Hamre Hall is packed, buzzing with excitement. Welcome Week’s New Student Variety is in full swing — students clap and cheer as singers, musicians, dancers and poets take the stage to show off their talents.
After the first few performers, a tall figure steps onstage. He stands about 6 feet tall with dark curly hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a worn sweatshirt hanging loosely over athletic shorts. Music begins pumping through the hall’s speaker system and the man lifts a cube into the air. Suddenly, his hands spring to life. The cube clicks rapidly as colors spin and shift at the touch of his fingertips. Each flick of his fingers sends colors twisting and dancing across the cube, rearranging like the scattered tiles of a mosaic suddenly snapping into place. Within seconds, the cube is solved. Then, without delay, he reaches into his pocket, whips out a flute and begins to play.
“It was awesome,” freshman business major Abby Boltjes says. “The crowd was going crazy — it was insane.”…