First years have been thrown across the stage, drilled to late hours in the night to point their hands just so and have “Oppa Gangnam” styled their way through Ienkmelodienk 2013. For those of you who weren’t there, here is an inside scoop of the event.
The two venues allowed for two very different atmospheres. In the Aula, where most of the parents and staff were seated, the atmosphere was more formal with the advantage of better sound and videos. The Amphitheatre, on the other hand, was plagued with poor sound quality and the videos were not successful here as there was no screen for them to be projected on. However, the atmosphere made up for the lack of technical quality as performances felt more alive with an active audience.
Curlitzia and Olienhout were the female and male residence winners of the evening, with Olienhout named the overall winner of Ienkmelodienk. The RAG partners who dressed up as tennis players and “school boy jackasses” respectively were crowd favourites. The Kloekies song list integrated well with their theme and their synchronised movements and formations put them above the rest. Their short skit of tennis players Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, along with their rendition of “Gangnam Style”, were some stand-out moments.
Houte, who had one of the most memorable themes of the night, impressed with their band, costumes and humour. When several of the first years received wedgies from their peers to reveal huge white underwear that spelled out “Curlitzia”, they ensured a spot in the minds of the audience and the judges.
Other stand-out performances were the Magrietjie “milkmaids in love” who dominated the female residences at that point in the competition with their smart song choices and synchronised choreography. A better-rehearsed-than-usual Kollege held up their reputation with their controversial and comical performance done in (no surprise) their signature togas. And the residence that was cheated at Ienkmelodienk has to be Mopanie. Their mining theme not only allowed them to deliver a stunning performance with good choreography, acrobatics and the use of drums, but also provided social commentary on a current affairs event in South Africa.
Photos: Eleanor Harding and Lourens Smit
