Campus talent agencies are not often born out of faith-based community housing projects. But for Syracuse University’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the stage is an unorthodox gold mine.

Last night’s presentation of ‘Habi-Talent’ in Grant Auditorium was just that: a two-hour survey course in SU talent that showcased dance, music, unscripted comedy, sketch comedy and comedy rock – essentially a high school talent show on steroids.

The event was part of Habitat’s ongoing efforts to fund their construction projects in the Syracuse community, but also served the organization’s outreach interests.

‘What we really got out of it is a sense of community,’ said Habitat president Ryan Crowder. ‘It’s not about the money.’ Crowder added that the show helped his group develop ongoing relationships with other student organizations.

And the organizations were out in force to support Habitat’s cause. Comedy groups Zamboni Revolution and Penguins Without Pants joined the fledgling Orange Pulse dance troupe and all-male a cappella group Orange Appeal to offer a smorgasbord of bite-size performances that the audience of about 80 seemed to enjoy spottily.

Zamboni Revolution, an improv group la ‘Whose Line is it Anyway?,’ kicked off the show with a 40-minute set. The group, which lost its founding members last year, came back strong with Dan Reitz and cousins Nick and Dan Gurewitch, along with Justin Weinberger and a smattering of other troupers well-seasoned in the art of improv.

Sketch comedy group Penguins Without Pants also made an appearance, and its authentic brand of liminally misogynistic humor garnered more than its share of nervous laughter from the crowd. One of the troupe’s members, bedecked in a blonde wig and skintight dress reminiscent of ‘Kids in the Hall,’ squawked, ‘I’m a lady and I don’t know what’s good,’ as part of a skit meant to satirize men’s idea that women are part of a vast conspiracy to undermine their interests. The group was formed last spring, and seems to still be coming into its own.

Orange Pulse, a recently founded dance troupe, performed a sensual Indian-inspired dance and returned later in the program with a marginally entertaining number.

Nancy and Bill Feigin from Pleasantville made the trip (and left Carmelo Anthony’s Syracuse appearance early) to watch their daughter, Kim Feigin, perform in Orange Pulse (not to be confused with the Arts Adventure program of the same name).

‘I think doing things for charity is a great idea,’ said the younger Feigin as glitter sprinkled off her face like sugar.

‘It was a nice mix of comedy, dance and music,’ Bill Feigin said. ‘Even though I didn’t understand some of it.’

A comedy rock set from Josh Simpson, a sophomore television, radio and film major, capped off the evening to uproarious laughter. Simpson played songs like ‘Disneyland,’ which he wrote as a satire of R. Kelly’s sexual proclivities for the underage. His raunchy humor and skill on the guitar served as an appropriate end to an entertaining evening.

‘It was cool to see all the comedy people,’ Simpson said. ‘It’s a good cause.’

Habitat fund-raising chairperson Julia Rocchi was pleased with the turnout and has high hopes for the future of the event.

‘We got everyone together for a fun community event that didn’t necessarily involve building,’ Rocchi said. ‘I look at this performance as the preliminary step in a hopefully long-standing tradition.’

Published on October 19, 2003 at 12:00 pm