This time of year, there's more than just spring in the air.
During these last few weeks of school, Locust Walk is jam-packed with performance groups yelling, dancing and blasting music - all for the sake of advertising their spring shows. Just walking to recitation involves having at least fifteen different fliers shoved in your face.
According to members of Penn performance troupes, the excessive noise and excitement is due to the constant struggle among the groups to get the best turnout for each particular show.
"There is definitely competition," said School of Education graduate student Antwione Haywood, Vice President of Onda Latina, Penn's Latin dance troupe. "Having people dance and have music on the walk . generally attracts a crowd."
College and Wharton junior Aishwarya Bhake, who is president of Penn's classical Indian dance group called Thillana, said it is difficult to attract people who weren't already planning on coming to a show. She added that publicizing on the Walk is "a way to get our name out there and make our presence known on campus."
But the competition doesn't end on the Walk. Although groups belonging to the Performing Arts Council are guaranteed one solo show per year, there is always competition for the prime venue.
College senior and former president of the a cappella group Quakernotes Tavor Sondheimer explained that these groups register to get their spring show slots as early as October and finalize the date early in the semester. Members decide collectively when and where they would like to perform and submit their application to the PAC board.
However, groups that are not members of PAC have to cross their fingers for a spot.
"We have to wait until all the PAC groups are assigned their spaces," said Bhake, although she added that this year her group scored a spot in the University museum.
Although giving recitals this close to finals causes additional stress, members of Penn performance groups agreed that they prefer having the extra time to perfect their program.
"We arrange all new music every single semester," explained Sondheimer. "There's a lot of preparation that goes into it."
Groups also appreciate the extra time to train new members that were recruited at the beginning of spring semester.
And with the extra time, groups strive to put out the best show possible - and advertise it.
College senior Mark Griffin, business manager of Counterparts, an a cappella group, said that although performance groups are only allowed to play music on the Walk during the ten minutes between classes, members even compete to determine "who has the biggest, loudest speakers."
"We just try to be really animated," he added. "That's probably the best thing you can do."
