The 2013 Pennsylvania Student Council State Conference went out with a bang on the morning of Saturday, November 16, as over 1,000 students crowded into the auditorium for the last general session to watch Judson Laipply take the stage.

The creator of the Evolution of Dance video, which is now the third most viewed video on youtube with over 200 million views, told the audience of young leaders that the choices they make have impact. Life is full of change and roadblocks, he said, but people must continue to pursue the things they want through the choices they make.

Echoing the “rhythm of leadership” theme of the conference, he said, “Rhythm requires consistency, so with consistent choices made in life we will all find our own rhythm of leadership.”

BASH senior Emilee Semple, the conference’s General Sessions co-Chair, said Laipply’s performance was inspiring.

“His main point was that life is in a constant state of change, which led to his performance of the Evolution of Dance,” she said. “He really encourages you to adapt to the changes in life and keep moving forward.”

Laipply was previously the president of The Ohio Association of Student Councils in 1994, just as BASH’s very own Danielle Croner is the president of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils.

Laipply said his two goals while on stage were to make people laugh and to make people think, and he certainly did just that as he engaged the entire audience throughout his speech, and by performing his very own Evolution of Dance.

He said he believes that laughter helps build a bond between people and that people struggle because they have lost the ability to make life better. Everyone has a day where they feel like they are “riding the struggle bus,” he said. Life throws things at everyone, he said, but people have must make the choice to keep going.

Laipply also explained his view that people oftentimes try to define everything, but that is very limiting. Leadership cannot be defined because it is never ending, he said.

He encouraged each person in the audience to be consistent and find his or her own “rhythm of leadership.”