Lipsync 09: A number one hit at Collingwood Area School
Right: Tama Leslie (age 9) and Room 16 (Years 5 and 6) perform School of Rock in Lipsync 09.
Every available seat was occupied at the Collingwood Area School Lipsync 09 last Thursday evening. An audience of over 300 people was entertained by a full and varied programme.
Performances ranged from a cute rendition of Dr Knickerbocker by the five- and six-year-olds of the “Room 3 Busy Bees”, through a heavy-metal Def Leppard number to the hilarious I’m not Crying by the Flight of the Conchords.
Producer and English teacher Katie Lavers was delighted with the evening. She congratulated not only the performers but also the crew who, apart from herself and technical director Jonny Hanlon, were all students. This included the stage managers, sound technicians, lighting crew and comperes.
“The students have pretty much run the whole thing themselves,” she said. The high quality of the performances reflected a lot of hard work. “Students have been rehearsing for the past six weeks and were responsible for their costumes as well as dance routines and, of course, learning all the song words.”
The panel of judges had a difficult job choosing winners, but head judge Betty Wilson explained that they made their decisions based on not only what the performances looked like but also on the accuracy of the lipsyncing. The junior section was won by Meg Riley and Kelsey Boult performing Pretty Girl. The winners of the senior section were Katie and Clarissa Barham with a memorable rendition of Chantilly Lace. One of the funniest items of the evening was the winner of the People’s Choice award, Ike Zwanikken and Daniel Lines with their impersonation of Flight of the Conchords.
As the evening drew to a close there was a surprise performance by the school staff. It is unlikely that anyone who was present in the audience will ever be able to hear Michael Jackson’s Thriller again without remembering Jonny Hanlon and his cast of zombie-like monsters.
All proceeds from this successful event went to the school’s performing arts department, which is planning to buy new stage lighting equipment.
Sarah Milligan
