On Sept. 24th, Elizabethtown College’s annual Formal Jay dance, themed ‘Out of This World,’ was held thanks to the Class of 2024 Senate.
When it was announced, many students were over the moon to finally have a chance to dress up nice, even matching their masks with their outfits, and go out to dance. Tickets were $6, and they sold out hours before the dance began.
For three hours, from 7 to 10 p.m., Koon’s Activity Venue (KAV) was transformed into a disco club. The normal lights were turned off and replaced with neon ones to create a more space-like atmosphere. Along with that, guests were given glow bracelets upon entrance to help illuminate the space. Alien blow-up figures were scattered around the room, and a galaxy was projected up on the main wall. Outside, a space-themed backdrop was provided, so everyone could take Instagram photos that made even shooting stars look dull. Besides the music being played, the loudest thing heard were people taking turns popping the balloons.
Sophomore Senate member and Public Relations major Karlie Fromm was tasked with making and controlling the playlist for the dance. She took to social media and put out Google forms where students could give her their song requests. This gave them a voice in the Formal Jay planning process, which is exactly what Student Senate aims to do in all of their projects.
“My favorite song played was ‘Fergalicious’ by Fergie,” Fromm said. “It’s a song everyone loves, and it got the whole dance floor moving.”
That was not the only song that had attendees grooving around the galaxy. Other classic hits that had even the shyest people dancing like no extraterrestrial was watching include the “Cupid Shuffle,” “Cotton-Eye Joe,” and the “Cha Cha Slide.” At one point during the night, a conga line formed that traveled faster than a lightyear all around the room and on the stage.
Sophomore history education major Evan Vaughn was one of the many attendees who spent their Friday night dancing until their feet would be hurting for the rest of the weekend. He reveled in the opportunity to be a part of an activity that could still happen safely during the pandemic.
“The best part of the dance was getting an opportunity to socialize in a non-classroom environment with my friends and classmates,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn’s words looked to be a common consensus among his peers. All the tables set up on the sidelines were filled with people chatting about anything and everything, just happy to have to talk in a non-stress filled environment. Plus, taking a break dancing to talk allowed them to have a chance to munch on some snacks provided by Etown Catering.
Whether they were on the floor busting a move for everyone in the cosmos to see or on the sidelines, talking in the starlight, everyone agreed that the dance was truly out of this world.
