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For the eighth year in a row, the Percussion Society has put on their annual “Extreme Percussion.” Extreme Percussion took place April 16 and 17 in Potter Hall. An event of this magnitude takes dedication and hard work. President of the Percussion Society Joshua Colley knows this all too well. “We’ve been planning for this event all semester,” Colley said. “We really care about people and we just want to entertain them with our music and set a good atmosphere.”

After 31 years Dr. Dennis Rogers, director of percussion at Missouri still feels like it’s worthwhile. “This is where we turn theory into practice,” Rogers said. Rogers feels that the “Extreme Percussion” experience is a great opportunity for his music majors.

“This actively builds positive and professional attitudes,” Rogers said. “We deliver academic excellence with personable compassion administrators, staff and professors.”

Composer of Percussion Night, Dr. Dennis Rodgers, conducts the performers during the percussion night held April 16 and 17 in Potter. Photo | Robin Ussher

“Whoever didn’t come definitely missed out,” Riaski said. Riaski enjoyed her first extreme experience.

“I really enjoyed the black light performance; you could tell they put a lot of work into what they were doing,” Riaski said. “I just really loved how they got the audience involved.”

Not even an hour drive can put a damper on audience member Laraine Jones’ parade. Jones was traveling with a friend to see her son perform in the “Extreme Percussion.”

“I just loved the sill drums and the drum line,” Jones said.

Kandus Jacobs, a friend of Jones’s, felt it was worth the drive as well.

“I loved “Base in Your Face,” it was very unique, very creative,” Jacobs said. “It’s just amazing that students wrote most of these pieces.”

There is no need to fret; there is always next year for those of you who missed out on this Extreme experience. There is a small admissions fee of four dollars for students and six dollars for non students. For those of you who want to love music and want to be a part of making the crowd go wild there is hope for you too. The Percussion Society is not only for those who are music majors or in the arts department. Please feel free to contact Dr. Rogers for more information on how to become a part of the Percussion Society and their meeting times.

So even if you don’t think that you have the God given talent of rhythm, maybe you do have rhythm and want to show your stuff. Either way the Percussion Society or the programs they put on are worth the time and the effort to starting a new and successful career in music and networking period.

So the next time you think there is nothing to do on campus open up your mind to new and extreme things that can change your world and your mood and attend “Extreme Percussion.”

One of the primary goals of the Western Activites Council is to provide a wide array of entertainment to students and experience on job scenes and group projects that will help them out further down the road. One such event is the Western Activites Council Spring Fashion show.

On February 18, 2010, WAC held auditions for their annual fashion show which will take place on April 6 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center.

The show uses student models and student volunteers to design, model, organize and put on the show.

All inspiring models on the Missouri Western campus came to strut their stuff at the auditions. Ladies came in their cutest high heels and men came dressed to impress in their hottest kicks.

Sasha Collings explained that she had no idea there was a spring fashion show.

“My friend Robin, a member of WAC turned me on to it,” Collings said.

Collings said her interest got the best of her and now she’s excited to be participating.

You don’t have to be an aspiring model to be in the WAC fashion show. Deandre Diamond was very excited to try out for the show and participate in a different aspect of life at Missouri Western.

“I’ve never done anything like this before; I just think that this is a very positive environment and I love fashion,” Diamond said.

Lauren Dillon, director of major attractions in WAC, said the organization is making some major changes in the process of the event. Dillon hopes these changes will help the process move more smoothly and also attract a large audience.

“We are having some student designers open up the show this year such as EMAN Brian, Noel Collier, Robyn Patti and Dana Andrews,” Dillon said.

Student designers like these are very excited to be a part of the show. Not only is it a way to get them involved in social events at Western, but it’s great publicity to the designers’ target audience: students.

Dillon went on to talk about the excitement in the atmosphere for the success of the show this year.

“I’m super excited, we had a lot of people come out this year … I’m hoping for an even better success than last year,” Dillon said.

Dillon said she thinks the show will be a hit also due to the fact that it’s free and open to the public.

Junior Nykeeisha Beasley said she wants to be a part of the fashion show because she thinks it will bring a positive experience to students at the university as well as allow them to have fun in the process by being with friends, meeting new people and gaining experience.

“I’m not doing this just to get anything out of it, I’m just doing this to have fun and to be around my friends,” Beasley said.

Like Beasley, the other models are excited as well. The students said they know the show will be a success this year and hope they will attract more students into participating and attending the show next year.

The models, designers and all involved want to encourage all Western students to mark their calendars for April 6 and attend the show to support their peers.