This past Thursday, March 28, the Performing Arts Council (PAC) along with our staff at VALLEY helped put on its annual spring showcase called “Arts in the Valley.” The night was a success for both student organizations, helping promote the arts across the Penn State community.
Thursday was kicked off with a performance by student a cappella club “Shades of Blue,” singing Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t Worry ‘bout a Thing” and Ariana Grande’s “Greedy.” The K Pop Music and Dance club was yet another crowd favorite, dancing two different routines to Korean pop music.
Other performers included “PSUkelele,” “The Coda Conduct,” “Fanaa” and “ROAR Brass Ensemble,” all of whom brought unique twists to popular songs from “Waiting on the World to Change” to “Castle on the Hill.”
“Arts in the Valley” was far from just a night dedicated to musical performances. Sketch comedy acts were yet another exciting aspect of the show, with two student organizations “Derby: A Women’s Comedy Troupe” and “The Sketch Show” performing SNL-like skits that were met with laughter from the crowd.
The range of performers in the showcase represented the 23 organizations within PAC, categorized as a cappella or vocal performance, instrumental music, theatrical performance, dance performance and oratory and programming. PAC is dedicated to promoting cooperation and collaboration amongst the many performing arts groups at our university.
Perhaps the most important portion of “Arts in the Valley” was its awarding of a $1,000 Arts Impact Grant to an organization on campus. This grant was issued by PAC with the hopes of funding artistic projects within a selected organization to benefit the Penn State community as a whole.
This year’s Arts Impact Grant went to “Harmony,” a preforming arts club for children and adults with and without special needs. “Harmony” brings both music therapy, proven to be beneficial for individuals with a variety of disorders, and mentor relationships to participants in its variety of performances. On April 14, Harmony will be performing their annual showcase in the Schwab Auditorium.
Overall, “Arts in the Valley” was an exciting night that showcased the range of talent amongst organizations at Penn State. This diverse group of performers represented the performing arts community well and kept the crowd engaged and entertained. While this was VALLEY’s first collaboration with Penn State’s Performing Arts Council, it will not be the last!
Related
PAC’s A Cappella Sampler to Celebrate the Campus Music Community
