Each year, Rice University hosts a dance called Esperanza as the last event of the Homecoming Week. Although we often don't win the homecoming game itself, we definitely reign supreme when it comes to a night of looking incredibly fancy and dancing. Here are five things that you should know about Esperanza:
1. It's a Sadie Hawkins-style dance.
This removes the pressure from guys asking girls out to dances (flashback to high school, anyone?), and anyone is open to ask another to the dance. If you are a Rice student, you know how much we love our puns, and this becomes so abundantly clear when it comes to asking people out for Esperanza. Whether it's good puns or bad puns, there will always be puns. Owlways.
2. It usually has a really fun theme.
Some examples of past themes are Song of Ice and Fire and Night at the Museum: Dancing with Dinosaurs. This year, the theme celebrated the release of the new James Bond movie, "Spectre," and was thus "Night at Skyfall." You can only imagine the unfathomable number of people who asked someone else to be their Bond, their partner in crime, or something else adorable along those lines. The night wouldn't have been complete without playing games in true James Bond fashion, like blackjack and poker.
3. There is always food.
One thing that is universally true for college students is that we are a hungry people. This need is not ignored on the night of Esperanza; there's usually a nice array of food available that we can gorge on as the night progresses. However, that usually gets overshadowed by the perfect dance music playing which brings me to my next point...
4. The DJ is always on point.
Whether it's playing the latest hits like "Hotline Bling" or the "Ignition" remix, the DJ has got it all. The mix never fails to put everyone in a euphoric dancing mood to take away all the feelings of stress and the pain from high heels.
5. Dancing is always the highest priority.
This formal dance is the right mix of classy and getting down and dirty on the dance floor. Everyone becomes so caught up in the music that it's hard to notice how quickly the four hours fly by. This is our escape from the daily grind of college and stress. It's our night to let go, and boy, do we let go.
Even though we might not win the game, it never puts a damper on things. We all stay just as excited about the dance and all the festivities of the night. We look incredibly classy, even as we attempt to dougie in heels and most importantly, we do it with the people we love.
I can't wait for next year's Esperanza.
