Soule Tea Faces Low Turnout
Students bustled through doors decorated with orange warning signs and onto the dance floor. Neon lights flashed throughout Grainger Auditorium, accompanied by blasts from carbon dioxide cannons. Exonians let loose at Soule Tea, the perfect after-party following a cold and busy day at the Exeter/Andover games.
Soule residents created several promotional videos ahead of the dance, their production headed by senior and Soule proctor Araaish Paul. Several dorm members participated in the production of these videos, according to proctor Cade Napier. “It was all voluntary,” Napier said. “I think the dorm had a really fun time preparing for the event.”
Soule proctors continued the dorm’s tradition of hosting a construction site themed dance. They travelled to Lowe’s Hardware Store two weeks prior to the dance and purchased goods relating to the dance’s industrial theme, such as construction cones and warning signs. “[Having that theme] made the preparation for the dance really funny,” Napier said.
After purchasing the materials, the proctors approached Assistant Director of Student Activities Kelly McGahie with criteria for selecting the dance’s DJ. The list included characteristics such as “a hipster dude with a beard and a flannel,” according to Napier. While the actual DJ didn’t align with this image, “Ms. McGahie still knew the type of person we were looking for,” Napier concluded.
The diligent process of preparation paid off, and many described the dance as a success. The event lived up to Soule Dorm Affiliate and Math Instructor Brandon Hew’s expectations, as it gave students a comfortable space to relax. “I hoped it would be an opportunity for students to have fun in a safe [environment], which it looked like it was,” Hew said.
Senior Ela Ferhangil also enjoyed Soule Tea and especially liked dancing to “throwback” songs. However, she characterized some of the tunes as overly aggressive. “There were a few loud EDM songs that hurt my ears,” she said.
Senior Alan Xie felt similarly, noting that “the song choice could have been improved with more remixes and less straight EDM.”
Paul acknowledged that “the electronic music may have been tough for people.” He added, “It’s hard to dance in a creative way [to EDM], you just sort of jump up and down. But I think when there was a good crowd, people got pretty lit.”
Another issue the dance faced was a significantly lower turnout than past years. “I think the main reason for the low turnout was the cold weather as well as people being tired after Exeter/Andover games,” upper and Soule resident Arman Tang said.
As a result of the low turnout and complaints about the music, Paul recommended that Soule’s proctors next year play more popular genres of music. “I think there would have been a bigger turnout if the music was more hip-hop,” he admitted.
However, Paul was also quick to point out that Soule Tea’s music distinguished it from other dances. “[Soule] is a very unique, quirky dorm, and…we might change our music to make it more mainstream but we don’t want to make it generic,” he said. “We want to make it somewhat unique.”
In fact, senior Maddie Moon, who attended Soule Tea in past years, has always appreciated the dance for its electronic music. “My friends and I enjoyed the different music style and we actually ended up staying for the whole time,” she said. “Not many dances are solely EDM-based so it’s always cool going to Soule Tea!”
Napier likewise appreciated the unique music. “If you want a lot of people, then you have to play hip hop and stuff because that’s the sound that people like. But I personally liked the EDM,” he said. “EDM attracts a certain crowd of high energy individuals.”
Napier continued to comment on the energy level at the dance, saying that the date of the dance was one aspect that made Soule Tea unique. “It’s right after [E/a] so people have a lot of energy left over,” Napier said. “It was a real blast.”