Venue: On Saturday, April 15, juniors and seniors joined together at the American Swedish Institute for prom. The venue, located near downtown Minneapolis, made for the perfect change of scenery from the typical “school gym” dance experience. The dance took place in a large room with tables and chairs for sitting with friends. The dance floor was quite small in proportion to the rest of the room, which helped encourage dancing.
Lighting: At the beginning of the night, the room was well-lit with string lights strung across the ceil-
ing. As the night progressed, the lights dimmed and hints of purple and green illuminated the dance floor, inviting students to dance. A couple times later in the night, the overhead lights turned on, repelling students from the dance floor. Eventually, the
lights were turned off again, but the frequent changes in lighting created an awkward interruption to the evening.
Music: Despite the DJ’s efforts, it wasn’t until the last hour of the dance that the crowd got going on the dance floor. I did appreciate the variety of music played, with artists ranging from Ice Spice to Taylor Swift. The variety of artists and genre allowed everyone to enjoy and dance to a song they liked. However, I found that the DJ playing entire songs rather than switching after the first or second chorus of a song caused some students to get tired of a song and leave the dance floor to wait for the next
one.
Food: Alongside dancing and mu- sic, delicious treats were served. The chocolate strawberries were delicious and the selection
of cupcakes were scrumptious. The refreshments table also included sodas and charcuterie platters for snacking. This addition
of snacks and drinks was the perfect alternative to the dance floor.
Theme: The theme, “A Night in Hollywood” was supported by a red carpet at the top of the
stairs. Aside from the carpet, there weren’t many decorations that aligned with the theme. I felt that a theme was not necessary for prom, where students often dress for their own styles and tastes anyway.
Overall vibe: The venue helped to create a more formal feel, elevating prom from just a regular school dance to an elegant
event. All in all, prom was a fun night to remember.
