APU’s students dance the night away at the Met Gala-themed dance.
Azusa Pacific students arrived at the Bella Blanca event center on Friday in West Hollywood in their best evening-wear, anticipating a night of dancing, good company and music.
The theme for the 2020 gala was the Met Gala, which was based off a fundraising event held annually for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The event was organized by Campus Life.
Morgan Stoltzfus, a freshman graphic design major and Campus Life intern, said Campus Life “wanted to make it boujee.”
The Gala wasn’t just a normal dance with the typical pop music and moshing. The second floor was dedicated to more jazz-style music choices and had more of an elegant feel, so attendees could choose which vibe they wanted.
Freshman cinematic arts major Jack Barrie shared his thoughts on the Gala.
“I really liked that they had the two totally different feels,” Barrie said. “The jazz was a break from the sweaty mosh pit downstairs.”
The second floor was particularly interesting because couples could show off their swing dancing talents underneath a spectacular chandelier and catch a breath after dancing downstairs. It also allowed groups to take pictures in the photo booth.
Refreshments were also provided at the dance. In the corner of the first floor dance floor, a little donut stand was set up where students could select their own toppings.
Although the event was organized beautifully, there are a few critiques of the event. Along the walls, clips of past years’ Met Gala events were played through a projector. The videos were played on YouTube and they had to keep buffering, waiting for the next video to play. It seemed to be a good idea in concept, but not in execution.
The valet was also a concept that was meant to take the event to the next level, but yet did not reach its full potential. After the dance, students were lined for half an hour, in order to simply get their keys to drive home. It may have been more efficient to have students park the cars themselves and not have to wait for extended periods of time in order to be able to return home.
Despite the hiccups in an otherwise seamless night, many were able to forget the stress of midterm season and have a fun night out.
“I have never sweat more in my life! It was so fun!” said freshman Tori McGivney, a violin performance major.
Events like dances are important because they allow the student body to come together in an non-academic setting and enjoy the night. It also allows those to explore different parts of the area that they previously hadn’t gone to in the past.