With the theme of “Welcome to New York,” Delta Delta Delta took home the Greek Sing trophy on Saturday, April 2, at Memorial Coliseum.

Greek Sing, a philanthropy event run by the sorority Chi Omega and fraternity Beta Theta Phi, called thousands of UK students involved in Greek life to Memorial Coliseum to watch and participate in choreographed dance numbers. The event benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization that fulfills the wishes of critically ill children.

The 24 performances are judged by a panel of Chi Omega and Theta alumni based on originality, enthusiasm, dance performance, dance difficulty and effect of themes such as costumes, music and props.

The winners are announced as first place sorority, first place fraternity and overall winner. Alpha Phi placed first in the sorority category, Theta Chi placed first in the fraternity category and Delta Delta Delta (AKA Tri Delt) was the overall winner.

According to Alpha Phi Coach Kayle Kyle, the sorority dedicated its routine to the recent passing of their house mom, “Momma Shelley,” making it even more meaningful for them.

“We were so excited when we found out we won,” additional Alpha Phi Coach Emily Salone said. “It was so nice to hear them call out our name after the many hours of hard work we put in prior to our performance.”

Tri Delt coach Emily Sipes shared that the best feeling for the team was knowing they helped fundraise for Make-A-Wish.

“The entire team was shocked and extremely excited. It was an amazing feeling to know all our hard work paid off,” Sipes said.

Similarly, Daniel Hollman, a freshman in Theta Chi, said getting first place was a great feeling.

“Obviously we were proud of ourselves, but then we realized that it was never about winning. It was about the experience, and because of this, we can’t wait to get back and perform another winning dance for the kids next spring,” he said.

The 2022 Greek Sing event was a success, with more than $100,000 raised for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, according to Chi Omega president Gigi Hill.

These dance numbers are not created overnight, and there are hours of preparation beforehand.

Phi Mu sorority senior Grace Bradley said her team has been rehearsing since before winter break.

“Each group will come and practice once a week for an hour and a half and the assistants and the lead of this event meet outside of it for hours to work on props, figure out lighting, music, pick out the costumes, and there’s just countless hours figuring out the tiny details,” Bradley said.

Each chapter’s performance consisted of its own unique theme that was portrayed through the costumes and performance. Phi Mu decided on Wizard of Oz for a kid-friendly theme, according to Bradley.

Sipes said it’s a Tri Delt tradition to let the seniors pick the theme.

“I think what made it stand out was picking a big city is not a common theme choice, but we really loved how the performance turned out,” she said.

Hill spoke about her excitement for the event, adding that prior to this year, most underclassmen had not experienced Greek Sing.

“A lot of the sophomores and freshmen don’t remember Greek Sing or know [of] it at all. They haven’t been here when we had one, and so I think just building up that excitement and explaining what it is, that it is a big deal, and it’s going to be a blast,” Hill said.

Greek Sing is a memorable experience for Greek life on campus, and this is the last Greek Sing for Bradley.

“It’s kind of sad. My freshman year, we came out here, and we got overall winner, which was a huge deal for our chapter. It was something that our chapter had never done before,” Bradley said. “It’s been crazy, but it’s a bittersweet ending.”

The event may be organized and performed by Greek Life, but anyone can attend. Hill said that she hoped that Greek Sing would draw spectators and supporters from across the campus community, not just members of Greek Life.

With anyone being able to attend, there’s an increase in efforts going towards Make-A-Wish. Beta Theta Pi president Mason Hewlett said he thought the thing that unified spectators, Greek Life or not, was supporting the kids and Make-A-Wish.

“One thing that comes to mind when I think of Kentucky is ‘for the kids’ and this event is really for the kids with Make-A-Wish,” Hewlett said. “So I think Greek life or not, your ticket and your effort to go goes towards Make-A-Wish.”