Last weekend, Bellevue College held the annual Halloween dance. It took place in the cafeteria and was hosted and promoted by the International Student Association. This dance was held to bring international students, local students and faculty together.
This year, BC’s annual Halloween party was held on Oct. 26 from 6-10 p.m. This year, ISA had chosen the theme of “Alice in Wonderland.” The ticket cost was $11 at the PALS Center and the ISA office or $13 at door.
Since the afternoon of Oct. 26, the ISA crew and volunteers had been busy preparing a spectacular show for the night. Volunteers helped to set up the decorations. The main hall was decorated in black with spider webs hanging on the ceiling. Tarot cards spilled over the ceiling. Pumpkins were placed on tables and food was served at 6 p.m.
As there was a disc jockey for the dance, the main hall was cleared of tables and chairs. ISA members would also conduct the welcoming dance. There were costume contests and a photo booth to complete the event.
Matthew Jones, one of the volunteers, said: “It is more organized this year. The party will be [magnificent].” Jones, who attended last year’s Halloween dance as well, was also involved in volunteering the previous year. He anticipated this year’s dance would be fun.
At 6 p.m., students crowded the main entrance. Tickets were still available for those who had not bought them prior to the event.
Sheany Yasuko Tajima, ISA marketing coordinator, said: “Compared to last year, it is better because we have [a] more precise theme this year. We have Alice in Wonderland and we incorporated that into our posters, our marketing strategy as well as the whole dance … I think [ a theme] was missing from last year because it was really abstract last year and it was also less planned. And, we also put a lot of thought into this event to make it, you know, good for everyone because we are inviting international student who are not, let’s say, they are not very familiar with American culture and we want to expose them to American culture and make them appreciate it. That is our goal.”
Kana, one of BC international students thought that the dance was amazing. “We rarely celebrate Halloween in Japan. This is my first Halloween party in [the] U.S.”
The theme was not chosen at random. As Sheany said: “Well, Alice in Wonderland is a very famous theme, everyone knows it … I think that “Alice in Wonderland” as the theme is very interesting because we always see “Alice in Wonderland” as someone who is sweet, you know, like very fairy tale, but we never really see her as scary. I think it is very interesting and I feel that it can be a good selling point to people. So, we want, you know, think out of the box.”