With a rousing a cappella rendition of the Flo Rida hit, “Club Can’t Handle Me,” the Dartmouth Aires advanced to the next round of NBC’s The Sing-Off on Monday, October 24. The Aires were one of seven groups to move on in the all-vocal competition, and will perform again on October 31.

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This week’s episode required the groups to perform a hip-hop song. As Clark Moore ’13 pointed out on the show, while the group performs a variety of musical styles, hip-hop is usually not one of them because of the limiting four-chord arrangements. But the Aires had the studio audience on their feet by the end of the song, as Michael Odokara-Okigbo ’12 traded off on lead vocals with Henry Luehrman ’12, who rapped for only the second time.

“I wrote down swagger,” said judge Sara Bareilles after the Aires’ performance. “I love the energy you project on stage. You are enjoying what you’re doing so much and it’s really, really fun to watch.”

The Aires spent the summer in Los Angeles taping The Sing-Off, which is now in its third season. When the program premiered on September 19, Dartmouth’s oldest a cappella group was one of 16 groups contending for the grand prize of $200,000 and a Sony Music recording contract. The winning group will be revealed in a live finale on NBC.

Since their debut on the show, a number of the Aires’ members have been featured by their hometown newspapers (see links below). The group also conducted a video interview with Jessica Chen ’12, Dartmouth Now’s Whitney Campbell intern, shortly after their first performance on the show aired September 26.

“I want to thank everyone for supporting us as we move forward. We’re all very excited and know we could not be doing what we’re doing if not for the Dartmouth community and alumni, especially all of the Aires who came before us,” said Ethan Weinberg ’12. “I’ve heard that alums have been holding viewing parties, which is very humbling. I am glad that the show brings alumni together around the country.”

The 16 group members appearing on The Sing-Off include recent graduates as well as current students, among them Moore, Luehrman, Weinberg, and Odokara-Okigbo, the 2009 Dartmouth Idol winner. The other members performing on the show are: Nic Chuaqui ’12, Xavier Curry ’14, Nate Davis ’14, Daniel Freeman ’13, Daniel Leopold ’10, Justin Lerman ’10, Brendan Lynch-Salamon ’10, Jack Merrill ’11, Preston Suan ’14, Robert Hoffman ’13, Will Hart ’12, and Alex Taylor ’11.

Follow @Dartmouth on Twitter for live-tweeting of the Aires on The Sing-Off. Regular updates and video clips are also posted to Dartmouth’s Facebook page, as well as to the Dartmouth Aires Facebook page.

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The Dartmouth Aires perform on NBC’s “The Sing-Off.” From left: Dan Leopold ’10, Michael Odokara-Okigbo ’12, Nate Davis ’14, Clark Moore ’13, Nic Chuaqui ’12, and Ethan Weinberg ’12. Not pictured: Henry Luehrman ’12, Justin Lerman ’10, Brendan Lynch-Salamon ’10, Danny Freeman ’13, Will Hart ’12, Robbie Hoffman ’13, Jack Merrill ’11, Alex Taylor ’11, Preston Suan ’14, and Xavier Curry ’14. (photo by Lewis Jacobs/NBC)

Videos of all Dartmouth Aires Performances on The Sing-Off:

• Week 2, “Higher Ground”
• Week 4, “Animal”
• Week 4, “Pinball Wizard”
• Week 5, “Jessie’s Girl”

• Michael Odokara-Okigbo ’12: “Mainer advances on ‘Sing-off’” (The Portland Press Herald, 10/25/11)
• Daniel Leopold ’10: “Hotchkiss School Graduate Debuts on ‘The Sing-Off’ on NBC” (Litchfield County Times, 9/29/11)
• Preston Suan ’14: “Gilman grad competing on NBC show ‘The Sing-Off’” (Baltimore Messenger, 09/28/11)
• Ethan Weinberg ’12: “Upper Saddle River resident gets to ‘sing’ his heart out on TV” (NorthJersey.com, 9/28/11)
• Will Hart ’12: “New Trier grads find themselves competitors for NBC reality show” (The Chicago Tribune Local, 09/13/11)