By Sarah Pinkerton | Staff Writer
All-University Sing has given many members of Greek Life an opportunity to show off their vocal cords and dancing feet on the stage of Waco Hall since 1953 as they compete for a spot in Pigskin Revue.
However, with the formation of Sing Alliance in 1997, the term All-University Sing truly took on its name.
Sing Alliance allows students from all across campus who may not be involved with Greek Life an opportunity to show off their talent right next to the other acts. There are typically around 100 people involved, and the group dedicates countless hours to preparing for, organizing and rehearsing their Sing act.
San Diego senior Abbey Linton, president and sing chair of Sing Alliance, said the organization is about creating an environment where people feel like they belong rather than about the act itself.
“We would love to win and we love to be competitive, but our first priority is our members and making sure people have a good time and they find somewhere at Baylor they want to come back to,” Linton said.
Preparation for their Sing act begins about a year in advance, and the 16 members of the leadership team hold meetings to discuss the theme and act. They then take the idea and bring it to life on stage.
“You’re surrounded by people who so desperately want the same thing you do, are so excited to get the same experience and who all have the same passion and enjoyment for theater or for music or dance, or who just want to find a place to fit in,” Linton said. “Everyone really clicks very well together and leadership is always really good about finding a place for everybody and facilitating an environment where everybody feels like they belong.”
While fraternities and sororities prepare for the event, they are also participating in service events, projects and formals. Sing Alliance, however, was made solely to be a part of Sing and focuses on what members will enjoy the most within their performance.
Linton said the three goals of Sing Alliance are to have fun, make new friends and perform to the best of their ability.
“We want the student body to know that this is open to absolutely anybody, it is a blast, it is a place to be yourself and we welcome people with open arms,” Linton said. “It’s a family, it really really is, and I’m so proud of them.”
Waco senior Sarah Swingler, props and backdrop assistant for Sing Alliance, said that coming into college she knew that she didn’t want to be a part of a sorority, but she was involved with theater throughout middle and high school, and instantly knew that’s what Sing is all about.
Members of Sing Alliance span from freshmen to graduate and Ph.D students.
“Because we are all different and share the common interest of not being in Greek Life, I feel like it kind of makes us a little bit quirky and a little bit fun,” Swingler said. “It’s a fun community and atmosphere.”
Sing Alliance provides a pathway for people of all areas on campus to come together in celebration of the university and its tradition in a unique way.
“You get to perform on Waco Hall stage and be a part of one of the biggest Baylor traditions and be able to look back years from now and still see Sing and say ‘I was in that’, ‘I did that,’ which is really cool,” Linton said.
