When you think about Washington, DC, the performing arts probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind – except for political theatre, perhaps – and the same is likely true when you think about the type of college student who chooses to study there. However, future policymakers, lawyers, business leaders and more showcased their artistic talents on Friday, November 16, at the New York University Global Academic Center in Washington, DC during its Violet Live event.
Violet Live is modeled after the NYU tradition, Ultra Violet Live, an annual competition among the most talented performing artists across the university. For each of the last 3 semesters, student leaders on the NYU Washington, DC student council, the Hall Congress, have organized Violet Live for their peers to have a creative outlet, learn more about one another, feel more closely connected as a community, and have the opportunity to participate in the tradition even while spending a semester away from their home campuses, which are located in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai. This semester, Hall Congress Staff Advisor Sharlene Juste has been in contact with the NYU Inter-Residence Hall Council to advocate for the first place winner of Violet Live to compete at Ultra Violet Live in New York during the spring semester.
Most of the NYU Washington, DC community attended Friday night’s Violet Live to watch their peers’ courageous acts, which included an entertaining improv group consisting of Erik Reyes, Hannah Williams, Nia McFall, Patrick Brady and Stephanie Brooks; an intimate duet by Kyara Uchida and Max Deng; and a raw guitar performance by Erik Reyes. Each act received feedback and an overall score from NYU alumni guest judges Claire Modica (CAS), David Gourov (Tisch), Kevin Thapa (Tandon), and Kiran Gore (Gallatin) and the top 3 acts were recognized in front of their peers at the end of the event.
Third place was awarded to an a cappella group made up of Candice Yang, Cindy Sun, Harry Wang and YoYo Zhang for their intricate fusion of “Counting Stars” by One Republic and “Timber” by Ke$ha. Zhang said that their group will use their prize money to purchase candy to distribute to the NYU Washington, DC residential community.
Second place was awarded to Rebecca Karpen, who sang an entertaining and original ode to former U.S. Presidential candidate and Florida Governor, Jeb Bush. Karpen noted that she utilizes guitar playing as a way to tell stories and that there are more stories to come.
First place was awarded to Leslie Kimura, who captivated the audience with her hula skills. Kimura revealed that she has been dancing since she was five years old.
Overall, Violet Live was an unforgettable night full of fun, friendship, and friendly competition, and it perfectly captured the diversity, vibrancy and versatility of the NYU Washington, DC community!
Photos and story by Brian Cheung Dooley, NYU Washington, DC Program Manager for Student Life.
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