This past weekend was FPAN, also known as Freshman Performing Arts Night, also known as a chance for freshmen to get a taste of Penn’s excellent, sometimes-wacky performing arts scene.

The things that stick out most in my mind from my ‘07 FPAN experience are the awkwardly small belly-dancing troupe (no more than four girls undulating in circles around the stage) and the frighteningly intense spoken word poetry group. Both impressive in their own special ways, but not necessarily what you’d expect to see in most theaters.

Of course, like most of the Ivies, Penn has absolutely incredible a capella groups. My personal favorite is the Penny Loafers (who better come to my room and serenade me after this free advertising), partly because I have a friend who’s a member and partly because they are fabulous. They have the uncanny ability to awesome-ize any modern pop-ish song, what with all the “jing jos” and “bee bee bongs” that characterize an a capella beat (and that my friends and I constantly attempt to imitate).

I will admit that watching a capella (or any other seemingly impossible skill) sometimes makes me want to hang myself for being unable to participate (hence our feeble attempts to feel talented with the occasional “jing jo”-ing session in my room).

But anyway, the groups that performed at FPAN will be having tryouts at various times and locations during the next few weeks. So if you want to be a future belly-or-salsa dancer, go HERE: http://www.dolphin.upenn.edu/pac/.