Start channeling your inner Simon Cowell because this year’s NCDC starts with the preliminary round on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 9 p.m. in Christ Chapel and everyone gets to be a judge.
NCDC is a singing and band competition where students from Northwestern College and Dordt University show off their singing and instrument playing skills to compete for cash prizes.
After the contestants from NW perform their acts during the preliminary round this Saturday, the NW community will have until the following Wednesday to cast their votes for who they want to move onto the semi-final round.
Six acts will move onto semi-finals and will perform along with Dordt’s six acts in Christ Chapel on Saturday, Nov. 16. After semi-finals, both NW and Dordt will vote for three acts to represent their school and compete in the final round at Dordt on Saturday, Nov. 23.
While the schools’ communities get to vote for their favorite acts, there will also be three judges, one from each school and one community member, at both the semi-final and final rounds. The judges will each get to cast 25 votes for the acts that impressed them the most.
“We are hoping to win this year. We have fantastic groups,” said Jon Muyskens, one of the NW students helping plan the event.
The winner of NCDC will receive $600 as a prize, the runner up will receive $250 and the contestant in third place will receive $150.
Since the start of the NCDC tradition about a decade ago, only one of NW’s acts has won.
“It makes me sad that we have not been able to win at least half [of the competitions], but I’m hoping we can come back and win it this year and make a difference,” said Katelyn Lorence, a sophomore business major.
Although the competition involves both schools, the planning committees from NW and Dordt work independently for the most part. The only meeting that takes place between the two schools is one where they figure out what the prizes will be and who the judges will be.
“At the end of the day, we plan our semis and they plan their finals,” said Colin Kaemingk, another NW student helping to plan the event.
NCDC is a large event and takes a lot of time to plan and prepare for, but there is also some fun that comes with the planning. Both Muyskens and Kaemingk agree it has been fun seeing who the acts are and what they offer as musicians.
“I enjoy getting to see the acts and the people behind them. I also enjoy getting to see their personalities on stage and off stage,” Muyskens said.
Muyskens and Kaemingk believe that NW’s acts have the talent to beat Dordt’s acts this year, but it’s also up to the judges and the NW community.
“We need to raise our game. This is the year,” said Hayley Carlson, a junior nursing major.
