Lebanese Alumni Produce Talent Show as Fundraiser
Marwan Naddour ‘06, Rasha Younes ‘06, Stepan Harmanlikian ‘04, Souha Younes ‘06 perform a traditional Lebanese Dabke Dance Routine. |
American Idol, beware! The Lebanese Alumni are on center stage, and they do more than just sing!
Recognizing the need to have a pool of funds on hand for large-scale alumni activities, the group got creative and decided to put their many talents to good use. On December 29, the first Alumni Talent Show was held at the UNESCO Palace as a fundraising event.
Months of preparation went into the event as alumni from throughout Lebanon gave up their free time on weekends to practice dance routines, vocal acts, and instrumental performances. They divided themselves into several groups, focusing on performances, backstage logistics, sponsor outreach, and event planning. They designed the tickets and programs for the show, and then went out into their communities to advertise and sell tickets. With more than 500 people in attendance, the Talent Show raised over $1,000.
Several rehearsals were held prior to the show in order to tighten up all of the acts. The alumni who were involved backstage had to learn to work as a team to move the sound equipment, cue the lights and the music. Performances ranged from modern and traditional dances to vocal performances in English and Arabic to instrumental performances on the guitar and piano. In true Idol fashion, the event was judged and medals were awarded for best performance in three categories: best dance, best vocal and best instrumental performance. Mr. Richard Michaels, the U.S. Cultural Attaché and others from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon served as judges of the performances, along with AMIDEAST Country Director Barbara Batlouni. “Alf mabrouk! (1,000 Congratultions!) We loved the show. Looking forward to next year's show already,” said Michaels.
Nour Kassir ‘07, Angela Zaki ‘07 in their dance performance. |
The winning performances were as follows:
Best Dance Performance – Tie for first place
Lebnani, a traditional Lebanese dance performed by Nataly Naser Al Deen `07, Nancy Naser Al Deen `07, and Nadeen Naser Al Deen `06 (three sisters from Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley)
Dabke Techno, a new take on a traditional favorite performed by Stepan Harmanlikian `04, Souha Younes `06, Marwan Naddour `06, Rasha Younes `06, Jamal Srouji `06, Leila Younes `07, Abdul Rahman Loutfi `07, and Nour Kassir `07
Best Instrumental Performance
Classical piano performance by Hassib El Bizri `06
Best Vocal Performance
An a capella performance of a famous Lebanese song Wekberna (And We Grew Up) by Souha Younes `06 and Adam Abdallah `06
The event was so successful that the alumni are considering making it an annual fundraising activity for community service projects. “What a fantastic experience, we should always do projects like this one!” Rayane Assaf `06, exclaimed. Alaa Abou Ghanem `06 added, “Everyone worked hard as a team to make this event a smashing success!”
The true success of the event, beyond the excellent performances, was the fact that the alumni learned how to prepare and execute a fundraising event. The event also increased camaraderie among the new and older alumni members. They are currently discussing ways that they will use the funds raised from the talent show. Stepan Harmanlikian `04 summed up the experience: “ I’m so proud of everyone who helped in the making of our talent show. Everyone was amazing. People loved it and said we rocked!
