The Halloween Dance, one of the most talked about and anticipated events at Bates this fall, finally took place and lets just say it was a treat, which for a Halloween-themed event could be a good sign. Throughout the week leading up to the event all the upperclassmen in the dance department could talk about was the Halloween dance. They were continuously reminiscing about the music, the lights, and, of course, the pizza. My expectations were totally met, they weren’t wrong about any of those aspects.
For starters the event was extremely organized. Upon arriving at the entrance, it took barely any time at all to get through those doors and into the party. The checkin was very well staffed and honestly a breeze, nothing like the middle school and high school dances I’m used to. I enjoyed the flexibility of being able to come and go and check in as many times as I wanted throughout the night. I think that this aspect of the dance was a very strategic move by Bates to get the high attendance of over 1,157 registered attendees according to the Bates Campus Life Survey.
Similarly, the pizza, even though I’m pretty sure it was just Dominos, felt like some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. Campus Life put their heart and soul into that pizza because it was addicting at the dance. Everytime my friends and I needed to use the restroom, it would simply be an excuse to get another slice of pizza: you had to pass the table of thousands of Dominos boxes to get towards the restrooms.
Another aspect of the dance that really stood out was the ambience; the lights, music, and the atmosphere of the dance as a whole. The dance was so lively and felt just like a high school dance but in a really entertaining way. Everyone was dancing and singing along with whatever the DJ played. It was such an eye opening experience (especially for first years) to be gathered with the entire school in one place at the same time.
Prior to going to the Bates Halloween Dance I thought there was a stigma attached to school dances. For people who didn’t go, and possibly are still attached to this stigma, let me tell you,drop it. Trust me, every Bates student goes. It is like a tradition. I do know a few people who didn’t go and after the dance, many of them, upon hearing about the fun through the grapevine wish they had. So when it comes to this time next year and you’re having second thoughts about going to the dance, just go, especially for the pizza but for the people as well. As for the next campus life event, we have the snowball dance on 11/16 in the gray cage. If you liked the Halloween dance you’re sure to enjoy the snowball semi-formal.
