Biomedical laboratory science senior and member of Delta Chi Cody Scheuerman has participated in Songfest for the past four years.

Scheuerman said he continues to do Songfest because of the connections he makes with the other team members. He said the sorority members he’s done Songfest with in the past are some of his closest friends.

“You get to know your brothers more as well because you hang out with them so much during practice,” Scheuerman said.

Before spring break, Scheuerman said the practices are usually once a week for about two hours. After that the teams usually get together two or three times a week.

He said the challenges of practicing are learning all the movements and matching them with the beat so that everyone is in sync.

Packaging junior and Pi Beta Phi member Lija Preston, who is organizing this year’s competition for her team, said her and the other coordinator run four practices a week. This allows other team members to coordinate the practices with their busy schedules.

Pi Beta Phi, teamed up this year with Delta Chi, has been working hard at choreographing the dance.

Preston said her and the other Pi Beta Phi member in charge have been offering their sorority sisters the chance to provide ideas for the choreography. She said that way everyone can be involved.

For Preston, Songfest provides an opportunity to connect with Greek Week and get more invested in the money being raised and the relationships being built.

“Songfest for me is a great way to get to know others in the greek community outside of philanthropy events or our day-to-day activities,” Preston said, “It’s also a great way to get exercise.”

This will be Preston’s third year participating in Songfest. She said while practicing is a lot of fun, it also takes a lot of work to learn the choreography.

“It’s a little bit serious but you want to enjoy yourself while you’re doing it,” Preston said.

Education sophomore Hannah Long has decided to participate in Songfest for a second time, after she tried it out last year and loved doing it.

Long said she loves working with the other girls on her team. She said the dance is long, and it can be a challenge to memorize it at first, but after a lot of practice it becomes ingrained in her mind.

“People take it seriously,” Long said, “there’s definitely times where we goof off but in the end we want to do well.”