GREG LAVAGNA
Boekenhout and Zeus Ladies took the top places at Serenade this year.
The months of preparation put into this year’s Serenade performances all came down to the final, held on 12August at the Musaion and Universiteitsoord. The best of the best showed us what they were made of. Residences and day houses alike showed off their singing and cultural talent in an effort to win the title, as well as R3000 sponsored by ATKV. Vividus Men and Madelief claimed second place and Sonop and Curlitzia came in third.
The event allowed no room for amateurs as the judging panel boasted members of the South African Music Institute as well as Straatligkinders and Dans Dans Lisa front man Bouwer Bosch. “It is a privilege to be a part of this,” said Bosch. “There is amazing talent here, and not just from music students, but from the underdogs.” But the judges were not going to be easily impressed, “A lot of groups just take radio hits and sing them,” continued Bosch. “We’re looking for surprises.” And surprised they were with this year’s competition being as tight as ever, so much so that an extra ladies’ group, Asterhof, was allowed to perform.
Sonop kicked off the men’s competition with their petrol garage-themed performance, assuring us that they “pomp met plesier”. They were given staunch competition from Zeus Men’s stock market crash and Vividus Men’s old age home routine. But the evening belonged to Boekenhout and their Eskimo-inspired performance. Fake snowballs and furry outfits were brought together with sharp mini-skits and the obvious reiteration of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby”. Boekenhout were also awarded best theme, best own composition and best prescribed songs.
“It’s an awesome feeling to win. The fact that we also won Serrie made winning Serenade even more special, “ said Zane Groenewald, Boekenhout’s external culture HK.
The ladies’ performances began with Curlitzia’s gold-mining show, which earned them the best theme, composition and prescribed songs awards. Madelief’s children of the revolution, aided by wild acting and even wilder hairstyles, also impressed. Zeus Ladies’ gypsies set the stage alight. “The ladies worked really hard. They had been practising since Ienk Melodink,” Barend van der Schyff, Chairman of Zeus, told Perdeby.
Despite running behind schedule, the evening was a success as each performance battled to outshine the previous one, giving the judges a tough show to judge and the audience spectacular shows to talk about.
The national Serenade competition will be held at the University of Pretoria later on this year, and if Tuks’s standard is anything to go by, this show is not to be missed. Nationals will, however, not be held at the Aula due to the construction that is currently taking place. This year’s serenade was criticised for the long breaks that were necessary between performances due to the distance between the venues. Serenade is usually held in the Aula and Rautenbach Hall.
Perdeby received various complaints from students who wished to know why the Aula is under construction when UP is about to host the Serenade Nationals.
“The existing foyer [of] the Aula is insufficient in size to cater for an audience of a thousand people,” said Prof. Schalk Claasen, the Project Manager. According to Claasen, the extension will include a new restaurant and the extended foyer will also serve as the foyer to the Rautenbach Hall. The construction is scheduled to be completed between April and September 2012.
Photos: Esther van Eeden
