First, we chose the base: the songs. After much discussing, suggesting, editing, and revising, we settled on a list of six songs. With a vote, we narrowed it down to three. And thus, our mashup of “Better Place,” “24K Magic,” and “Pony” was born. In order to win, we knew we needed to use every asset of our dorm. Anabelle ’25 stepped up to make our gutsy and tangy mashup, while Daisy ’24 and Sage ’26 collaborated in choreographing a dance for our whole dorm to nail in under a week.

Once we had our choreography and mashup, we squashed into the common room after check-in to practice every night leading up to the battle. Pushing the tables and chairs in our common room aside, we cleared the way for Daisy and Sage to teach us the steps. My roommate Kate ’25, who was able to perform the choreography with poise and precision, had to help those such as myself who weren’t born with natural coordination and groove. Not only did our entire dorm participate, but one of our affiliates, Dr. A, even joined in for a solo. 

On the night of the lip-sync battle, Ho’s dorm was equipped with our costumes and moves. We were the eighth performance of the evening, and while the dorms before and after us had stellar performances, it was clear that no dorm could outshine Ho’s dorm. We graciously received the only ten of the night from one of the judges and a seven and an eight from the other two. Unfortunately, we were “outdone” by Martinez’s and HD’s dorms, which came in first and second place, respectively. But if you ask anyone in attendance, we were the crowd favorite.

Nevertheless, we were all proud of our performance as we maintained positive and exuberant energy throughout. As we enter spring term, the countdown until Spring Fling begins, and Ho’s dorm prepares for yet another dorm showdown. Rumor has it we’ve already started preparing for tug-of-war…