Students tune out everything and groove

The Student Activities Committee (SAC) brought back a taste of the 70s on Friday with a fresh new twist on the classic disco. Instead of a crowded room of people pulling out their best dance moves to the sounds of a DJ, the silent disco consisted of a crowded room of people pulling out their best dance moves to the sounds of the music in their personal headphones. When asked what was so great about a silent disco compared to a regular dance, Caryn Dannah (’22) commented: “I don’t know if the silent disco was better than a regular one, but last nights was one for the books! I had an amazing time dancing with my friends and trying to find the best music channel! I would definitely attend one again!”

Evidently many other students felt the same because the whole Great Room was filled to the brim with people excited about silently dancing the night away. Each attendee was given a pair of headphones, programmed with three different stations of music. Each station played different types of music so that every student could truly dance to the rhythm of their own beat. With headphones out on the dance floor, the atmosphere was fun, loud and crazy. It was only when the headphones were taken off that the true fun of a Silent Disco was revealed. Watching hundreds of students dance with no hesitation and sing off-key to three different songs at once was a sight to behold. Once in a while, the DJ who controlled the three stations would speak into the headphones of a certain station, encouraging movements or shouts from whoever was on that particular station at that time.

That resulted in random shouts, yells or hands thrown up in patches all across the dance floor. Although the dancers were largely uncoordinated due to the randomness of the stations, the room had a way of coming together for certain songs such as the “Cupid Shuffle”, the “Wobble” and the “Cha-Cha Slide.” During those dances, the crowd confusingly tried to orient themselves in order to perform the moves that went along with them, but it resulted in many collisions and a lot of laughter. Another tradition that continued through the night was sporadic dashes out of the Great Room (where the disco was being held) and throughout the rest of the Bultman Student Center and back. The dancers who participated in this tradition ran singing loudly and waving their arms before they returned to the dance floor. This silent disco was the second one held this school year at Hope.

The first was held in the Pine Grove in the fall and was just as big of a hit. The event is becoming popular with students because it not only gives them an opportunity to hang out with friends but also to listen to their favorite tunes. The turnout was impressive on Friday, both with returning dancers and students who had not attended the first disco. Keep an eye out for new and unique events that SAC has planned for the rest of the year. and years to come. You never know what they will come up with next!