Singers, dancers raise money for HPREP

With the help of an assortment of singers and dancers, the 18th annual Grannum Talent Showcase raised more than $3,000 on February 11 for the Health Professions Recruitment and Enrichment Program (HPREP).

HPREP is a 10-week program for area high school students in which minority medical students offer lectures on health topics. The show is named for the late Peter Grannum, M.D., who was a member of the medical school faculty for 20 years and director of medical studies in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences.

Medical students Charisse Mandimika and Grace Wanjiku opened the show by singing “Lift Every Voice,” the African-American national anthem. Performers included Konjo African Dance Troupe (in photo), Rhythmic Blue, a Yale hip-hop and contemporary dance group; Sabrosura, a Latin dance team; Asempa, Yale’s only African singing group; and the Yale Belly Dance Society. Kelsey Loeliger, a first-year medical student, closed the show by singing “Across the Lake,” an original composition she also played on guitar.