2007 PIASO Talent Show
03/19/2007
Joshua Wickerham (MPIA 2008),
The 2007 IR/PS Talent Show was another resounding success. Students showed that their skills are not limited to the academic arena. Singing, dancing, eating pie and performing magic were but a few of the talents on display. Judging this year’s contest were IR/PS Professors Peter Gourevitch, Stephan Haggard, and Edmund Malesky.
Dashing DJ Sigband and the ravishing Erin Stevens emceed this year’s show. The duo event brought out the secret song, dance, and performance talents of both first and second year MPIA students. The audience in the Robinson Auditorium made clear from their boisterous applause that they did attend the Friday night event for more than just the pizza and drink.
Keiki Suzuki retained his title as king of pie eating, beating out first and second year students, Professor Malesky, and Professor Haggard’s son Max. First years won the apple-passing contest. Second year student Yang Yang won first prize with her Chinese folk song. First year students Misha Hutchings and Mira Mendoza, along with first year IR/PS economics PhD student Jarrod Welch and bioinformatics PhD candidate Juan Rodriguez, claimed second place. The Chinese dance troupe of Ben Grayson, Cindy Hwang, Catherine Truong, Aaron Weiss, Weili Shen, Mary Vargas, Elizabeth Stryjewski, and Wendy Huang came in third.
After Professor Gourevitch announced the winners, the Estonian Vikings wowed audiences with their rock stylings. When lead singer Masafumi Iino invited performers onstage to rock out to their rendition of “Hound Dog,” the whole audience rose to their feet and crowded around the six-member ensemble.
“The talent show is a chance to see the other side of my students,” Haggard commented. Gourevitch added that good acts are how he best remembers his students. The 2007 PIASO Talent Show is sure to be memorable for years to come.
The groups will also be performing at this year’s Friends of IR/PS Reception.
Click here to see pictures of the Talent Show.
