{"id":1185,"date":"2006-06-21T16:24:02","date_gmt":"2006-06-21T20:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hub-dev.bates.edu\/magazine\/?page_id=1185"},"modified":"2017-09-06T11:38:56","modified_gmt":"2017-09-06T15:38:56","slug":"gathering-for-gala","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/magazine\/back-issues\/y2006\/summer06\/features\/gathering-for-gala\/","title":{"rendered":"Gathering for Gala"},"content":{"rendered":"

Think prom without the date. \u201cI love Gala,\u201d says Aubrey Nelson \u201908 of Moultonborough, N.H.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photographs and text by Phyllis Graber Jensen<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s classy and fun and everyone gets dressed up,” she adds. “But it\u2019s more fun to go with all your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the bright lights and big sounds got going in Alumni and Gray gyms, a group of sophomore friends gathered at Davis House on Wood Street to dress for the 2006 All-College Gala.<\/p>\n

And it is all about friends. Nelson helped me with some of the genealogy: Gina Capalbo \u201908 and Emily Hopkins \u201908 lived across the hall from her in the Bill last year; this year, Andrew Toplyn \u201908 was Nelson\u2019s next-door neighbor in Smith and also lived in the Bill last year; Amelia Hagen-Dillon \u201908 and Nelson met as AESOP leaders in the fall; Leah Dembinski \u201909 and Pete Klein \u201908 play Ultimate with Nelson.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year was a bigger deal,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to wear or what to expect.\u201d This year\u2019s prep was easier. \u201cLow key.\u201d<\/p>\n

The soundtrack to Disney\u2019s Little Mermaid blasted in the background as jewelry was rolled out and perfume spritzed. Ties unfastened, sophomores Toplyn and Mike Detweiler hung out, ready to help (they seemed expendable): zipper a dress here, try on sunglasses for effect there. Mostly, the guys posed for group photos and gawked at the primping.<\/p>\n

Generally, women wear their old prom dresses to Gala, said Nelson. Male evening wear is less consistently elegant, ranging from tuxedos to rumpled corduroys.<\/p>\n

Once the women squeezed into their dresses, the pre-partiers addressed the hair question. No pre-planning here, and Nelson had hair products available \u201cjust in case,\u201d but didn\u2019t use them. \u201cI had no idea what I was going to do with my hair. I just fooled around with it.\u201d After 10 minutes in the bathroom, with minor side-by-side mirror consultations with Gabi Anhalzer \u201909, Nelson and friends were ready for the evening.<\/p>\n\n\t\t