The first group of the Lower and Middle Camp Lip Sync Battle on August 16th announced themselves as “Newsies on Strike, Bunk 16.” Niko and Daphne stood in the middle of the stage, convincing everyone else to go on strike with them. Then others joined in. They all started dancing, got in a line, and did cannons. They were a group that you would guess started rehearsing on the first day. Once they were done, everyone became nervous because they didn’t know if they could top that or not. When the judges, Jess and Matthew, finally announced the winners, Seize the Day from Newsies won Best Overall.
The Lip Sync Battle is a favorite part of Wricampia for many campers because there are so many fun elements incorporated into it: creativity, song, lip syncing, costume design, and dance. Some cabins like to go all out: start from day one, choreograph for a long period of time, coordinate the choreography and the song, practice everyday during rest hour, make props, flyers, and backdrops, and work very hard. Others start maybe the fourth day and don’t work quite as hard, and some even start the day of. Sometimes it’s frustrating when the winners are the bunk that started the day of, but it makes next year’s lip sync battle more exciting for the thrill of the competition and the chance to win again.
Part of the excitement of the Lip Sync Battle is that it’s the most dramatic win or lose competition at camp, but if you lose there’s still the excitement of trying harder and doing better the next year. The process goes like this: lose, get upset, regroup, and get ready to bring it next year—or you might win, in which case you’d just be excited.
There were other great performances, like when the group “Testosterone” performed “Where is my Husband.” In this act, a bunch of girls pretended to be boys, one girl remained a girl, and all the “boys” were fighting over her. There was one mic-drop moment when the counselors lip synced to “Your husband is coming.” At that moment, everyone cheered. Then there were the Hee-Hees of Bunk 19, who were also great; the choreography went well with the music, and they threw their hats.
Then the witches of WriCampia, Bunk 45, performed “Popular” from the movie Wicked, and there were movements, and it was synchronized. There was “Good 4 U,” from Bunk 47, and they had four people in the center lip syncing, and six people looking at them as boys, three counselors, and three campers. Last but not least, there was the song “Ten Dual Commandments” from Hamilton, performed by Bunk 17 and 18, who won “Most Realistic.” They were synchronized, had an awesome dance, and everyone got at least one little solo part, and it looked like it would be so fun to be in that bunk.
The lip sync battle was created by Camp Director Elsa Bermudez and Yael Schick, a former director. “A few years ago, campers asked for more competition at camp and we knew the lip sync battle would be a super fun, creative way to bring the energy up at a creative literary arts camp,” says Elsa B. Director Rebecca WS added: “My favorite part is hearing all the campers cheer each other on. The competition does bring out a fierce energy where campers (and sometimes counselors!) choreograph, rehearse intensely, and ultimately create an original take that leaves the audience hollering and sometimes jumping up on our feet applauding,” adds Camp Director Rebecca W-S.
This shows that even fun silly bunk activities can be taken to the next level, and everyone can enjoy themselves even with a bit of healthy competition.
The WriCampia Lip Sync Battle keeps everyone on their toes!
