By Lauren Zazzara
Features Assignment Editor
The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts “went up” on a Tuesday.
The Quick Center faculty hosted a dance party on Tuesday as part of their 20th anniversary celebration. They transformed The Center into a club using colored lights, balloons and music.
As guests arrived, photographers snapped pictures with digital and Polaroid cameras. A logo wall featuring the logos of the St. Bonaventure clubs involved in the event and a table of food stood at the entrance.
The atrium of The Quick Center served as the dance floor, where the hip-hop team and step team performed. The student deejays on the second floor that overlooked the atrium provided mainly rap and hip-hop music, such as “Tuesday” by Drake and “212” by Azealia Banks.
During “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan, an impromptu dance circle broke out. Students jumped in the middle to show off their moves to the circle of cheering onlookers.
Meanwhile, Chattertons Slam Poetry Society entertained in one of the first floor galleries. Several club members recited, including Brianna Roberts and Kevin Cooley, who performed a collaborative poem about lemons.
Members of Bonacoustics, St. Bonaventure’s a cappella group, led a tutorial on the “Cups” song from “Pitch Perfect” to anyone interested, including Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F. They also performed a medley of “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers.
Admission tickets doubled as raffle tickets, with several guests winning prizes such as tickets to Carmike Cinema.
The night culminated in a dance battle between the step team and the hip-hop team. Each team performed three dances to songs such as “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa and “Get Your Freak On” by Missy Elliott. Guests voted on which team they thought deserved to win the battle, with the hip-hop team ultimately coming out the victor. A sea of balloons fell to the ground in celebration.
“I think the dance teams were killing it,” Sean Conklin, assistant curator of The Quick Center and the emcee for the party, said. “This is probably the best I’ve seen both of them for the past few years even.”
Bonacoustics gave the last performance. They stood on the atrium stairs as yellow lights flickered on the wall like stars. They created a ‘90s medley in honor of the decade in which the Quick Center opened, featuring songs like “Wonderwall” by Oasis and “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors.
Elizabeth Smith, a senior history major, said “I think it’s pretty cool that [The Quick Center] is doing this.” She also said that she was most excited to see the dance battle.
Sophomore business major Adam Loss’s favorite parts of the night were the dancing and the a cappella performances.
“It’s nice to see the students out here,” he said.
The Quick Center staff was impressed with the overall turn out of the event.
“I am blown away,” Conklin said. “Expectations have been far exceeded.”
