REFILOE NYATHIKAZI

 

The night of Serrie is a night most residences look forward to. Months of hard work and excitement culminate in one of the oldest res traditions still active today: Serrie finals. The night is used as a podium for all residences to showcase their creativity and spirit and have the kind of fun only Tuks residence students can.The official event  can be traced back to 1990. However, according to the university archives, Serrie originated from an informal event that started in the 1940s: cheering at intervarsity events. During this time, residences were too few and far between to compete against each other. As more residences were established, competition amongst the residences developed and over the years became more and more intense. Perdeby asked Erika, who came in third at Serrie 2010, if they were under any pressure. “I think the word ‘pressure’ should be replaced with ‘great expectations’,”said Jani Bosman, Culture External HK for Erika. “Going to finals would be the ultimate reward for the hard work and the time we put in, but I believe enjoying the whole Serrie experience is far more important than anything.”

According to Ria Van Der Merwe, a staff member at the University of Pretoria’s Archives, Serrie was born out of fun, became a cherished tradition and then grew into a national competition. Like Ienk Melodienk, Serrie prelims were once performed at the Amphitheatre. They were performed during lunch hour so that the day students would not miss out on the event. It survived each year because of its high attendance rate. The university archives reveal some interesting information about the early days of Serrie. For example, 50 years ago Maroela only had four men sitting in the audience. Maroela’s External Culture HK, Laurence Boel, said that it is only recently that Maroela has started taking Serrie seriously again. Boel explains that this year there are more people attending Serrie practice at Maroela. “This year we are hoping to reach [the] finals.” According to Boel, Maroela is doing things with a bit of a twist this year. “There will be more hip-hop this year,” said Boel.

“This year you can expect something sexy and exciting from Nerina. We are going all out,” said an enthusiastic Busisiwe Nhlapo, External Culture HK at Nerina. This year, Serrie prelims will be held on 12 and 13 April.  The final will be held on 21 April.  Perdeby hopes that the residences do not fail to meet our high expectations. According to Danelle Kritzinger, Stuku Executive Member in charge of Serrie, there will be no hiccups this year and the event will start and end on time. Kritzinger also explained that the marking grid has changed. The entertainment, creativity and difficulty of moves are marked on the same scale. Variety and multiculturalism count more this year. A mark will also be given according to how enjoyable the performance is.

Read Perdeby on 18 April for full coverage of all the news, gossip and excitement from the Serrie stage.

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