The Voca People came to Lexington on April 16 to perform at Washington and Lee’s Lenfest Center for the Arts as the closing performance for Lenfest Center’s 25th Anniversary Season.

Described by Jimmy Fallon as “the coolest show ever,” the Voca People is an Israel-based ensemble combining vocal sounds and a cappella singing with the art of beat-box.

The eight talented singer-comedians create an incredible range of sounds and instruments and highly interact with the audience.

Assistant Director of The Lenfest Center for the Arts Susan Wager chose the group largely because of their uniqueness and their international background.

Director of Lenfest Center Rob Mish felt the Voca People was a nice finish to the year.

“They came along in a time when we are able to finish the year by unique and diverse people,” Mish said. “It was incredibly pleasing to watch the show.”

During the performance, multiple audience members were chosen to come up on stage. Mish said he did not expect how much of the show involved  the audience.

“That’s not the safe way to go in case of entertainment, because you don’t know how the audience [is] going to react,” Mish said. “It was brave for [the] performers to do this.”

Tyra Barrett, ‘18, was one of the audience members involved in the show.

“I was surprised that I got chosen,” Barrett said. “It was funny and I had a great time to be a part of the production. The show was very interactive, and really showed the entertainment value.”

Producer of Voca People Cindy Sibilsky was appreciative of the audience’s participation in the performance.

“I absolutely loved the audience tonight,” Sibilsky said. “Everyone was going with the flow and had a great time!”

During the performance, Sibilsky was even brought on stage. While the audience thought it was arranged, Sibilsky said it was an accident but served as an example of the spontaneity of the performances.

“I always sit very far in the audience, so I’ve never been brought up to the stage,” Sibilsky said. “Nothing is ever arranged. Every time, it is a new show that depends on the audience.”

Hailey Glick, ‘19, is highly involved in W&L’s Music Department and Hillel and felt she was able to connect with the Voca People on both a musical and religious level.

“It was just insane that they can make those sound[s] only by their mouths,” Glick said.

For the Voca People, coming to Lexington as a world-tour group was a fresh experience.

“It was such a special time and a special school,” Sibilsky said.

The Voca People’s performance closed out the Lenfest Center’s 25th Anniversary Season. Mish described the Lenfest Center as the “mecca of the art[s]” in Lexington for anyone interested in seeing and participating in the arts. The Lenfest Center now hosts over 200 events a year.