Friday, Nov. 30, the Class Officer Collective (COC) held its third annual “Almost Home for the Holidays” event for first- and second-years in the Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom. The event, held before exams began, provided attendees with home-style food, free shirts, candy and performances by a variety of groups on campus. It’s a time when students can unwind and enjoy themselves before tackling exams.

Despite the large crowd, getting into the event went relatively smoothly and the lines were very efficient. Long sleeved t-shirts were handed out to the first 300 attendees, and fortunately I was in that group. In addition, “Class of 2019” shirts and mason jars were also available to second-years.  

The food was definitely one of the major highlights of the event and the main reason many students came. They were able to enjoy a homestyle meal catered by Bon Appétit Management with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese and turkey. I saw many get their food and leave without staying for the performances, and while I’m glad they got free food, it was unfortunate for the performing groups, as only a small number of students remained.

While the remaining students ate their food, several student groups performed, including Solstice, Spartan Bhangra, Case in Point, Case Kismat, Case Men’s Glee Club and Dhamakapella.

My favorite performance was Spartan Bhangra. The team kept their energy levels high throughout the performance and captured everyone’s attention. I really enjoyed the music style the group danced to, which allowed for an interesting blend of choreography. Despite issues with space, synchronization and some members messing up the moves, the group did a great job of working as a unit and made for an overall highly entertaining performance.

Another group that did a great job was Case Kismat. The choreography was very complex, and it was clear that a lot of thought and hard practice went into it. In addition to choreography, the group brought good energy and facial expressions to their performance, making for an overall aesthetically pleasing performance.

As for the vocal performances, none of them particularly stood out. All of them had their strengths and flaws, and no group was necessarily stronger than the others. Each group did a good job harmonizing and singing together as a whole. The solos were definitely a weaker point in each group’s performance, and that might have had something to do with the setting and the performers being out of their element. Overall, I think all of the groups have potential and were interesting to listen to and watch.

All in all, it was a nice break before exams start. I got free food, shirts, a mason jar, a bag full of candy and some nice entertainment out of the night, so it was a good use of my time.

Event: “Almost Home for the Holidays”

Group: COC

Where: Tinkham Veale University Center Ballroom

When: Friday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m.

Rating: 3/5 Stars