Karla Rendon
Staff Writer
Indian ambience was in the air Friday for the annual winter formal at Padua Hills Theatre, sponsored by the Campus Activities Board.
This year’s theme was “A Night In Bollywood.”
Belly dancers, Indian décor and popular music all contributed to make this year’s winter formal memorable.
“The theme really caught my attention because it’s so exotic,” Elizabeth Alvarado, junior business administration major, said. “You don’t see that often, so it’s exciting.”
Decorated with lighted stars hanging from trees and Indian drapery surrounding the interior walls, many people agreed that the venue was a good choice to host the winter formal.
“I think it’s a well-organized event,” Genesis Hidalgo, a student at Cal State Dominguez Hills, said. “I also really love the view. It feels like you’re on top of the world.”
“We had winter formal here my freshman year,” senior criminology major Carina Gonzalez said. “I’ve gone to winter formal all four years so it’s nice to be back. It’s so close by.”
Guests enjoyed assorted cheeses and fruits, shrimp, hummus with crackers, dumplings, desserts and guests of legal age enjoyed cocktails.
“I like how they had cheesecake,” Hidalgo said. “They could’ve put more main dishes, but I still liked it.”
Guests also enjoyed dancing to diverse music.
“I liked that I could relax by dancing,” Xareni Reyes-Soto, junior mathematics major, said.
The DJ played a variety of music such as classic hip-hop, modern pop, Spanish music and ‘80s songs.
“There were a lot of kinds of music so you didn’t get bored,” Reyes-Soto said.
Freshman business major Brianna Taylor agreed.
“There were a lot of different genres, so it was good,” Taylor said. “I liked the dance floor. It looked like they put a lot into it.”
“It’s different from what I’m used to,” Miranda O’Neal, freshman biology major, said. “There’s a variety of music and it’s more energetic.”
Although music and dancing kept students busy, some students entertained themselves with different things.
Among the attractions were a henna tattoo artist offering temporary tattoos and a photo booth with props included.
“The photo booth and henna tattoos are my favorite,” Estrellita Guzman, sophomore criminology major, said.
Although the winter formal is an annual event, this was a first time for some students.
“It’s definitely different from high school,” freshman undeclared major Karla Ruiz said. “Everyone’s dancing and having a great time. There’s positive energy and it’s very beautiful.”
The formal ended at midnight, giving students the option to return to campus by shuttle or their own transportation.
Karla Rendon can be reached at karla.rendon@laverne.edu.
