The CMU Originals’ Boat
For the uninitiated, it can be difficult to understand why people love a cappella. Heck, even for those of us who do actively enjoy it, it can be difficult to put into words why we enjoy this art form so. While we’ll never have a truly comprehensive list of everything cool about a cappella, 200 Reasons to Love A Cappella is our best attempt at assembling a list of what makes it great.
Reason #106: The CMU Originals’ “Boat”
Over the years, the stakes of visual presentation seem to have grown higher and higher in a cappella, and that’s particularly true on the collegiate scene. Groups that hope to go far need to think about choreography, movement, transitions, and many points in between.
Along this evolutionary process, particular moments have stood out. They’re the moments not quite like any others that preceded them, and that no one saw coming. One particular such moment arrived in The Carnegie Mellon University Originals’ rendition of “Run, Freedom, Run” during their 2008 ICCA set. A wildly charismatic soloist took the lead, but it was the whole group that truly stole the show by not just singing but putting on a visual show that reached its climax when the guys bent, leaned, and lifted to form a makeshift boat with their bodies.
I love it!