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Lip sync battle with no lips

By Marie O'Neal, Staff Writer

The Lip Sync Battle is a three-year tradition at Newman University. But this year, the event that’s organized by Student Life will look a bit different.

The competition will take place at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in parking lot H and will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend physically, said Mai Dao, secretary and treasurer for the Campus Activities Board.

The deadline to register has also been pushed back to 5:00 p.m. Sept. 30.

To accommodate for social distancing guidelines, the event will have a tailgate atmosphere, with food trucks available.

Dao said this year’s battle will be special so that organizers can adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines.

“There will be a gap between the stage and the audience,” Dao said. “The performers will have to adjust their choreography to remain socially distant on stage.”

Dao said masks will be required for performers and people not eating.

“Although a lip sync battle typically requires a person to mouth the words, this year’s battle will not have a scoring criteria based on that,” she said.

Students will be able to come and go throughout the event. Admission is free, so tickets will not need to be purchased.

This year, judges will include both Newman and Wichita community members.

Senior Ryan Boaz said the battle will have a lot of positive energy and fun music.

Teams will not dress in costume this year.

“Each team will get a T-shirt. They’ll all be the same T-shirt, but different colors to show the different teams,” Boaz said.

Boaz is performing in the battle with a group of his friends, and he said he is excited for the performance.

Winners of the battle will receive $1,000 for first place, $550 for second place and $250 for third place.


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