On September 27, more than a dozen RPI clubs performed in downtown Troy to an audience of community members and students as part of Troy Night Out, an event centered around the students of RPI. All of the performances drew sizable audiences, creating an exciting, positive environment.
The RPI Juggling and Unicycling Club performed in the streets. According to Spencer Johnson ’16, they had a “pretty good crowd.” They were split into two groups; one was more or less stationary with juggling and firespinning, and the other was more interactive with the crowd. Unicycler graduate student Steve Timmick said the crowd was quite pleased with his tricks. He rode up and down the streets of Troy; after all, he pointed out, stationary unicycling would be quite difficult.
Performances by RPI’s musical groups were another feature of the September Troy Night Out. The a capella groups performed in the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, while RPI’s Jazz Ensembles played in Barker Park. Unlike in a concert hall, “people walking by would just stop and listen”, Deborah Kraft ’13 said of the jazz groups, which included 8th Street Swing, Contemporary Jazz, Repertory Jazz, and Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra.
According to Shannon Holly ’14, the acoustics in the music hall amplified the a capella groups’ music. The a capella groups that performed were Partial Credit, Duly Noted, the Rensselyrics, and the Rusty Pipes.
The Players performed The Complete History of America (abridged) in the Black Box Theatre of The Arts Center of the Capital Region to a full audience. According to Evan Plunkett ’14, one of the Players, the show recreates some of the most important moments in American history in a very tongue-in-cheek fashion. Plunkett also said that “it went extremely well,” with such a large audience that chairs had to be set out in the front row. The pies thrown during the show did make quite a mess and had to be cleaned up before performances by 8th Wonder and the RPI Dance Team, which were supposed to immediately follow the Players’ performance.
8th Wonder is a k-pop/hip-hop dance group. They wore sweatpants and t-shirts and performed to a variety of popular songs, including “Somebody I used to Know”, “Call Me Maybe”, and “Peacock”. Most of the audience members for the dance performances were students, but some were community members. After the show, Mackenzie Higgins ’14 noted that the group hadn’t performed since Relay for Life in April and that “the performance was invigorating.”
The RPI Dance Team performed to “I Love It ” by Icona Pop. Despite technical difficulties with the music, the team was well-synchronized in its many kicks, spins, and other dance moves.
The September 2013 Troy Night Out featuring RPI student groups was a success. They were well-attended by students, Troy community members of all ages, and RPI alumni. Not mentioned above, but also present was RPI’s First Robotics Team as a participant.