By Samantha Shirley
A little bit of France was brought to the Varsity Theater Thursday when the French Club hosted one of its most popular yearly events, French Idol.
Seven contestants, including members of the French Club and those enrolled in French classes, competed for the coveted winner?s title, and Brittany Williams, a vocal performance major, won the overall prize.
The contestants went through four rounds, beginning with a French song, before the first and second place winners were announced.
Three French professors judged the competition, congratulating students for their talent, originality and portrayal of French culture.
Alex Vincent, a competitor in the first and second rounds, sang a 60s French love song by George Brassens.
After Vincent?s song, Jesse Hurlbut, one of the judges, complimented his song choice and performance.
?It almost smelled of a pastry shop on the corner,? Hurlbut said.
Five students each did a dance for the second round. Students? moves ranged from aerobic dance to jerky robotic movements to a number made popular by the comedy group ?Flight of the Conchords? called ?Foux Da Fa Fa.?
The three students in the third round performed a French skit. The skits ran the gamut and showed that competitors don?t necessarily have to speak French fluently to do well in the Idol competition.
From this round, two finalists were chosen: Jamie Robinson and Brittany Williams. They each sang another song to determine the first place winner.
Robinson sang a version of the traditional French song ?Sur le Pont d?Avignon,? and Williams sang a French opera piece.
Williams received the $50 first place prize and Robinson came in second, receiving $25.
Williams is only in her second semester of French, but her voice made her a crowd favorite.
She said she is taking French, and will also take Italian and German classes to become familiar with the languages that she will most often sing in during her major and career.
Williams said she thinks that coming to cultural club activities like French Idol is beneficial to students.
?It exposes them to other cultures,? she said. ?I just think it?s a cool way to connect everybody and keep everyone cultured and not solely wrapped up in one culture.?
Kyle Hamilton, a French major and competitor in the first round, also shared his thoughts on the advantages to attending and competing in French Idol.
?For people who are just starting out, they see that there are other people like them just starting ? ? Hamilton said. ?For people that have been doing it for years ? it could get kind of mundane, so exciting things to do, like this, are just great.?
