A  Nonstop Improv Comedyfest: Student Activities FREE DAPS event

 

By Megan Lanham

mrlanham@lc.edu

 

On March 25, 2021, the ‘FREE DAPS’ Zoom virtual event took place. It was hosted by the Illinois Community College Student Activities Association (ICCSAA). Eight schools agreed to come together and organize this event, and students from these institutions showed up virtually. Live music was performed by a group called ‘FREE DAPS’. 

‘FREE DAPS’ is a group of freestyle rappers and improvisers who use hip-hop to create an entertaining experience. Actively engaging with their audience, they use their skills to create a one-of-a-kind musical comedy experience each time they perform. This time it was no different, with over five segments and skits that were performed within the hour.

They started off the event with the three performers, Heath, Isaac and Jordan, doing an improv/rap warm up. The audience was encouraged to type words into the Zoom chat and made rhymes for about five to ten minutes. Immediately afterwards, people were again encouraged to participate by getting up and looking for objects around the room to hold up to the camera; the objects were used to create rhyme sequences. One student held up a flute, which she was encouraged to play. 

Later, the group did a Whose-Line Is It Anyway type skit which involved two of the performers trying to woo an imaginar. The details of the girl — and who wins her affections via a rap battle — were left up to the audience. In this instance, the girl they were trying to woo was Becky, a Swedish, general practice doctor who played kazoo in her spare time and wanted to go to Disney world. At the end of the romantic rap battle, a member of the audience was asked who they believed wooed Becky via the ‘toot’ of a kazoo. The winner was the aptly named Red Neck character, much to the chagrin of V Neck. 

For the remainder of the hour, the performers had a rap battle over food items that were put in the chat and a question and answer session with the audience. During the Q&A, it was revealed that the three performers have over 10 years of experience in both improv and rap. They have performed all over the United States and Canada, including Disney World, Universal Studios and some NBA playoffs. 

‘FREE DAPS’ was an absolute delight to see perform. The three entertainers were incredibly upbeat, friendly and energetic. They kept the audience engaged and demanded attention, all the while keeping it fun and the audience on their toes. Even though the event lasted an hour, it was so entertaining it felt longer. If you’re interested in content created by ‘FREE DAPs’, they have a TikTok under the same name. Many skits can be found on it. 

This event was just one of many Lewis and Clark Student activity events. If you are interested in other events like this one, you can visit the Student Activity Facebook for more. You can also find them under the My Organizations tab in Blackboard.

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