Riding the retrowave: Glass House Rocks returns in style

Upper West Side NY

01 March, 2022

3:22 PM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY KATIE LEVINE FEBRUARY 28, 2022 Bright lights shifted from a vivid blue to a neon green as popular music remixes pulsated through students' ears in Lerner Hall. Attendees eagerly moved throughout the building, exploring everything the night had to offer, from karaoke sing-offs to old-school arcade games to a photo booth. On Feb. 24, Glass House Rocks, an annual tradition that derives its name from the glass walls of Lerner returned for the first time since the onset of the pandemic in spring 2020. Hosted by the four undergraduate student councils, the event featured an assortment of student performances, interactive games, and food catered by neighborhood favorites such as Famiglia Pizza and Insomnia Cookies. Recent years have seen cherished student traditions postponed, moved online, or canceled altogether. With the return of in-person learning at the beginning of this academic year, students have welcomed back those long-awaited traditions, including the Chinese Students Club's Night Market and the annual Tree Lighting on College Walk. CU Generation, a hip-hop dance team inspired by K-pop dance styles, dances to a medley of songs by R&B artist NIKI at Glass House Rocks. Their routine was split across two of Lerner Hall's north ramps and faced four floors of audience members gathered for the dance showcase. Founded by Matthew Harrison, CC '05, Glass House Rocks has sought to be an amalgamation of school spirit and support for performers on campus in order to create a sense of community at Columbia. Columbia College Student Council Vice President for Campus Life Elsa Chung, CC '23, thought about the significance of Glass House Rocks for the Columbia community and how its return may reshape the future of undergraduate events. "We had two main categories in mind: On the one hand, we really wanted to mark this as a return to in-person learning with recent COVID restrictions lifting on a return of food and events. So celebrating a return of the Columbia spirit and making it feel like the true Columbia experience that I know some students, myself included, feel like they've been missing," Chung said. At the beginning of the night, 11 student performance groups took to the Lerner Ramps. Most groups used the first two ramps to provide accessible viewing to as much of the audience as possible. Students crowded the area, grabbing a standing spot wherever they could see. Maia Castro-Santos, CC '25, a member of the Columbia Circus Collective who refers to herself as "hula-hoop girl," showed off her hula-hooping skills during a solo performance. Castro-Santos had previously traveled with Circus Smirkus in high school before joining the Columbia Circus Collective last year. Leading up to Glass House Rocks, Castro-Santos choreographed her routine the day before and finalized her set the day of. While she had not had a chance to practice on the ramps before her performance, she did not let that stop her from showcasing her love for the circus arts. Finishing her act with her signature "split" in which she balances hula-hoops on multiple parts of her body, she no longer worried about the angle of the ramps or feared she might hit the railings and presented herself to the crowd with confidence. "I like the aspect of being able to be like, 'Tada! I finished the trick, I finished the act, clap for me now.' That part is a lot of fun. It's very validating too because the hours of just training and it just drags on, and it's obviously exhausting. … It kind of makes it all worth it," Castro-Santos said. CCSC, ESC, GSSC, and SGA come together to host the first Glass House Rocks since the beginning of the pandemic. Following the dance and circus performances, a capella groups and comedy troupes brought music and laughter with performances in the Austin E. Quigley Black Box Theatre. Other activities for the night included karaoke, a movie screening, arcade games, and even a mechanical bull. Junior class president Myesha Choudhury, BC '23, volunteered during the event, serving as the master of ceremonies for the mechanical bull riders and spectators. This is the first Glass House Rocks many undergraduates—including Choudhury—experienced. "I think everyone really loved it. Just because it's most people's first—I think three-fourths of the school's first Glass House Rocks—and it's very different from what Columbia students usually produce for us. There was a karaoke night with a mechanical bull and just so many other things that usually aren't given. It's also such a really cool way to amplify so many different student groups and performances," Choudhury said. At the end of the night, when the lights went down and the "Glass House" returned to its original form, the excitement of the event lingered. Raw Elementz president Kiarra Ann Lavache, SEAS '22, maintains an optimistic outlook on the event's ramifications. "I think it's just one of those things that makes Columbia really special," Lavache said. "[It's] definitely good to be back doing the performances that we were doing because that, for us, is a sign that things are kind of returning back to normal." Arts and Entertainment Editor Bella Druckman contributed reporting. Deputy Editor Katie Levine can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @itskatielevine. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.