Several courageous Airdronians will spend one night living the dream of being a rock star, regardless of musical talent, as they take the stage in support of a good cause at Rotary Club of Airdrie’s second annual Lip-Sync Battle.
“It’s a real relaxed, fun event where people bravely get on stage [and] perform a lip-sync – either by themselves or in a group,” said organizer Shelley Bitz.
According to Bitz, 14 acts are registered to perform at the event Nov. 16 at the Town and Country Centre, beginning at 6 p.m. The acts will reenact songs from across genres and decades, she said, and many will prepare choreography to accompany the music.
Three celebrity judges – which will remain a surprise until the event – will evaluate the performances based on lip-sync ability, crowd engagement and props, Bitz said. The winning act will receive a wrestling-style championship belt and a $1,000 cash prize.
According to Bitz, the inaugural lip-sync was a huge success – performers went over and above with their props and costumes, she said, and the event didn’t end until 1 a.m.
“It was something that people hadn’t kind of seen before,” she said.
As one of last year’s performers, Bitz said getting on the stage is an experience that pushes the performers to the limits of their bravery.
“It is for sure something that is out of a comfort zone, to be able to stand up and do that,” she said. “Sometimes, life is about doing things out of your comfort, to push you to that next level and know how strong you actually can be.”
Meanwhile, the event provides a casual, fun atmosphere for spectators to enjoy food, drink and music.
“You’ll laugh, you’ll dance. You’ll see things that you’ll never see again,” Bitz said.
A quarter of the proceeds will go directly to Thumbs Up Foundation, which aims to improve mental health care in Airdrie. The remainder will go to the Rotary Club of Airdrie, which will use it to fund groups like the Boys and Girls Club, the Airdrie Food Bank, Stephen’s Back Packs Society and other local organizations.
Music and mental wellness always have always seemed to go together, so teaming up with Thumbs Up from the get go was important to us,” Bitz said. “Music makes people happy. Music brings people together.”
Admission for the 18+ event costs $50, and includes pizza and a dance following the lip-sync competition. Tickets are available at airdrierotary.simpletix.com, until they are sold out, and will also be available at the door. A total of 250 tickets were available for the event, and Bitz said 50 remain as of Nov. 12.
