Multimedia

Student Life Sports launches a new series, Bear Basics, where athletes teach a reporter a special skill associated with their sport. In this video, Washington University volleyball star Meghan Byrne demonstrates her signature jump-serve for senior sports editor Sahil Patel and gives him some coaching tips for improvement.

What does it take to put on a big cultural show such as Lunar New Year Festival? Student Life goes behind the scenes to talk with directors and performers in this year’s show.

After reclaiming sole possession of first place in the University Athletic Association with a win over the University of Rochester Friday, Jan. 27, the Washington University men’s basketball team upset No. 4 Emory University to remain atop the conference standings.

Although the fireworks took place earlier in the week, a profusion of dance numbers, sparkles and costumes set the crowd of the 16th annual Lunar New Year Festival (LNYF) ablaze with excitement. When the lights dimmed in Edison Theater on Friday and Saturday evenings, students were treated to a three-hour-long sample of both traditional and modern Asian dances.

Professor Evil feared children were becoming dancers instead of doctors in the cultural show’s skit this year, but that didn’t stop students from dancing and acting for charity on the Edison Theatre stage this weekend. Students in the nearly three-hour show performed traditional garba, raas and bhangra dances, as well as Bollywood fusion and hip hop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpxdpVE4XfM

Students lined up more than two hours before doors even opened in order to vie for the best seats for Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s hitRECord event at Graham Chapel. Gordon-Levitt, a long-time indie actor, achieved fame through more mainstream Hollywood movies such as “10 Things I Hate About You,” “(500) Days of Summer,” “Inception” and his latest release, “50/50.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt sings “Words We’re Wailing” at hitRECord WashU in Graham Chapel on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. Joseph Gordon-Levitt sings “Any Day Now” by Sam Cooke

Student Life talks to Rabbi Andy Kastner about Sukkah City St. Louis.

Washington University held a memorial last week to honor the centennial anniversary of playwright Tennessee Williams, one of the University’s celebrated former students. Williams, playwright of works such as “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “The Glass Menagerie,” attended Washington University for one year.