a surprise factor in the beginning.

Junior Kristie Montie, Fourth Berg choreographer, says that people should come to "see something unique that's never been done before. I know that's very cliche to say, but it's something very new that we're bringing to the table."

First East Olson is pumped to have the opportunity to participate in what junior co-leader Shelby Klein calls the "full Airband experience."

"I think it's going to be . . . awesome to surprise the audience because our Airband routine is really unique," Kline continued. "We have some surprise props and just having girls up on stage being a little more tough (and) edgy."

English girls get sassy with Wengatz and Broho boys in Airband. (Photograph by Luke Lines)

Second South English got into a group with girls from Second North and Second Center. According to group leader and senior Mel Kerigan, the girls quickly banded together and they pulled a few guys from their brother wing Third Center Wengatz and good friends from Broho.

"It's not just a dance-we tell a story. I'm just excited to see how the story comes out and see how it unfolds," Kerigan said of their act, which they're calling "A Love Story Melody." "We have a couple of different types of dancing. We do a little bit of swing dancing, a little bit of hip hop, like boy band dances. I think that makes it just so unique."

After winning Airband last year with "Space Jam," First West Wengatz is competing again with an act they've named "Welcome to Campus."

Leader and senior Steve Moon is excited about "all of the new things that we've incorporated-different stuff that we haven't done before."

Moon encourages audiences to view the act with no expectations.

"They'll (the audience) be able to kinda get the whole gist of it more," Moon said. "It'll be a lot more exciting for them." One thing you can expect is the song "I Made It" by Kevin Rudolph.

"I think that the story really relates to the audience," Moon said of their theme. "That's what makes it unique."

Senior Melvin Susanto is heading up the senior Airband act with fellow classmates Kendra Jensen and Hannah Pfau. Although the concept of a senior Airband performance isn't new, these seniors plan on presenting a their act with a little bit of flair.

"The characters have individual personalities and so, some of them are doing different things and little funny things are thrown in there," Jensen said. "So you really have to watch carefully to catch all the different personalities in the characters."

"We're excited for the blast off and the ignition," Pfau said. Most of the seniors however, are excited simply to have the chance to perform one last time.

If you haven't bought your Airband ticket yet, TSO will be selling tickets outside Rediger Chapel today starting at 5:30 p.m. Tweet about the event tonight using the official Airband hashtag #iSurvivedAirband2013.