The ladies of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. hosted “A Night of the Stars” Talent Showcase in the UC ballroom on Tuesday, Oct. 3. For the price of $2, students were invited to come see a variety of acts. The judges for the competition were representatives from various National PanHellenic Council organizations on campus. The emcee for the night was ZPB member Nastassia Orr.

The show opened with a “Walk It Out” dance contest. While one audience member was zealous in his attempt to win, others were reluctant to showcase their dancing skills. UTM senior Keith Gibbs impressed the crowd by “walking it out” literally in circles around the stage and even tried challenging other members of the audience to dance against him.

Sophomore Rah Jesus and senior T. J Bailey performed an original rap song that kept the crowd on their feet, yelling out different neighborhoods from Memphis.

Freshmen joined in the festivities as well; Justin Brewster and a friend sang “The Day I Married My Angel” by Jamie Foxx. Even though their start was shaky, cheers and encouraging words from the audience allowed the duo to end on a strong note.

The next rapper was Louis Cole. This budding rap artist performed an original piece as well. While showcasing himself, he announced that he was releasing an album under his own record label, 42 Entertainment.

Melvin Isabel, senior Music Education major from Memphis, had UTM ladies on the edge of their seats as he crooned “Beauty” by Sisquo. He took the audience on an emotional roller coaster and encouraged them to join in with him during the chorus.

During intermission, the audience was encouraged to participate once again for the “Shake Yo Money Maka” dance competition. The reluctant crowd couldn’t seem to warm up until Phi Beta Sigma’s Lorenzen Lucas ran to the stage and “dropped it like it was hot” on stage. An explosion of cheers came from the audience as he single handedly ended the contest and took home the prize money.

Next came the poetry session. Melissa Kimble and Candace Turner read some of their original poetry.

Kimble talked of a million tears, while Turner talked of her surprising pregnancy. An encouraging applause was given to the emotional poet. The audience was moved as she came to tears while reading her poem.

The show closed out with a dance routine by Alvin Lockett and Candace Smith. The crowd once again was on their feet as they displayed a style of dance simply known as “jukin.” The two had battled once before at a party and came together and gave a show-stopping performance.

While the votes were being tallied, the floor was cleared, music was turned on and the audience members got to dance.

A large crowd turned out for the event. The showcase was sponsored by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and was open to anyone who wished to participate.