Concordia Talent Wows at Variety Show

by Autumn Johnson

Students gathered for the annual Homecoming Variety Show on Wednesday night in Weller Auditorium. The show featured many acts, from music to juggling to comedy.

Search for Seven opened the show with their rendition of “Shut Up and Dance,” originally sung by WALK THE MOON. As the band played, a small group of students danced in front of the stage.

A juggling act by sophomore Hayden Rensner drew continuous applause from the audience. Rensner started by juggling three balls and then threw in tricks such as tosses under her legs. Four rings were introduced next and then Rensner juggled three large pins. A devilstick twirling routine finished the act.  

Sophomore Stephanie Hatesohl stepped up to the microphone to share an original poem. The poem, entitled “Dino,” told the story of a lost toy dinosaur. Students applauded Hatesohl with snaps.

“I got my inspiration from my friend last year (be)cause I was in a(n) English class and needed to write a poem,” Hatesohl said.

Sophomores Drew Boggs and Avery Kesar sang an original song by Boggs that caught on quickly with the audience. “Oh no, poor Nathan, all his bacon has turned Jamaican” could be heard throughout the auditorium as the audience sang along to the last chorus of the song. The comedic song also featured rap verses. Boggs sat in a rocking chair and played a ukulele as he and Kesar sang.

Next up, senior Jacob Roggow played the organ. Instead of a traditional hymn, he played the Davy Jones theme from “Pirates of the Caribbean.” His performance concluded with a loud chord and strobe lights.

“I also wore a Davy Jones mask. I cut it out of paper. I printed it off. I glued additional tentacles on (be)cause the paper wasn’t big enough and I cut out holes for my glasses.” Roggow said.

Other acts consisted of vocal performances, magic connecting two strangers, and comedy featuring senior Caleb Staehr as Long Island Medium “Theresa Caputo.”

Senior hosts Kim Sleeper and Madison Pitsch told jokes between the acts and introduced the homecoming court at the end of the show. Seniors Tanner Shuck and Leah Mussell were crowned 2018 Homecoming king and queen.

When asked about her favorite part of the show, freshman Rose Nigh said, “I liked the act with the guy who was acting like a medium because the content was hilarious, the costumes were on point, and the acting was pretty good.”