Azure and SLAM will not be performing in this year’s Grasshopper Night, the Grasshopper Night Student Producers announced in a list posted Tuesday. SLAM had consistently been a part of Grasshopper Night since 2005, and Azure since 2007. According to Mark Efinger, Grasshopper Night Mentor and Instructor in Theater and Dance, SLAM and Azure were part of an early, tentative lineup, but time constraints caused the board to reconsider. SLAM co-captain Sam Burwell ’09 said, “There were some students that aren’t affiliated with SLAM who heard about it even before we did—and they went and advocated for us. I think that goes to show how SLAM is an important part of our Andover community, and that people want to see us perform.” In an email to the captains of SLAM, Efinger wrote that each act in the show was cut to the minimum length appropriate for that act, but that the show was still too long even after that, forcing them to cut two more acts. Azure co-head Ellie DiBerardino ‘09 said, “At first I was really, really perplexed … but, after having several talks with Mr. Efinger, I can’t say I’ve come to terms with it, but I’ve come closer to understanding that there just wasn’t enough time [in the show].” Efinger wrote in the email that no acts are given any extra consideration because they were in the show in the past. Stephanie Xu ’09, co-captain of SLAM said, “It’s not that we felt we’re entitled [to being in Grasshopper Night], we felt we deserved it…it’s not about our name, it’s about our talent.” Efinger wrote in the email that the decision to leave SLAM out was based on the desire to have as many students in the show as possible, and SLAM’s membership overlaps with hip-hop dance group Hypnotiq. Burwell said, “We started choreographing and preparing for auditions about a week into school. Though we weren’t as polished as we usually are, we focused on… choreography, not precision.” SLAM choreographed pieces to “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West and “A Milli” by Li’l Wayne. Efinger wrote that while the committee thought SLAM’s audition was good, they also believed that the choice between SLAM and Hypnotiq was clear, in terms of dance quality. Xu said, “I don’t think people should be comparing Hypnotiq and SLAM. They aren’t the same group. It’s not fair that one group should be penalized for having some of the same talented members, and it doesn’t make SLAM unimportant.” One supporter of SLAM, Nneka Anunkor ’11 even went so far as to start a petition to return them to the show. In the email, Efinger clarified that the decision would not be reversed. Anunkor, though not on SLAM herself, has friends on SLAM. She said felt bad for the captains because Grasshopper Night should have been one of their last major performances at PA. She said, “[Starting the petition] seemed like something fun to do, and I didn’t know if it would help, but it made sense to do it. A lot of people signed because a lot of people want to see SLAM.” Burwell and Xu stress that, though two members of SLAM were supporting the petition, the petition officially had nothing to do with SLAM. Duncan Crystal ’10, who will be performing in Grasshopper Night, trusts that the casting system was fair. He said, “[SLAM]’s reaction to getting cut is unfair to all the other acts.” Both SLAM and Azure were concerned about missing out on what they consider to be one of their most important shows. Xu said, “Faculty and alumni come to Grasshopper Night. They don’t get to see SLAM perform at basketball games.” Burwell added, “Grasshopper Night is one of the biggest venues and the most attended shows of the year — it’s a community consideration, not a committee consideration.” DiBerardino said, “One of our major concerns is that traditionally Grasshopper is our major show, and other shows were just repertoire…[but] talking to Mr. Efinger restored my confidence in us.” But SLAM is still unsure. Xu said, “We talked to a lot of people involved in casting. What we wanted to know is why we didn’t get cast, and they haven’t provided answers that felt sufficient.” Currently, Efinger is working on getting other prospective gigs for Azure. According to DiBerardino, Azure is more or less at peace, and she said Azure avoided a messy process by going directly to Mr. Efinger. She says, “I was afraid we would lose focus, lose motivation but it seems we’ve found our remedy.”
