The fight against AIDS comes home

The assortment of rainbow condoms and candy taped to each seat in the audience was the first of many colorful twists on an undoubtedly dark issue at last Friday's second annual AIDS Benefit Concert at Cohen auditorium.

The concert aimed to create a fun way for Tufts students to raise money and get informed about the ever-present HIV/AIDS issue, while simultaneously enjoying an energetic show featuring a wide variety of some of Tufts' most celebrated performance groups.

The eclectic and enlightening event was co-coordinated by Julie Wlodinguer of AIDS Outreach along with Jane Beshore and Allison Patrick of Sex Talk, with the help of their umbrella organization, the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS).

The show opened with an upbeat bang as student band, The Residence, enthusiastically shook the auditorium and engaged the audience in a spirited chemistry that lasted the entire show. It was hard not to immediately become absorbed in the group's Dave Matthews-like beats, complete with sax and inspired lyrics.

Tufts' own improv troupe, Cheap Sox, took the stage next and fed off the audience's awakened dynamism. With interactive skits, the audience got a chance to throw in its own two cents as the group performed a dizzying array of comically savvy sketches. The result was a hilarious get-together complete with an adult potty-trainee, a five minute display of human evolution, and a classic case of turrets.

A different sort of improv followed as BEATS (Bangin' Everything At TuftS) showed that even a well-timed coughing fit can count as music. The group began with a skit highlighting the downright silliness (and musical potential) of discrimination toward those infected with HIV and transitioned into an interactive clapping routine that required a surprising amount of successful coordination on the part of the audience. The group rounded off their performance with their famed "water jug" routine.

Spirit of Color (SOC) kept the rhythm going with a tantalizing all-male rendition of Justin Timberlake's "Senorita." The casually clad ensemble lived up to SOC's seductive reputation with seamless synchronization and a charm that can only come from a group of dancing boys.

The girls were not to be outdone, however, as Tufts Dance Collective (TDC) followed up with its own sassy version of Aerosmith's "Dude Looks like a Lady." The female dancers got in touch with their not-so-ladylike side as they shed their professional attire with a spunky display of just how much fun it is to be a lady.

The concert's upbeat first half was a stark contrast to the show's founding intention -- to educate and raise money for a deeply stigmatized cause. As the music faded and the dancers left the stage, co-coordinators Wlodinguer and Patrick introduced the next part of the show with a few poignant facts concerning the omnipresent threat presented by HIV/AIDS. The co-coordinators then introduced the night's guest speaker, Julia Tripp.

A victim of HIV, Tripp has dedicated her life to helping and informing others at UMass Boston's Center for Social Policy (CSP). As a non-profit organization and the recipient of all the benefit's profits, the CSP will ensure that the money from the benefit goes to help individuals who have experienced poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, mental health issues, and in this case, specifically HIV/AIDS.

Wlondinguer addressed Tripps' struggles and praised the current choices she is making with her life. "She has battled drug addiction, sexual and physical abuse, loss of loved ones, homelessness, poverty--she has suffered almost every disadvantage I can think of, and on top of it, and because of it, she has HIV," Wlondinguer said. "Remarkably, she has cleaned up her life and made it into something that she can be proud of."

Tripp candidly shared her inspirational story with the audience. While her story was indeed a sobering reality, Tripp was able to demonstrate that fulfillment and happiness can exist despite the presence of HIV. She emphasized the importance of education and communication in lifting the stigma associated with victims of the disease and pointed to "fear and ignorance" as the main culprits of ostracizing the HIV positive community and leaving it with an "enormous burden of secrecy."

"I dream of a world without stigma and shame," Tripp said, attempting to finish on a note of hope. She left the stage to uproarious applause.

The quieted audience was then lifted back up by Tufts' solo guitarist John Burlock and his original song, "Cardboard Shoes." The performer had his own charm while his music had a catchiness reminiscent of Jack Johnson's "Bubble Toes."

Tufts' lyrical troupe, Sarabande, followed with a sultry and limber dance that featured only four of the group's performers. TURBO rounded off the night and re-elevated the show's energy with a surge of remarkably rubber-band-like break-dancing.

The show surpassed last year's fundraising total by collecting over $1,100. On top of it, the audience was treated to a fantastic and diverse spread of Tufts performers.