All fourth-year RTA students must complete a 300-hour practicum project, but the TARA awards are designed as an additional reward for their efforts. Whichever group of students takes control of producing the TARAs cannot win any awards, a disincentive that this year’s group has decided to work around by going all out on the preparations. This year’s show is a two-hour extravaganza that will transform the Rogers Communications Centre into a huge sound stage on April 12, and will be broadcast on Rogers Cable on May 5 and on CFMT on Aug. 14.

The music blasts from the stereo in the corner. The five dancers begin to move, slowly at first. As the tempo gets faster, so do they. Suddenly, four of them surround the dancer with the briefcase, and the tug-of-war begins. The crescendo builds and builds—until one of them almost stops grimacing in pain. You almost expect to hear someone yell, “Feel the burn!”