Floor to ceiling, Bailey Hall resounded with the rumbling of Japanese taiko drums, Feb. 27. The percussionists on stage, members of Cornell's Taiko group, moved their bodies to the rapid rhythmic beating of the drums, using sticks to create deeply reverberant sounds.

The group was the opening act for Big Red Relief, an annual benefit concert conceived by the five-year-old undergraduate organization of the same name. This year's proceeds will go to Action Against Hunger, an international, nongovernmental organization.

"Action Against Hunger gave us a chance to focus on a broader issue," said Sarah Eversman '09, president of Big Red Relief. According to its Web site, the organization tries to "influence political actors and outcomes, not just mitigate atrocities on the ground."

Eversman reported that this year's ticket sales reaped $4,350, double what last year's concert earned.

"We chose to work with Action Against Hunger because we admired its commitment to sustainability," said OreOluwa Badaki '12. "In the past Big Red Relief has worked to alleviate suffering in response to global crises; now we would like to do our part in preventing future crises as well. Action Against Hunger's food security initiative ensures that the effects of the aid efforts will not be short-lived and that they will improve future prospects as well as present standards."

In a set by the co-ed a cappella group Class Notes, an explosion of percussive sounds gave way to a series of overlapping chords in an upbeat number, followed by a crooning male-female duet. Also performing was Shadows, a modern dance troupe dressed in satin jackets and black pants that featured fast-paced, urban-styled choreography -- quick, angular footwork and synchronized arm movements.

Cornell's oldest male a cappella group, Cayuga's Waiters, celebrated its 60th anniversary with a classic Waiters rendition of the 1982 hit "Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band, and Absolute Zero, Cornell's only break-dance crew, performed daredevil handstands, flips and floor-bound body rotations to a continuous hip-hop beat.

Jill McCoy '09 is a writer intern at the Cornell Chronicle.