By Stacy Marie-Luce
Stand up comedians share the gift of laughter from Latin jokes to PG-13 jokes for the annual Uproar festivities.
Each year, the Student Programming Council at Modesto Maidique Campus organizes a whole week of events designed to help students let go of the pressure of academics.
Originally in April, Uproar Week took place from Feb. 12 to Feb. 16 this year, after suggestion from the students themselves.
On Monday, Feb. 12, laughs were bursting from the school of music. Uproar’s Comedy Show started at 7.30 p.m. delayed by the long line of students waiting to be entertained.
“I went to check their social media before coming, and I hope I won’t be disappointed” said Otalia Camus, an exchange student from France majoring in art history.
The first comedian on stage was Gina Brillon, tiny but dazzling 37-year-old Puerto Rican, born and raised in the Bronx, New York. Actress and comedian, Brillon started her career 17 years ago and was recently featured as one of the “10 Comedians You Need to Know” by the Rolling Stone magazine.
The sparkly Gina Brillon cracked up the audience with her comparisons between her parent’s generation and hers, that she refers to as the “Xennials” – the microgeneration between Generation X and the Millennials.
Since most of the audience can be considered as Xennials, Brillon’s show was extremely relatable.
“I like that she mentioned toxic relationships and made us laugh about it, it’s a very contemporary topic” said Camus.
But more than making people laugh, Brillon made sure that she would convey a message. Indeed, she mentioned her Latina origins and how proud she is about them, but also encouraged everyone to unify.
The transition between Brillon and the next comedian couldn’t have been more striking. The comedy show started with very light hearted comedy and ended with cynical, raw, PG-13 jokes.
Arvin Mitchell, also started his career 17 years ago. Some members of the audience might have walked out of the show a little shaken by Mitchell’s humor. Very observational, he based most of his show on people present that day, which made it unique and hilarious for the audience.
Diana Galiano, president of the student programming council talked about the tricks of the trade.
“It take months to plan such an event, we usually start in September. The biggest challenge we have in general is to find something that everyone will like, especially with the variety of students that we have here at FIU,” said Galiano.
By bringing to the stage two very different comedians, SPC definitely managed to satisfy students.
“Our goal is to allow students to relax, take a breather from their school life and have fun,” said Galiano.
And even about Mitchell’s R-rated show, Galiano feels confident. “We’re college students, I think it’s important for us to be exposed to that kind of things, and people come in knowing that some jokes are going to be ribald.
After the show, everyone came out of the room with a smile on their face, including members of Student Programming Council and the mood was relaxed as students were offered limited-edition SPC apparel.
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