Staff Writer Helen Chen and Deputy Editor Luken Sloan review the Minecraft-themed student group event in everyone’s favorite building!

Purple and green lights decked the glass ramps of Lerner Hall as throngs of people gathered to witness 2025 Glasshouse Rocks (or, for this year, Blocks), an annual event hosted at Lerner Hall by Glasssrocks, which was paired with Minecraft-themed fliers created by CCSC. 

Kickstarting the night was a performance by CU Dhoom, a Bollywood-fusion dance team, with two stunning pieces. Dancers were dressed in red tops and black pants, dancing to music that reflected a mixture of Bollywood classics with influences from modern dance, hip-hop, and other dance styles. 

Following was Taal, a South Asian fusion dance group. Next on stage was Ballet Folklorico Mi Gente, a Mexican folk dance group, who performed “El Gusto” and “El Son de la Negra;” the titles to the dance music are both from the Jalisco region of Mexico. Some members wore keffiyehs in solidarity with a larger call for the liberation of Palestine. In that vein, a large body of students and performance groups have continued to boycott Glasshouse Rocks. On February 28, Sabor, ONYX, and Raw Elementz, groups that would usually perform at the event, released a joint statement on Instagram, “Glasshouse Blocked,” with the intent of “hav[ing] our absence call to attention the continued attacks on and suspension of student protestors,” in addition to a continued call for university divestment. 

Raqs Sharqi, a Middle Eastern dance troupe that followed, performed to Shakira, Tyla, Dystinct, and Dafina Zequiri. Bhangra, a folk dance tradition from the Punjab region of India, Raas, an Indian folk dance group, CU Generation, and Ijoya, a dance group celebrating dynamic African dance traditions, also performed at Glasshouse Rocks. The energy and dynamism of the dancers made this night really special. 

After the dance performances, musical performances were held in Lerner’s Wang Pavilion. The Wang Pavilion stage consisted of a piano, drumset, and microphones. Notably, though, green and purple lights illuminated the stage—a harkening to emblematic Minecraft colors. As for the audience, there were rows of chairs, but it was not an adequate amount for the number of people who attended. Arguably, having individuals in the back standing is an interesting dynamic for the performers, but it did feel slightly awkward sitting in the furthest row with people directly behind.

The event began with a brief introduction of the event, which featured a spontaneous cover of lyrics from Wicked (although Wicked’s colors are green and pink) and a singing of Happy Birthday to an audience member who was wearing a birthday headband.

The first group performing was the Columbia Kingsmen, a low-voice a cappella group known for their iconic light blue jackets. What instantly caught my attention about this group was the pair of sunglasses, which never came off, that the member who acted as the lead wore. They proceeded to sing “Sh-Boom,” by The Chords. After this, a quip about the next song’s soloist “taking a dump” emerged, and the group proceeded to sing what they deemed their plan B: the ever patriotic “Star Spangled Banner.” Their final song was a fun rendition of the barbershop song “Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby.” The highlight of this performance was watching as one of the members did ten pushups with the rest of the group cheering him on.

Next to perform was Sur, a South Asian fusion group. They sang a mashup of “Romeo and Juliet” by Taylor Swift and “Raabta,” a Hindi song by Arjit Singh. The two soloists seemed somewhat nervous, which was a shame because they had no reason to be—their singing was good! This was also the first group with a beatboxer, which most of the groups after them also had.

Pizmon, a Jewish a cappella group, performed after Sur. They performed three songs: a Hebrew love song, a cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and another song in Hebrew. Their performance was the most energetic: each singer danced along to the music, and it was groovy all around. The most memorable aspect of this group’s performance was a Lerner architecture hate monologue, which amusingly occurred during the middle of the love song.

Following Pizmon was CU Sharp, an all-men group. I must admit that they were indeed the sharpest looking group with their suits and ties. They performed “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper. Of all the performances, they had the best volume for their group size as well as the tightest arrangement and singing. 

The Columbia Metrotones, Columbia’s premier women and gender minorities a cappella group, then performed Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s “Telephone” as well as an interesting mashup of “Tears Dry on Their Own” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” The atmosphere of this group was inviting and warm. I thoroughly enjoyed “Telephone,” but the soloist for the chorus of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” gave me chills.

After the Metrotones came the Clefhangers, an all-gender group that has existed since 1988. With Minecraft costumes and two soloists belting out the lyrics of “Shine” by Years & Years, this group was engaging, fun to listen to, and on-theme. 

But the most on-theme group was a Columbia Pops chamber group consisting of five members. This was the only group to not only include instruments but also be fully instrumental. They played a selection of tracks from Minecraft, Club Penguin, and Super Mario Odyssey as well as Laufey’s “From The Start.” Although they admitted to not having practiced every piece extensively, they were a fantastic closer to the event, and they certainly did not make this lack of practice easily identifiable.

All in all, Glasshouse Rocks was an entertaining showcase of student groups across Columbia’s schools. We are unsure if this event redeems the architecture of Lerner, but the student performances were definitely a treat!

Lerner via Bwoggers