On Friday Nov. 11 Geneseo organization FACE AIDS hosted a benefit concert starring various performance artists, including a capella groups and dance groups.
A cappella group Southside Boys opened the evening to a full audience in the KnightSpot. Their performance consisted of "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall & Oates, "re:Stacks" by Bon Iver and "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. A standout part of their act was the closing song "I 2 I" by Tevin Campbell, sung by freshman John Turner whose falsetto abilities wooed the crowd and received voracious applause.
The next act was a performance of "Flying Without Wings" by Ruben Studdard sung by senior Brittney Ross. After a false start Ross managed to complete a solid performance and left the stage to cheers.
Junior Shamfa Tittle performed a crowd-pleasing tapdance to Owl City's "Fireflies" before a cappella group Hips ‘N' Harmony came on to perform a three-song set, a highlight of which was Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" sung by sophomore Ali Niemiec.
Freshman Emily Rittenhouse took the stage next with her rendition of "Best For Last" by Adele, in which she let her voice take on the artist's deep, unusual tone.
Next, campus hip-hop organization LFSflOw performed a dance to the instrumental background of "Song Cry" by Jay-Z. After the dancers were finished, other members took centerstage for a rap cypher. Sophomores Eve "Eve Train" Anderson and Noah "Kaos" Kosloske joined senior Brandon Jean-Pierre and junior Nora "Macchiato" Gaston in leading the rap cypher to a resounding applause. The rap faded to silence and led into a five-minute intermission.
After intermission, Senior Tahirah Ellis proficiently delivered the Fugees' version of "Killing Me Softly with His Song."
Then sophomore Amanda Spence, junior Patrice Cummings and Jean-Pierre performed "Only Want to Give it to You" by Elle Varner featuring J. Cole. The three performers took turns rapping to assigned parts of the song for an audience that was delighted to hear more hip-hop-influenced music performed with such precision.
Turner returned to center stage with senior Matthew Romanow, also of Southside Boys, to perform "Kiss the Air" by Scott Alan. Turner's falsetto combined with Romanow's compelling voice left the audience wanting more.
The G-Steppas then began a step routine to a Diddy-Dirty Money song. The background music served only as an introduction to their act, as they created the rest of the music with their movement.
Following the G-Steppas, Geneseo's South Asian Cultural Club Shakti performed a quick, well-choreographed dance to an intercultural track they had set up.
The concert closed with a final act by members of the Geneseo Bhangra Club, who performed to background music that mixed strong Far Eastern influences with techno.
After the performances audience members were invited to stay and buy products for charity or chat with friends.