echo Written by: Fajar Binti Benjamin and Amal Hamizah
Edited by: Varshini Vijayakumar
Freshies Night is the annual event organised for new intake students to assimilate them into the culture that exists at Sunway while also providing a platform for them to showcase their talent. The event is the product of a combined effort from Sunway University Student Council and Sunway College Student Council with the help from valued sponsors such as Burger Lab, After Black, Epic Meals, MilkADeal and Moma Water.
This year’s Freshies Night was based on the theme, “Tropical Vibes”. The Jeffrey Cheah Hall had the lights out and blue strobe lights on the whole night. New and old students turned up alike decked up in colourful dresses and tie-dyed shirts. Glow sticks and finger lights were sold to keep the crowd colourful and fun to watch. When the doors opened at 6.45pm, it was evident that everyone was ready to have some fun.
The night kicked off with an electrifying performance from the band “Just Strangers”. These four boys rocked away, setting the tone for the night as one of high energy and good music. Once they were done, the Emcee explained the layout of the night, briefing the participants on how the highly anticipated “best dressed” competition would play out. Participants were to take a picture at the booth located at the back of the hall and post it before getting voted on. The top three from the two genders would then catwalk across the stage, trying to draw the most audience cheers to win the grand cash prize.
After the competition and safety announcements, it was time to watch the dance group “Crush”, (which originated from Red Mouse Dance Academy) perform their provocative routine that drew both wolf whistles and embarrassed smiles from the crowd. Then there was a duet singing performance from Moonshine by two students who met each other through Sunway Music Society. There were also two dance partners who specialized in all Latin, Alchemy Movements.
Next, there was a singing performance by the duet, Kita: Orang. Already writing their own songs under the producer Audi Mok, these two unleashed a ton of their talent on us. Then there was the band Band-it that got everyone jumping on their feet again. Once they had completed their set, it was time for the big gimmick of the night: The Greatest Showman performance. The council students cleared a ring in the middle of the hall. Then the students from Diploma in Performance Arts Batch 17 jumped in, led by Eric Lau Lofstedt and started dancing their hearts out to the three big hits from the hit musical, “The Greatest Showman”.
Following that was the highly anticipated catwalk from the 6 “Best-dressed” finalists. The students strutted across the stage, impressing us with cartwheels, splits and that saucy attitude, showing us exactly what they were made of. Once the winners had been determined through our cheers, it was time for the next performance. The beautiful singer “Penny Lestrange” impressed us with her vocals, the band “Go Diva” got us all singing along to their rendition of “New Rules”, and the next band, “Night Skies and Visions” carried us through the longest set with electrifying music and the chance to make waves through the crowd.
Following that was a singing performance from “NYK’, an artist who has opened for James Arthur and performed in the ‘Good Vibes’ festival. Dazzling us with his outstanding vocals, he gave quite a performance. Next, there was a dance performance from “Infires”, followed by the duo “Padang Skwad” and finally, another highlight, The “homopartyrocker”: DJ, Sean Leng, came to end the night with some high energy beats. This DJ has five compilation singles out and despite only being 20, DJs at reputable clubs across KL.
The event was a definite success. There were clear smiles of excitement plastered over the faces of students. One student said, “this is like my prom in high school but with better funding and so much more freedom”.Another student commented,“this is so much more fun than what I expected. The snacks were really good”. Freshies Night ‘18 not only was a gathering for new students to get a taste of the atmosphere and culture of Sunway University and College but it was also an exciting celebration of young ‘Sunway-ian’ talent.
