Students studying filtered out of the George Sherman Union Backcourt Tuesday night, and the place was transformed. Within 30 minutes, luminescent stars were hanging from the ceiling, a portrait of Marilyn Monroe stood proudly next to a line of catered snacks and a group of about 30 senior citizens shuffled in, ready to dance the night away at Senior Prom.
We all remember senior prom: the dress, the date, the nervousness &- or at least we are supposed to remember it. Much of the hype surrounding the event was based around the promise that it would be “a night to remember.” Whether or not the evening fulfilled our expectations, the novelty of the night probably provokes some nostalgia. Just like the first day of college and falling in love for the first time, senior prom only happens once. Or so we thought.
Thirty seniors last night got to experience it for a second time at the GSU event, hosted by BU’s Community Service Center group Joining Hands. From 6 to 8 p.m., seniors from local elderly care centers joined a group of BU student volunteers to dance the night away.
Students and seniors twirled, twisted and even did the cha cha together, as WTBU played a series of requests and crowd-pleasers from “The Twist” to “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young” resonated among the dancers.
“I’m 77 years young,” said Prom Queen Claire.
If the memory of senior prom somehow disappeared or faded since high school, Tuesday’s event recreated it, and this time with a reinvigorated spirit and a whole new element of charm.
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