A variety of student dance, theater and a cappella groups performed at the eighth annual “This is Princeton” benefit concert on Friday night, raising over $1,000 for a youth theater company based in New York City.
Like last year’s event, admission was free, but donations collected by USG volunteers during intermission and after the show went to IMPACT Repertory Theatre, a performing arts troupe for 12- to 19-year-olds.
Donations from last year’s event supported disaster relief in Haiti.
Kadeem Gill ’11, the former president of the Princeton Performing Arts Council, said that discussions with the USG in March led to PPAC’s adopting “This is Princeton” as its own yearly benefit.
“This year, we wanted to do something more focused on the arts,” he said. “IMPACT uses the performing arts to go into communities and teach leadership. They’re really about giving back to the community ... A perfect organization to donate to.” Gill noted that IMPACT had required increased support in recent years due to economic pressure.
The theme of Friday night was collaboration, with Princeton University Ballet coordinating with the Katzenjammers, the High Steppers crafting a routine to an Old Nassoul song, and Princeton South Asian Theatrics and Naacho performing together. Dancers from Black Arts Company, BodyHype and diSiac also shared the stage.
At the end of the night, representatives from IMPACT performed a special showcase, including poetry readings and singing and dancing routines.
Audience member David Abugaber ’13 was impressed by the variety of the night’s acts. “It was a good opportunity to see several dance groups perform at once ... there was a certain amount of cost effectiveness,” he said.
“It was very inspirational to see someone so young get involved in performance,” he added of IMPACT’s performance.
Performers said they also enjoyed the chance to work with each other.
At a PPAC meeting in December, Kyle Ofori ’13 committed the High Steppers to perform at “This is Princeton.” Also a member of Old NasSoul, Ofori began to plan a collaboration between the two groups; when Old NasSoul decided to perform “My Love,” Ofori and his brother Kevin ’13 developed choreography for the High Steppers. The groups then held joint practices last Tuesday and Thursday to rehearse for the event.
“Looking around and seeing how many people were there ... I’m almost positive that the turnout surpassed anything that it’s been in the past,” said Gill. “That sort of was enough for me to see that it was a success.”
A PPAC bake sale raised an additional $120 for IMPACT. Funds from the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students and the Student Groups Project Board covered production costs and the reservation fee for Richardson Auditorium.
Correction
A source mistakenly told The Daily Princetonian that the event raised $110, a number cited in the original article. In fact, the event raised around $1,000.
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