Students flowed through the doors of the Community Life lounge Thursday night, Oct. 11, grabbing their refreshments and heading to the rows of chairs and couches in front of the performance stage.
All eyes were focused on the stage as Community Life’s first Open Mic Night of the year began.
Kristin Holderman, director of Campus Activities, said a couple hundred students usually attend the event, which occurs at least once each semester. In the fall 2018 semester, 20 groups performed throughout the night.
Holderman said she enjoyed seeing the variety of talent at each Open Mic Night.
“I love to see the new, fresh talent that we have, and I also love to see the way that fellow students respond to those on stage,” Holderman said. “Everyone is so encouraging and it’s a really good night to see CBU coming together and supporting one another.”
Morganne Warner, sophomore worship arts major, joined three friends to perform as a group at the event.
“Before we went up (on stage) I was getting a little nervous, only because there were so many people and we were one of the first gigs to go up,” Warner said.
Warner said her nerves went away once the performance started and her favorite thing about the event was the crowd’s support.
“No matter who went up or what they were doing, there was this unanimous support from the audience,” Warner said. “No matter what was happening, there was always clapping and whooping, making the person feel like they’re doing a really good job.”
Ben Higgins, sophomore criminal justice major, said he enjoyed the variety of performers at the event.
“You had music, but you also had people reciting poems with and without music,” Higgins said. “You also have a variety of music styles represented, which I thoroughly enjoyed.”
Community Life has many events planned, both on and off campus, that students can keep up with on their Instagram page. The next event is Fortuna Bowl Nov. 10, on the Front Lawn at 7 p.m.
