After moving out of the Quad, Quadfest is now, well, just fest. But that’s not to say it’s changing in quality; the move to Penn Park and to a shortened one–day schedule is designed to increase turnout. Between dance groups, rappers, bands, DJs, and a capella groups, here’s what’s going down this Fling:
11:40AM Penn Samba
Samba’s show is the culmination of a semester’s work of MUSC 007, the single easiest class at Penn with a difficulty rating of 0.717. A Brazilian percussion group, the ensemble performs a wide variety of instruments from all across Brazil. Come to listen to the surdo. Or the repinique. Or the gaiza. Even if you don't know what those are.
12:00PM Pan-Asian Dance Troupe (PADT)
One of Penn’s premier Asian fusion dance group, PADT dances with swords and flags to a mix of Asian traditional dance and hip–hop. Keep an eye on them for kungfu, hip–hop, and even some K–pop.
12:20PM Atma
The only all–female South Asian fusion a capella group, Atma blends Western soul, Western rock, and South Asian music. They’ve since released two albums, Should and Aekta, with songs ranging from crosses between “Valerie” and “Aaja Nachle” to “Counting Stars” and “Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai.”
12:40PM Brandon Brown (Brand X)
Maybe better known as Brand X, Brandon Brown (E ’20) recently released his debut mixtape Sketchbook the end of last summer. Each of the 15 tracks (except 1) were completely self–written, produced, and recorded, some of which he’ll be playing during Fling in addition to a few new songs during his set.
1:00PM Strictly Funk
For a group with “strictly” with its name, there are seemingly no restrictions. Described as a dance group with no limits, Funk is any dance form and every dance form: hip–hop, jazz, free–styling, lyrical, breaking, locking, popping, and of course, funk.
1:20PM The Ratio
Made up of five freshmen, The Ratio is a newly formed indie rock band of four guys and one girl (hence its name). Based in the music rooms in the Quad, they write their own music and have performed at events such as open mics for The Vagina Monologues as well as The Collectve and off–campus gigs at World Cafe Live.
1:40PM Dhruv Karthik
Dhruv Karthik (E ’21) is returning to the stage to mix music on the keyboard, guitar, and his own voice. After being discovered from his Instagram, he’s performed for big festivals back home in Dubai, such as RedFest, which is headlining other big names such as The Chainsmokers, Marshmello, and Kesha this year.
2:00PM Penn Dhamaka
As Penn’s first and only all–male dance troupe Dhamaka is hard to miss on campus between their bold moves and blasting music. Having just recently performed at TEDxPenn, they’ve travelled the country performing and competing. Just last October, they took the stage at Harvard Raunak.
2:20PM RLSTNE (Jerry Chang E '18)
The DJ produces his work mainly on SoundCloud after beginning to make music five years ago and then DJ–ing the last two and a half. Former co–founder of the Collectve, he pushes out a mix every month based on a single word, his most recent centering around “Daydream.” This year at Fling, he’ll be mixing live, the true electronic experience.
2:40PM Dischord
They were named in Buzzfeed’s Top 17 A Capella Covers of Indie Rock Songs. And it’s no wonder. This co–ed a capella group sings a mix of pop, rock, indie, and alternative. Not only do they sing it all, they also do it all, having produced two albums Magnolia and From Delancey, With Love and even performing at the Silver Chord Bowl in Massachusetts.
3:00PM Yalla
Yalla is Penn’s only Middle Eastern drum and dance troupe. Beginning as a belly dance group, it’s made up of a community who share a common love for Middle Eastern music, dance, and culture. In bedlahs, which typically consists of a fitted top, a fitted hip belt, and a full–length skirt or harem pants, they move their hips to the beat of the Middle Eastern drum.
3:20PM Bloomers Band
The nation’s first and only collegiate all–female musical sketch comedy troupe, Bloomers is guaranteed to make anyone laugh—even if it is about PennInTouch. The band is no different. Covering the most popular songs, they have an energy that consumes the audience in their liveliness.
3:40PM HEFLIN
Athlete and rapper, Hunter Heflin (C ’18) is the next J. Cole. After receiving his first synthesizer when he was 13, he’s since released his second project Far from Perfect (which can be found on Spotify and Apple Music). As he pursues music full–time after graduation, his performance at Fling is definitely one to take advantage of while you can.
4:00PM Penn Masti
A co–ed South Asian fusion dance, Masti experiments with Hindi film dance, bhangra, hip–hop, jazz, raas, Bharatanatyam, lyrical, modern, folk, broadway, and once in a while, Filipino finikling. They’ve won award after award, placing first at Legacy on Broad and won Best Mix at Bollywood America after receiving an automatic bid.
4:20PM Counterparts
It’s graduated big names such as John Legend. A co–ed jazz and pop a capella group, it’s since competed (and placed) at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, toured across the nation, released seven albums and five music videos.
4:40 Kayvon
After founding his own holding company, toured all over the world, performed at the UN, featured in two renowned books, given two TED Talks including one at Penn, it’s no wonder Kayvon was named one of the most outstanding business school grads of 2018 by Forbes. As a rapper and hip–hop artist, he’s one to catch at Fling before tickets to his concerts become too expensive.
5:00 Penn Hype Dance Crew
Penn Hype is Penn’s co–ed, hip–hop urban dance group, breaking the boundaries of traditional hip hop by fusing it with other dance forms ranging from Bollywood to salsa. With an annual spring showcase, it also collaborates with a number of other organizations and hosts a number of workshops.
5:20 Mask and Wig
The nation’s oldest all–male collegiate comedy group, Mask and Wig is the performing arts group always heckling people on Locust. The members sing, dance, act, build their own sets, write their own scripts, and they’re funny. A classic staple of Penn’s performing arts community, they’re one not to miss (though honestly, all of them are not–to–miss).
