“Tradition” was
the most common word used to describe the meaning of the serenades on Sunday, as fraternities showed off their incoming associate
members in a friendly dance- and sing-off.
“I think it’s a
pretty good tradition,” said Kevin Yoder, senior in accounting and finance. This is Yoder’s fourth time attending the serenades and he said that he
thinks most of the fraternities and sororities really enjoy it.
Cars lined the
roads around the sorority houses where the women were found on their front lawn, watching the dance moves of each fraternity house. Fraternity men choreographed a
three-minute dance routine in efforts to impress the rest of the greek
community.
Each fraternity
spends a long time putting together the three-minute dances that they perform. There
is no set winner or loser, but each sorority watches closely, looking for their
favorite routine.
“It’s kind of a
hassle to have to do all the practice for it, but all in all I think it’s worth
it,” Yoder said.
Rachel Tate, senior in hotel and restaurant management, said that
serenades are a great way for the whole greek community to get together and
have fun.
“I like greek serenades because it’s a good way to get our whole house together and hang out
with the younger girls,” Tate said. “We look forward to it every year.”
Not only do the serenades act as a kickoff to the fall semester, but they also play a major role in the
freshman experience of greek life.
“It’s the first
experience for the freshmen to see what greek life at K-State is all about,” said Joe Rassette, senior in marketing. ”They get to meet some of their future best friends this weekend.”
Dan Weeks,
freshman in agricultural business, participated in serenades for the first time
and quickly found himself dancing in front of hundreds of women. He
said he really enjoyed the experience and thought it was a lot of fun.
“It was a good
opportunity for us to bond with the other new associate members,” Weeks said.
“It is a good ice breaker for the whole greek community.”
This was
Rassette’s fourth year attending serenades and said that he can still remember
how he felt his freshman year dancing in front of a group of women he did not know.
“You’re pretty
nervous and then it turns into being scared to go up in front of a bunch of
girls to having a lot of fun towards the end of the day,” Rassette said.
The tradition
has changed over time, but the concept of serenades still stays strong.
“It’s
transformed from just singing to dancing around and having fun,” Tate said.
Not only was
dancing involved, but some fraternities incorporated flips and flying through the
air to help impress the women. Also, every house must work into their routine
the sorority’s name that the fraternity is performing for.
“It’s kind of weird that it’s my last one,” Tate said of her overall experience with serenades during her time at K-State. “We look forward
to it every year and it’s something that’s exciting.”