Introductory Night

INTRODUCTORY NIGHT

By: A. George

From swing dancing to bacchanal jump ups, this year’s Introductory Night on November 21st was a very diverse display of talent at Kean High. The show was focused on Virgin Island’s culture and current events.

During the show’s introduction, the girls wore a “back out dress” with traditional madras frills outlining the bodice, back, and hem. The boys wore off-white suits with madras bow ties and vests to complement the ladies’ dresses, and off-white shoes.

The bacchanal dance was full of energy with an almost carnival-like performance. The all-girl troupe dressed in costumes usually worn on the parade route.

The swing dancers wowed the crowd with acrobatic tricks. The girls wore red dresses with white polka dots and flats. The boys sported a more casual look with shirts that had cut sleeves and black dress pants.

The skit that tied the entire show together was entitled “From Buddhoe to Barack.” It took the audience back into time and created a dramatic timeline showing how African Americans went from slavery to the presidency.

One female student stated, “I was very nervous about the show because there were so many things going wrong. But the night of the show when I got on that stage, all that hard work paid off. I felt great, even though the show was not how the class wanted it to be.”

The class officers had been planning for their Introductory Night since their sophomore and junior years at Kean. They finally came to an agreement during the end of their junior year.

When the students returned from the summer break, they had their first meeting about the show. During that meeting they discussed a second theme, “VI Soiree.” Many of the students did not agree with the decision. Some students formed secret meetings and then held public ones; the class agreed to return to the original theme which was “Midnight Masquerade.”

Then it was back to “VI Soiree.” The class then changed it back to “Midnight Masquerade” and it was quickly changed back again to “VI Soiree.” This indecision left the class at a disadvantage since they did not start to practice until October. With the date approaching so fast, everyone seemed anxious as to how the class would pull off the show.

In an interview weeks before the show, Class of 2011’s Vice President Jolly Joseph stated, “We need to be more organized, and if we were organized, I would feel a lot better. Right now I don’t feel so good about Intro Night and the lack of participation.”

Two weeks after the show, Principal Sharon McCollum said, “I am glad that it happened because many times I thought it wouldn’t.”

She also went on to add, “This class was not organized; they were rebellious, highly opinionated, lacked organization, commitment and refused direction; and they did not display talent to substantiate their criticism.” Despite her disappointed tone, she seemed very optimistic about the class’ final days as seniors.