In the first Mock Rock since 2019, Heroes took home the trophy thanks to popular vote. Professor of psychology Chris Grace, Blackstone Resident Director Carlita Cartwright, and assistant professor of entertainment producing Abel Vang judged the competition, while sophomore psychology major Nicholas Arreola and sophomore theatre major Tatem Foster emceed the event.
This year’s theme was “Disney”—the shows that shaped the audience’s childhood. Each storyline followed a Disney-related theme, from fairytales to the Avengers.
HEROES: THE AVENGERS
Heroes took home first place for their surprising and electric Avengers-inspired performance. Featuring the original team from “The Avengers” 2012 movie, every character entered with their own theme song. The group, led by senior public relations major Ashley Chang, who played Loki, performed several dance battles, leading to a victory dance at the end to “All I do is win,” by DJ Khalid.
“I think it went super well,’ said senior business major Weston Kleeman, who performed as Thor. “I think my team really put in a lot of effort and killed it with their energy, and they got their dances down.”
Some highlights of the winning team included Black Widow’s entrance to “Angel” by Ariana Grande, Iron Man and Captain America’s ego battle and the acapella drill clap to end the performance.
“It was about the win for each team,” said sophomore cinema and media arts major Zane Warren. “But, honestly… It doesn’t really matter who wins. In a week, some people are gonna forget or it’s just not gonna be as big of a deal. But the community we created and the people we got to know through our practices are going to last longer than that.”
BROPOC: HAPPILY EVER AFTER
BroPoc, the second place team, performed a fairytale inspired dance following the quest of a king, queen, jesters and other fantastical creatures on a mission to reverse the perilous effects of a witches curse. The story included battles, romance and redemption. ‘
Before the performance, junior communication studies major Max Krusiewicz, one of the jesters, expressed his excitement for the night’s festivities.
“I’m really excited. There’s lots of nerves—people are really nervous. But, we’re gonna use that. We’re gonna dig deep. We’re gonna reach into our bones and pull out a win,” Krusiewicz said.
Although they were not able to take home first, junior cinema and media arts major Drew Dinasso, the other court jester, celebrated the success of the night.
“[I’m] proud of everything we did,” Dinasso said. “We did a great, great show. Great time. Recommend it to everyone in the future coming years.”
ENCORE: WILLY WONKA
The Willy Wonka-themed performance picks up the story as Charlie begins to develop plans for the expansion of Wonka factories. The plot followed the return of Veruca Salt to the chocolate factory, teaming up with other familiar characters from the Wonka extended universe.
According to team co-lead and senior art major Julia Foxworthy, the night went off without a hitch. The performance included a pink kids car and guest appearance from associate professor of New Testament James Petitfils.
“Oh my gosh, the energy is so crazy good,” Foxworthy said. “I forgot how much I loved it, how much joy it brought. To see the energy in the crowd. And, oh it was just good.”
Senior sociology major Stephanie Rosa starred in the dance as Veruca Salt and said she had the time of her life,
“It was crazy. I feel insane and so pumped up,” Rosa said. “I think it was like the height of my life, honestly. Me and Dr. P [were] out there having the best time.”
MEN OF HONOR: SPACE ADVENTURES
Men of Honor took the audience on a trip out of the galaxy with an energetic homage to all great space films. A four-person astronaut team goes on a zany mission to free the planet Mondoku from the evil clutches of an alien queen. The 15-year-old team included backflips and dance battles that added some otherworldly spice.
“I think just all being together as a team and watching our months of hard work pay off altogether was the coolest,” said senior psychology major Lexi Montgomery.
The team practiced early into the night for the whole week, as did all of the teams. Their hard work paid off in dividends of fun and community building—even for those not involved in the dance.
