By Ayushman Jain and Mike Hirshman
Anderson Creative and Challenge for Charity (C4C) hosted a highly anticipated show featuring the breadth of talent among Anderson’s student body. From a keyboard performance to salsa dancing to a photography display, the event showcased students’ abilities outside of the classroom.
It seemed almost as if time had laid Anderson's showbiz equipment to rest and covered it in a thick blanket of dust, a silent memory of Korn Hall's days as not just a venue for orientation and Dean's speakers, but as a stage where talent would come alive every now and then. Anderson Creative helped bring back the glory days and once again set Korn to life, as the house lights went down and the spotlight came out once again. Michael Heafey, the man behind the scenes in every event that happens at Anderson, became superman for the night, pulling all the stops to make the logistics work.
MC’s Dan Reiss (’15) and Neil Kapur (’15) were stars of the show. Their jokes fed off each other and made the intermission between acts as riveting as the performances. Approached just before the show began, Reiss noted that he and Kapur had no script, saying jokingly, “It’ll be interesting to hear what comes out of our mouths.”
Lily Abagyan’s photography was another highlight. Her photos ranged from a picture city hall in Yerevan, Armenia, to a picture of a boy with an ice cream cone. A common theme in the artistic displays was not only the talent of Anderson students, but the range of their travels. Molly Hogan's intricate artwork was another surprise in the first of its kind exhibition.
Binh Hoang (’15) described the timing of the talent show as “perfect,” noting it was a good break before final exams. He came, he said, to cheer on his section, as well as to enjoy the rest of the show.
A delightful audience from both years of the Full-time MBA class attended the show, as well as many members of the faculty and staff. The Special Olympics Dancers kicked off the show and amazed the audience with their bright smiles and high energy levels. Anderson acts followed, interspersed with Dan and Neil's attempts at recreating the Oscars magic, complete with a badly taken selfie. They later informed us that the L.A. Monica's Pizza guy had been abducted by an angry second year who had gained 20 pounds eating the same pizza at every speaker event.
Anna Accorsi (’14) and company's delightfully sensuous salsa complemented John Mar (’14) and Daisha Chung’s (’15) acoustic camaraderie over romantic ballads, with Chase Shi and Lucy Han’s (’15) Bruno Mars cover acting as the cherry on top. The dance numbers got the energy levels soaring, with the Texas-themed "Timber,” Bollywood-themed "Dhoom Again" and hip hop-style "Animal Party" making the audience groove in their seats.
Even the faculty did their part, with an elaborate Star Wars themed skit showcasing Asst. Dean "Darth Vader" Gonzalo Freixes and Asst. Dean "Jedi" Susan Judkins' master plan to make Anderson the No. 1 school by tapping L.A.'s biggest (and unmentionable) industries—you could probably guess. After a brief intermission with MBA 2015's showcasing their Hetch Hetchy pre-orientation trip video, Anderson's homegrown bands Dusty Bottoms & the Five Knuckle Shuffle and Manderson School of Rock v5 singing "Wrecking Ball" and "Sweet Home Chicago” wrapped up the night.
Jenny Lai and Ayushman Jain (’14), Anderson Creative co-presidents, thanked everyone for making the show the best in at least recent memory.
Check out the Anderson Creative Facebook page here and video of the show here.
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