University of Wisconsin students will participate in a global creative festival this July in Manchester, England after taking first place at the 2010 College Union Poetry Slam Invitational in Boston, Mass.
Four members of First Wave, a spoken word and hip-hop arts learning community, and one sophomore student competed against 32 other collegiate teams in April. According to Valerie Davis, a spokesperson from the School of Education, UW faced significant competition from other urban colleges.
“The schools that they were competing against are based in the heart of where these arts are growing,” Davis said. “So for them to be able to come out on top speaks to the level of investment and talent that they’ve brought to the competition.”
UW sophomore Leslie Thomas said the team competed against past Invitational winners, such as New York University and Penn State University. She added many Midwestern college teams placed well in the competition, with the University of Minnesota and Macalester College competing against UW in the final round.
“We were very surprised,” Thomas said of the first place achievement. “As a team, our priority was not winning, it was about the poems.”
Thomas said the competition was a nearly weeklong event, with rounds running from Wednesday through Friday and finals taking place on Saturday. She added the competition was interactive, with five to six judges selected at random and the crowd then cheering or jeering for the scores given to the team.
Thomas added the rehearsals for the competition consumed much of the time spent in Boston. The rehearsals included practicing their original monologues, timing and working with the other members of the team through feedback and discussion.
“It was great to see my teammates and watch them grow,” Thomas said. “That’s one of my favorite parts, just reflecting on the journey it took for us to get there.”
Davis added preparation begins months before the competition begins, with intense practices as a team.
“We are so proud of our First Wave group,” Davis said. “They do incredible work. They’re true competitors; they’re professional and very talented.”
