By: Zenam Saeed ~Staff Writer~

The Xavier Singers delivered a brilliantly entertaining Halloween performance in their show “Fear of the Dark.” The auditioned performance group, which is comprised of 12 talented and dedicated students under the direction of Danny Manning, sang, danced and spooked on the stage of the Gallagher Student Center Theatre on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 for Halloween weekend.

The show opened with superb performances from Xavier’s allfemale a capella group, AcaBellas,
on Oct. 31 and from Xavier’s allmale Harmon-X on Nov. 1, both of which prepared the audience
for the non-stop entertainment that followed.

The show featured a range of renditions of spooky songs, including Beyoncé’s “Sweet Dreams,” OneRepublic’s “Love Runs Out” and Frank Sinatra’s “Old Black Magic.” Though each performance was unique and contributed to the show’s success, standout performances included Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” which featured sophomore Sarah Rotte’s graceful vocals alongside beautiful dancing from senior Aaron Moore and first-year Serena Amlie. Senior Kristen Thomas shone in her solo performance of Beyoncé’s “Sweet Dreams,” which was complemented with supporting vocals from the group’s other female members.

Junior Bill Bentley wowed throughout the performance, showcasing his talent and energy in numbers like “Don’t Turn the Lights On” and “Blue on Black.” The group’s rendition of
“Madness” by Muse was especially poignant, and was followed by “Love Runs Out,” the perfect way to end the first act.

The second act picked up with junior Redmond Millerick’s amazing performance of “Black and
Gold” and continued to shine through the show’s finale of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The Singers’ dedication and preparation was evident with their passion on stage. “In preparation for the show, all the Singers met for rehearsals in Edgecliff every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday to practice our songs and dances, and we recorded each dance to practice them individually at home.

There were so many things to be excited about for this show, but if I had to pick one, then I was especially excited to have a solo part in a couple songs,” first-year Emily Kershek said. Kershek’s beautiful vocals shone especially alongside equally talented fellow first-year Alejandra Roberts- Hamilton in “Howl.” “I think with the short amount of time we had to prepare, the show went really well.

I had a lot of fun being in the group because the choreographers were great and the other members were really nice and helpful. I loved the entire show because we were finally able to share everything we prepared,” first-year Francis Billena said. Billena’s energy and dance moves dazzled starting with his solo in the show’s opening number “Fear of the Dark”
to the closing number of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

Overall, the Singers delivered and succeeded in putting on a brilliant show. The performers’ costumes and makeup added an extra level of entertainment, and the group’s energy reflected their enthusiasm and dedication.