This weekend, the Taylor Swifts are separated from the Beyonces, the Bruno Mars from the Bonos.

This weekend is the ultimate dance off. This weekend is war.

Chi Omega and Alpha Tau Omega will host GreekSing, a dance contest between fraternities and sororities to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation. Make-A-Wish “grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy,” according to its website.

The competition is massively popular and chapters spend months preparing. In the hunt for victory, it can be easy to forget why events like GreekSing are so important.

In the past five years alone, Chi Omega, with the community’s help, has raised more than $500,000.  

According to the Make-A-Wish website, wishes are classified as “I wish to go, I wish to meet, I wish to have, I wish to be, and I wish to give.” Some examples of wishes are visiting Disney World, meeting famous athletes, and giving to a local organization.

With the late night practices, the friendly fire and the stress of the performance, it can be easy to forget why getting up on that stage is so important.

Without Greek Sing, wishes wouldn’t be able to be granted. It’s more than just a dance contest, its a chance to change a life.

Yes, it’s an event that allows specific chapters to showcase their creativity and skills, but it’s also about so much more than that.

This weekend, we’ll be changing someone’s story with each crazy costume and song mash-up.

The Greek Community has worked for months perfecting their dances, tying up loose ends and deciding what specific color of leggings look best on stage. But the work put into Greek Sing isn’t just about taking home the trophy, it’s about giving a dream to kids who may not have a lot to look forward too.

Inevitably, things will go wrong (here’s looking at you, strobe lights), and chapters might get upset about the event. After all the work put into it, high emotions are understandable. But in reality, it’s more than a competition. Even if the bragging rights are pretty sweet, it’s more about the Greek community coming together and supporting a cause that is more than worthy.

So break a leg out there! May the best dancer win this weekend, and may we never forget what really matters — making wishes into reality across Kentucky.

Lexington Souers is the features editor of the Kentucky Kernel.

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