Gelb Science Center’s studious atmosphere and emtpy halls were transformed into a three-story nightclub last Saturday night. Three DJ’s each played different styles of music for their three dances, one on each floor of the building. On the night of the dance, as one approached Gelb, the bass pulsed louder and louder, and the side view of the building, its wall of windows usually revealing a strictly academic space, displayed a colorful array of lights. The highly anticipated dance was one of the most well-attended of the 2007-2008 academic year. It was a refreshing change of pace for most Phillips Academy students, who may be bored by the same hip-hop and seasonal dances that have taken place in the Underwood Room. The first floor flaunted a 70’s theme with psychedelic lights and groovy dance music. Though it was the first dance students were confronted with, upon entering Gelb, it had less of a turnout then the other two floors. However, the space was still filled with students thirsting for a fun break from the relative intensity of hip-hop and techno. Alex Heffner ’08 DJ’d, under the alias DJ Bulldogg. The second floor reverberated with technofunk beats, which eventually blew out both of the floor’s speakers. The dance was lit with the same colored lights as the first floor, but students may have been attracted by the greater amount of available space for dancing. The second floor dance had a high-energy atmosphere created by playlists mixed by Julian Danziger ’11, Adam Levine ’11 and Ben Podell ’11. Upon venturing all the way to the third floor of Gelb, students were greeted with complete darkness broken only by the green exit signs, which created a cool, intimate ambiance that fit the third floor’s theme. Hip-hop music mixed by DJ Tebs Maqubela ’11 and Sadiqa Farrow ’09 blasted out of the speakers, and the mob of people in such a concentrated, enclosed space can only be compared to one place — the Ryley Room. According to DJ Maqubela, there were technical difficulties with the music equipment that resulted in small pauses between songs, but most students did not notice. Regulars to Underwood dances enjoyed having the option of going to a different floor if they got bored or wanted to try something new. “Because there were three floors, we all had the option to dance to whatever music we felt like,” said Kathryn Quijano ’08. “It was epic!” Isabella Uria ’10 said, “Of my almost two years going to dances at PA, this was the best!” Most students seemed to be enjoying themselves on each of the three floors, which all had reasonably good turnouts. This is especially impressive as attendees were split three ways. The positive energy at the Gelb Dance on Saturday Night was hard to ignore. Kids on the first floor, grooving to Heffner’s 70’s music stylings, those jumping and dancing to the stimulating second floor music and those “gettin’ low” to the beats of the hip-hop floor were largely impressed with the outcome of the Gelb Dance. It is not certain whether or not the Student Activities Board will schedule another Gelb dance in the future, but, judging by the student body’s reaction to this event, they seem to collectively welcome the possibility. After such a thrilling dance, there is no doubt that, upon return to Gelb on Monday for classes, students were thinking about a different kind of chemistry.
