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In celebration of the upcoming Christmas season and end of semester, the seniors on both campuses threw formal Christmas dances for their fellow students on Saturday. The New Englanders chose to hold a royal Russian regency ball, while the Californians themed their dance around “White Christmas,” after the 1954 musical film.

New England

 

Inspired by the first seminar reading of senior year, the New England Class of 2026 decided to center its dance around Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace. Headed by Laura Castillo (NE’26), the decorating team painted exquisite backdrops of old Russia and its domed buildings and basilicas, hung Christmas lights and evergreen boughs all about the room, and set glowing, well-trimmed trees in every corner. 

The night began with the entrance of St. Nicholas, who read aloud Clement-Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” and sat enthroned on a sofa in a corner to hear children’s Christmas wishes. Led by members of the choir, everyone gathered about the fireplace to sing Christmas carols before the dancing began.

 

 

The Christmas Dance is traditionally known for its formality, more serious focus, and the highly anticipated waltz competition, for which students practice for weeks in advance. This year, after three competitive rounds to the pieces “Once Upon a December,” “Waltz of the Flowers,” and “Sleeping Beauty Waltz,” the final winners were Raphael Martin and Sophie Schindler (both NE’28). 

Warching the dance from the periphery, students sipped on eggnog and punch and snacked on peppermint-encrusted cakes and cream-covered pavlovas. They settled down at couches and by Christmas trees to enjoy their desserts over good conversation, while others gathered about the pool table and the refreshments to watch couples swirl about the dance floor. “This dance has been great,” remarked Eugene Stec (NE’29). “It even exceeded my expectations!”

California

 

In the hours leading up to the dance, the seniors in California transformed St. Joseph Commons into a cozy winter scene, with festive evergreens, paper snowflakes dangling from the rafters, and a hand-crafted cardboard sleigh with a snowy backdrop.

To begin the festivities, seniors reenacted two famous scenes from White Christmas, each with their own TAC twist. First, the senior men serenaded David Zepeda (CA’28) — acting in persona of the campus’s assistant dean and his father, Dr. Joseph Zepeda — with “The Old Man,” an affectionate tune sung by former soldiers to their retired general. Then, a quartet of seniors performed a dance routine to a parody packed with student inside jokes and clever nods to the nuances of campus life, accompanied by the refrain “Gee, I wish I was back at TAC!”

 

 

Next, St. Nick himself strolled into the Commons, greeted by cheers, and began reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. All too soon, it was time for his farewell; and for the final stage of the entertainment hour, the whole school gathered around the piano, singing Christmas hymns in unison with full, hopeful hearts.

Spirits raised, the dancing began. All throughout the night, members of the Senior Class performed original renditions of classic Christmas songs. Nine o’clock called for the annual waltz competition. Numerous couples took to the floor, but in the end, after several elimination rounds and judicial verdicts, Max Wicke (CA’28) and Gemma Rose Steenson (CA’26) were named the year’s champions.

After the competition, the dancing, laughter, and conversation continued well into the night.  With the conclusion of the dance in the morning’s earliest hours, students returned to their residence halls, grateful for the magnificent end-of-semester festivities and their fun, joyful, Christ-filled community.

 

More Christmas Dance photos from New England …

Tap on the right center edge of the image to scroll through the album.

 

… and California!