Anagha Nair and Devika Karolly logged a first on Saturday when they danced the “Cha Cha Slide.” The two graduate students enjoyed the music when they attended the second annual International Prom, hosted by the IU Office of International Services.
Though the dance was unfamiliar, and Karolly said she made a lot of mistakes, it was fun. Nair appreciated that the song lyrics were the instructions for the dance.
The dance floor had been busy even before DJ Casper’s “Cha Cha Slide” pumped throughout the Tudor Room at the Indiana Memorial Union. Nonetheless, the song brought over even more students to slide to the left, slide to the right and crisscross.
Attendees, wearing tube tops, saris, suits and ballgowns, danced to songs such as Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” and PSY’s “Gangnam Style.”
The event was designed to be a celebration and combination of American and international cultures, Shalvi Verma, one of the coordinators of the event and an international student, said.
The goal, Verma said, was to give international students the opportunity to experience an important part of American culture: prom.
The theme was a masquerade ball, and guests who didn’t bring their own masks could decorate the ones that OIS provided. Gold, glitter and sparkles abounded.
“I want everyone to wear anything they want to,” Verma said. “They can go from culture attire to traditional, they can come in jeans. Every attire is welcome, whatever they feel comfortable in.”
Iesha Sturgis-Jackson, Verma’s supervisor and co-coordinator, described the process of coming up with the prom, which first took place last year.
“While chatting through different ideas with our team, we were really trying to find ways for international students and scholars to build a sense of community, and especially toward the end of the year, where things are really stressful, when finals are coming up and campus life is becoming super hectic,” Sturgis-Jackson said.
Beyond the typical end-of-semester stressors, a number of international students’ visas have recently been cancelled across the country, including at IU. The prom, however, was a chance to put worries aside.
“This feels like a break from like all of the things going on,” Nair said. “It's like, ‘don't think about it too much. Just enjoy your time here.’ It feels so nice just getting away from all of the stress going on.”
Verma said that was one of the goals of the event.
“I think everyone needs to have like one night where they don’t have to think about anything and have fun,” Verma said.
Sanya Vadhavkar, a staff member at OIS, also described the prom as a space for international students to relax amidst the current uncertainty and enjoy “a night of peace and fun.”
Senior Benjamin Weber joined a circle of students and started doing the “Rasputin” moves from the video game “Just Dance.”
“It's like a little hallmark of my childhood,” Weber said. “I know a couple other people know about it. It's famously difficult. So as a kid, I spent a lot of time trying to get it right, and I'd like to think it paid off now.”
Based on the cheers he received, it did pay off.
In addition to dancing, students at the prom could pose for pictures against a gold backdrop and receive printed copies of their photos. Props such as signs and corsages were available.
“Office of International Services wants international students, but also other students, to feel like this is a safe space, a space that they can call home, essentially,” Vadhavkar said. “So, all of our events are geared towards that point where, like, they can come in and not worry about all the other things that are going around. This is a place where they belong and can be.”
