Bancroft Bash
Plastic flamingos staked on the Bancroft Hall lawn greeted students at Bancroft Bash on Saturday, May 5. Bright, multicolored lights flashed as the students began dancing to popular songs. After a rainy week, students were able to unwind at the outdoor dance, catching up with friends and enjoying the fresh air.
"I think [Banc Bash]’s a cool opportunity to be outside in the nice weather and have fun and play music.”
Old and recently appointed Bancroft proctors planned the dance. “The proctors of the dorm are really in charge of setting the theme of the dance, so I did my best to make sure they got support,” Assistant Director of Student Activities Kelly McGahie said.
McGahie noted that the Bancroft proctors, new and old, took the initiative to set up the dance. “We had some issues by some of the food from dining hall, but instead of being upset, they were willing to work with myself and the catering manager to resolve that issue,” she said. “I have to give them a lot of credit for getting it ready and being flexible and looking forward to having a good time.”
According to upper and recently appointed proctor Sarah Liberatore, the outdoor setting distinguished it from other dances. “Banc Bash being outside is pretty unique, and other dances don’t do that,” she said. “So I think it’s a cool opportunity to be outside in the nice weather and have fun and play music.”
Lower Jasper Yu enjoyed the dance, especially because of the nice weather. “I like the idea of an outdoor dance. It’s a great way to welcome the spring and the coming of nicer weather.”
Senior Claire Melvin noted that the outdoor setting allowed the wind to cool people down. “There was ventilation because it was outside,” she said. “It was sweaty because we were dancing hard, but you could just walk two feet away, and then there was a good breeze.”
This year’s dance was the first time in a couple years that it was truly held outside. Last year, the Banc Bash was held inside the Agora because of downpouring rain.
Liberatore commented that she felt the dance was significantly better because of this. “I personally thought that it went better this year than in past years, and two years ago the speakers were inside because it was kind of raining.”
Although the dance started off slowly, Melvin noted that the dance gained momentum and became livelier throughout the night. “With dances like that, they always start off slowly, so you just have to stick with it,” she said. “After about thirty minutes, people finally started showing up. And I found a good group of people to dance with.”
Senior Alexis Lee shared these sentiments. “It’s really fun when you can go in a circle [of dancing people] and have a nice time there,” she said. “I stayed for the whole thing once I got there.”
The overall mood of the dance felt spring-oriented, according to the attendees. Lower Meili Gupta enjoyed the theme of the songs that the DJ played. “The DJ played songs that were the right mood for an outdoor lighter spring dance,” she said.
For exhausted dancers needing breaks, a well-planned snack table provided spring-themed food options, ranging from Exeter bars to brownies. Students appreciated the baked goods and fruit. “I really liked the food; the fruit and raspberries and dessert were a good touch,” Gupta said.
Upper Chim Tasie-Amadi enjoyed the food selection for the most part. “I also enjoyed the Exeter bars, although the brownies needed some work,” he said. “And there was fruit, which was healthy, so that’s always a plus.”
The decorations of the dance piqued the interest of many; lower Natalia Rivera liked the trademark Bancroft flamingos that were strewn about the lawn. “It really went with the theme of the dance,” she said.
Rivera also enjoyed the light projections that added a pop of color to the scene. She said, “I especially liked the cool colors that they projected onto the outsides of the dorms. That was really unique to Banc Bash.”