Every Clark University student, that is somewhat involved in the community, knows that the months before Gala are stressful and crazy. Don't even let me start on how crazy it gets the two weeks before the show because let me tell you: you wouldn't even believe it. Gala is this amazing event organized by ISA (International Students' Association) in which every student has the possibility of choreographing a dance that represents their culture or choose to be a dancer in someone else's dance. No matter what you choose, everyone has a huge responsibility of making this event fun, perfect, and a total success. So here is a list of things that happen during this preparation time:
1. It is time to register for the dances and you don't know if you will get a spot
Gala is so competitive that only one minute after opening the registration more than a hundred people had already signed up. It does not matter how fast you thought you were because there is always someone faster than you. Have you tried buying for Kylie cosmetics? Well, this is way worse.
2. You did not get into the dance that you wanted
I know I know, it hurts but
3. First week of practice is here and you just want to sleep
Being college students, we have a weird way of demonstrating that we want to be involved because when the time comes for us to show up to practices we just want to sleep all day. You just have to think that this is only for a couple of weeks and then you can go back to hibernating. The first week of practices is the most difficult one because you need to introduce this new activity into your daily schedule.
4. Spring break interrupts the practices and you forget the dance
Everyone knows that Spring Break is for everyone to relax and disconnect from school. So, during this week we forget about everything, meaning that we need to relearn the dance after we come back. It's like having no memory of what happened before the break.
5. Hell Week
It is called Hell Week for a reason. If before you wanted to cry because you needed to do three essays for the same week, now you need to do those three essays and show up to practice every single night for a whole week. This is the most stressful week of all Gala, everyone is tired but pumped at the same time. Also, this means that Gala is almost here and everyone needs to have their finished dance and have fun.
6. The line to get inside the Kneller is almost as long as the campus
Everyone that has been to Gala knows that if you want good seats you will need to stand in line for hours! This means standing in line
7. If you are a dancer, you know you will be drenched in sweat
For whoever is dancing, prepare to sweat. All the dancers have to stay in the squash courts throughout the show and the only time they go up is when they have to be on the stage. So, the squash courts are several floors down meaning that there is no way of ventilation other than using fans. Girls, if you are wearing makeup use setting spray and boys do not wear the clothes that you are going to dance with the whole time.
Even if this is a stressful experience, it is also the time to have fun and meet new people. Also, you are learning about other cultures through dancing and if dancing is not for you then you can just watch it or even be the host. I am just saying that everyone can feel included in an event like this. Thank you to everyone that has put an effort to make this event as successful as it is!
