Ah, how much one learns from past years of stress and awkwardness!

What, you ask, do I speak of? Prom, of course! You remember: wishing you could invite that girl, wondering if you should go with friends, trying not to stress because prom isn’t nearly as crazy as all the movies say…is it?

Luckily, something magical happens between high school and college, and Cairn’s “A Night in Paris” Gala turned out to be quite an enjoyable time, with the only stress turning out to be if I would die by tripping and falling on my (not made for dance) dress!

I’d never gone to an event like this with friends, and now that I have, I can never go back to just going with a single date and *kind of* hanging out with friends (sorry, boyfriend. I love ya, I promise). Thing is, nothing beats laughing together with a couple of fellow English majors and a Psyche major, eating good food, struggling to hear each other over the loud music, and eventually encouraging your fellow English majors over to the dance floor to “Party in the USA.”  

The fun began even before the food was ready; the music began causing some “feels” in the room with the nostalgic B101.1 tunes pumping. When Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are,” faded into the speakers, many of us became unable to stop smiling, either grudgingly (me) or genuinely. With a chorus too beautiful not to sing, it was inevitable that the whole room would erupt into song…like magic, in that moment, we had all bonded for the night without even stepping foot on the dance floor.

The dancing did start, though, to “Baby it’s You”, people starting out shy at the center of the floor, then gaining confidence as more couples and friends began swaying about with them. With every song, the dance floor grew harder and harder to see as more people took to dancing. We English majors looked on, not yet ready. Food came first for our crew…. After everybody else that is (we’d accidentally chosen the very last table, in the back, in an attempt to keep up introvert appearances), but the food was worth the wait! The staff at the Warrington made a lovely menu of chicken, salmon, and ribs with roasted potatoes that were like dense clouds of rosemary goodness. Not to mention a bar serving (non-alcoholic) drinks, including Shirley Temples, of which I’m fairly sure my friends and I had about 10 collectively.

My feet grew itchy to dance, so I found a friend and started grooving like the aggressively white person I am (don’t worry, I stayed on the outside, out of everyone’s way), and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The DJ chose good old, classic dancing tunes, like “Hopeless Place,” “Honey I’m Good,” that one about sliding to the right, then left, “YMCA” and others that we cheered to. We only escaped to the bathroom a couple times to hear ourselves think, as the music had become an all-consuming force. Then, on one of these trips back, we discovered the arrival of desert—cheesecake! Creamy, sweet cheesecake with a drizzle of chocolate on the top. I barely refrained from eating other people’s, who had gone to dance.

Then, still dancing a bit, we left, riding on the wings of friendship and mild dance sweat.

All in all, if you’re wondering about repeating the stress of prom, relax! Find a few friends and come on down, because Cairn’s gala has a friendly, unstressed feel, and if the DJ’s as good next year, then you’ll find yourself wanting to grove almost immediately. Plus, excellent cheesecake is always good. Hope to see you then, reader!