Roundup and review: Lack of an extension cord makes things tough for sophomore quad dance

A slight wave of disappointment struck the quad as sophomores exited the stage of their quad day performance on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The problems began before the act even started, stemming from a late start. Hundreds of students quickly arranged themselves in the familiar semi-circle huddle formation at the start of lunch period. However, nothing actually happened until nearly 15 minutes after the bell.

One common complaint was that it was difficult to make out what the performers were saying. While the sophomores apparently had memorized and rehearsed all of their lines for the “Ratatouille” -themed skit, the audience could not hear the non-amplified voices over the slight chattering among the huge crowd.

The lack of an extension cord ultimately sealed the sophomores’ fate, as the two microphones they had were rendered useless. With only stretched 10 feet of cord, it was impossible to use them in the skit, which occurred nearly 50 feet away from the speaker.

“I actually felt bad for the sophomores because you could tell they put in a good effort, but it didn’t work out like they wanted it to,” said junior Kaitna Shankar.

Although it is easy to focus on the negatives, several positives also emerged. Some of the dance routines were pretty impressive, including the “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” dance and the finale duet featuring Peter Hsieh and Chris Vu. Unfortunately, this duet was poorly attended because people began walking off before the act was done.

In addition, some of the elements of the skit, though hard to hear, were in fact quite creative: Ratatouille fleeing from the “Cats” in Los Gatos and arriving in Sa”RAT”oga. In addition, all of the lyrics tied into the larger theme of food.

“We failed to get the sound system fixed and we didn’t have the proper equipment, but next year I think we’re going to be better organized and get all of the technical difficulties figured out,” said sophomore Will Edman.