Soulstice Story

Virginia Tech’s female a cappella group, Soulstice, performs their biggest show of the semester on November 19, 2009 in Deet’s Place on campus.

The winter concert showcases the group’s natural talent and hard work after practicing throughout the entire semester.

Deet’s Place fills up to a half hour before the concert begins, leaving only standing room to any late stragglers.

“To see that many people fill up at Deet’s was great. We were definitely not expecting that kind of turnout,” says Sarah Inglis, a senior who has been apart of Soulstice for the past three years.

The packed house does not intimidate the talented singers, but only makes the group more excited to perform.

The winter concert is much more than just singing, but a visual experience brought on by the groups creativity with outfits and choreography. At one point, the group changes from dresses to hip-hop attire to sing their version of “Gangstas Paradise” by Coolio.

“What really makes Soulstice different from any other a cappella group at Virginia Tech is the amount of energy that is put into a performance,” Carolyn Van Pelt says.

Preparation for the concert comes in the form of practice for two hours every Wednesday, and some Sundays. The group also gains experience by performing other small concerts for fraternities and sororities, and other clubs on campus.

Although the group was established in the 90’s, Inglis states that this is the first time the group performs a big winter concert, usually saving their big show for the spring semester.

Not ever having performed this concert before, the group is very happy at the amount of fans that show up. Advertising for the event consists of Facebook groups and events, flyers around campus, and word of mouth from friend to friend.

“Beat Box Guy” makes a special guest appearance at intermission, entertaining the crowd with his unique style of creating beats and rhythms. He makes his name by walking around campus continuously beat boxing under his breath.

“We really have fun during our performances,” says Van Pelt. “The fun we have is something people can see, and they recognize that as one of the things that makes us different from other a cappella groups on campus.”

The opportunity to perform at Deet’s comes in a surprisingly, yet convenient way. One of the members of the group happens to work at Deet’s, and her boss is very eager to let the group use the facility for as long as the need with no charge.

Deet’s only seems to grow as the performance continues, bringing more people to check out the vocal talents of Soulstice.

“As my first big performance, it is extremely nerve racking, but also very flattering that so many people come out to support,” says Rachel Larson, a new member of the group.

The group ends on a new song they have been working on, “Untouched” by the Veronicas. Though it is not a song they have done before, it doesn’t fail to impress the audience.

All the members agree that it “takes a different kind of person” to be apart of Soulstice – needing the key ingredient of soul to make the difference.

Even though the winter concert is a first for Soulstice, it is certainly not the last. The group hopes to have a large concert like this every semester, hopefully growing to even larger venues and bigger crowds.