Students dance in Davis Hall for the GSA Ball 2023.
Last Friday, Andover’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) held their annual ball on Abbot Campus. This year’s theme was Beyoncé’s Renaissance, and a playlist of accordingly-themed songs filled Davis Hall as students mingled and chatted with each other.
With long and lavish curtains of streamers hung from door frames and glitzy decorations scattered across the walls, the scenery and environment felt new and refreshing. Attendee EV Heck ’25 reflected on the energy in the room.
“Since the event was hosted in Davis Hall, which is fairly far from main campus, the event felt like a fresh take on our regular dances in commons. It felt like everyone who was there wanted to be there, which led to a lot more dancing and less moshing… I would say that the vibe was really energized and like everyone was having a really fun time… The location and theme were a great choice and made this event feel like its own occurrence rather than a copy-paste dance in [Susie’s],” said Heck.
At the event, some students went all-out with their fashion choices. For instance, Karishma Caro Del Castillo ’25 carefully chose their attire to match well with the theme, wearing a combination of sequins, patterns, and designs.
“People definitely did show up with their sequins, it was a lot of fun. It’s great that they chose a popular icon, because it wasn’t just some theme that only a few people would get… Beyoncé is obviously very glamorous, and I wanted to embody that the best I could, so I wore black high heel boots, sequined black shorts, a sequined black jacket, and a crop top underneath the jacket, and glasses,” said Caro Del Castillo.
Many students found that the event was a safe space to be themselves, as it fostered a supportive and open community. Some students were already acquainted, but even those who weren’t were unified under the hospitable event. Zadie Robinson ’26 shared she was able to connect with others easily and comfortably.
“At normal dances, there are people who try to seem cool, and they’re boring, but the people here I all knew, so I kind of had a personal connection with, it was also just a welcoming and accepting community. It was the first dance I saw that wasn’t just composed of different friend groups, but more like one whole, and just a lot of people having fun together. I met a lot of people I didn’t know, and it was very fun to get to do that,” said Robinson.
Students noted their gratitude and appreciation for GSA and the event preparation, but proposed potential ideas. Due to the unusual setting of Abbot Campus to host the ball, Caro Del Castillo suggested ways to amplify the experience of walking the path there, whether that’s further clarity on directions or better decorations.
“I think maybe it might have been fun to have signage leading to Abbot Campus, to get people pumped on their way there. I know not everyone knows where Davis Hall is, so that might’ve been a cool thing. I know glitter’s really bad for the environment, but something lining the path there would have been super-duper cool. Otherwise, I think they did a great job,” said Caro Del Castillo.
