EAT. SLEEP. RAVE. REPEAT. Those were the words posted on every Resident Student Association members t-shirt Thursday night, Jan. 30, as RSA kicked off its first event of the year with a rave party. And even the rain couldn’t stop this rave.
The event was originally set to take place in the Housing Lawn of Florida Atlantic University’s Boca campus but was moved to the Nations Building near the quad due to rain. But, the change of setting and slight downpour didn’t stop students from coming out and dancing to the five different DJs booked for the event.
Students lined up at the front door to get their hand stamped for entrance before stepping into the Nations Building where strobe lights and a DJ were set up.
The first DJ of the night was junior communication major Joshua Smith AKA DJ Joshwayy, who got the crowd started with his pop/techno remix versions of the latest hit songs like “Wrecking Ball.”
Ginny Bryant, a freshman biology major living in Heritage Park Towers, came to the event with friends who live both on and off campus. Her favorite DJ was Joshwayy because his music made her want to get up and dance.
“I just wish there were more people,” Bryant said. “I feel like if they had put it in the Housing Lawn, even though its raining, that would have attracted even more people.”
This was RSA’s first time hosting the PLUR (peace, love, unity, respect) rave but the event got such positive student feedback, according to Vice President Josh Murphy, that RSA is planning to make it an annual event — most likely set for the spring semester.
“It’s pretty cool. It’s not really my style [of music] but its fun to dance to,” said Sam Rosenfield, a junior electrical engineering major. He was one of the most creative dancers at the rave, using hilarious dance moves to get people to join him on the dance floor, including trying to “reel in” a girl he didn’t know.
When asked if he would attend future RSA events he said,
[blockquote]“Fuck yea, it was a ton of fun. They put on really cool events.”[/blockquote]
During the party, students flashed their stamped hand and received free drinks in order to stay hydrated.
The transition from DJ to DJ could have been a lot smoother but the silence between setups was combated by the emcee Aaron James, a senior communication major. James was an attentive party host, engaging with the crowd, cracking jokes and dancing with the wallflowers of the night.
During a popular song called “The Wop” he yelled at students, “Don’t you walk out that door!” When the dance floor got empty James pointed at students in the crowd and say, “You can put that drink down and come and dance, don’t be shy.”
During another DJ transition James tried playing matchmaker calling the attention of the males in the room by saying, ”I got three ladies over here unoccupied.”
Junior communication major Mariah Bholai who recently transferred to FAU said, “I love raves. I like EDM, but I would have liked some more hip hop.” Bholai said Donald Trump was her favorite DJ of the night because he played all hip hop music.
“If this was a real rave the rain wouldn’t have stopped nobody,” said Bholai, when asked about the change of venue due to rain.
RSA staff gave out free t-shirts to people in the crowd who danced the most but only if they agreed to take a picture with it and hashtag FAU Music Festival. During “The Wop,” students in the crowd started chanting for RSA President Xavier Ford to come and dance to the song.
As the song went off, the DJs switched up again, making the room silent while they changed equipment and Ford was quick to cover the silence with claps while chanting, “No DJ, no DJ,” getting the crowd to go along with him.
Meka Thompson, a freshman business major and resident of Indian River Towers, couldn’t decide on a favorite DJ saying, “The music was cool. They were all really good. They had their songs, they had their moments.”
The event went strong until 1 a.m., with students still showing up as late as midnight to catch the last hour of the rave. While putting away his equipment, DJ Joshwayy was asked if he had had fun at the event to which he smiled wide saying, “Of course.”
To stay up to date on future RSA events like their Facebook page and to get more information on some of the music from the night visit DJ Joshwayy, and DJ Pando’s Facebook pages.
