Renaissance hosted their 10th annual West Co-Chella on Mar. 21 in the T-building plaza. It is an event that gives students the opportunity to express themselves, enjoy the festivities, and showcase their musical talents by performing in front of a live audience. This year’s West Co-Chella theme was “Making this year a Lasso of fun,” a western rodeo inspired theme.

For many students this is an opportunity to grow their bands and solo acts by performing in front of a crowd and putting their names out there. Student band’s were able to sign up through auditions  and 8 of the bands played total.  These included the jazz band, Plan B, Tripas Sangrientas, The Autopsy of John Doe, Lighthouse, Days of static, Franco’s Almanac and Emergence.  

For many people performing in front of a large crowd like singing can be intimidating, especially if it is something new or different. Giving students the opportunity to not only show their abilities but begin to overcome the difficulties of performing in front of a live audience.

This event not only is a source of entertainment for the musicians and singers, but also for the audience who enjoy seeing the young artists perform. The digital media class also took part in the event by showcasing student made films at the event. 

“For me, West Co-Chella was really fun, I got to listen to a lot of the songs I like and I got to see the student talent,” junior Adam Fahs said. 

Renaissance members began to set up for the event weeks in advance to fully prepare. “We prepared around three weeks in advance,we had to set up stage and do sound checks. We also had workshops for any backdrops that we did,” junior and Renaissance Vice President Jaslynn Nguyen said. 

 While waiting for the performances to start at 6 p.m., there were other forms of entertainment like food and activities booths. There was henna, temporary tattoos, games like Jenga and lasso bottle catching where you try and pick up a glass bottle with a rope tied to the end of a ruler. Upon entry, guests received 8 free tickets to participate and could then purchase more for $1 each. 

 Along with the booths and performances, The art gallery was open displaying many different types of art forms and showing the different meanings behind Art whether it be through hidden messages or cultural practices.

West Co-Chella is an opportunity for students to display their artistic skills with family and friends whether it be with film making, painting, singing or playing an instrument showing off their talents on a bigger scale.