A Pitbull appearance at Skyhawk Madness

By Mylee Santos

When the Ruckus dance team hit the stage for Skyhawk Madness, students were left stunned. 

Bella Kessimian, a member of the team, was dressed as the singer Pitbull. 

Kessimian said she didn’t tell any of her friends that she was going to be performing dressed as Pitbull, which made it even more exciting. 

Kessimian said Ruckus members gave her the idea of dressing up as Pitbull a month before Skyhawk Madness. Their original plan was to do a Pitbull inspired performance using only his songs but thought someone dressing up as the artist would give it a unique element. 

Ruckus was one of several groups performing October 22 at Stonehill College’s Skyhawk Madness in the Merkert Gymnasium. The annual rally featured performances by Ruckus, Ultraviolet, Cheerleading, and Dance Team, as well as shoutouts for the men’s and women’s basketball teams with a 3-point shooting contest. 

“It was a great environment,” Kendra Hayes ‘29 said after attending her first Skyhawk Madness. 

“At my high school we had some pretty good pep rallies, but I think that was the best pep rally that I’ve been to,” said Hayes. 

When asked what her favorite part of the night was, she said seeing the crowd react to Pitbull coming out. 

Kessimian who performed in her second Skyhawk Madness with Ruckus said that Ruckus practices two times a week with all 57 members of the team. 

“Everyone in there is just so kind and so uplifting, so for me, personally, I do get nervous, but just something about being with my friends and dancing with an amazing group of girls. The nervousness goes away,” said Kessimian. 

“I love seeing everyone so hyped for Ruckus, it’s so amazing,” said Kessimian. 

Hearing the crowd cheer was one of her favorite parts about performing for Skyhawk Madness. 

“It feels rewarding, all the Ruckus girls sit together, and we watch all the performances, and I love seeing the other performances, and then getting to show everyone our performance. That is just so much fun to me,” said Kessimian.