Graphic by Natalie Kulak '21
BY GRACE FITZGERALD ’20
What could be more romantic than taking someone you love into your arms on the dance floor? For a fun and flirty MoRomance date, we set up sophomore Beatrice* and junior Lucia* on a date to eat tasty food and learn to dance salsa. Beatrice described herself as a sarcastic introvert who loves nothing more than musicals, talking politics and tango dancing. She wanted to meet someone who she could have a chill date with that could lead to something more serious. She seemed like a great match for Lucia, an adventurous and giggly extrovert who goes to great lengths to make people happy and loves nothing more than witty and philosophical conversations. The two met outside the Mandelles common room for a night of romance, and here’s how it went…
Beatrice: Before the date, I was totally lost and had no idea how to get to the common room. I was really nervous and didn’t know what was going to happen. I wasn’t initially attracted to my date; she’s not really my type.
Lucia: I was trying to keep my expectations pretty low. I figured that it was probably just going to be talking to someone new but not necessarily clicking. I was mostly hoping that I would make a new friend. I’ve been on so many dates that I’m numb at this point, but I’m always a little nervous and excited. I was not really attracted to my date, but I don’t think that she was attracted to me either. It was okay though; I assumed that we were only going to be friends. Her hair was really pretty.
Beatrice: We were a little confused about whether or not to go in for the event we were going to. We sat and talked inside for a while until more people came in for the salsa dancing event.
Lucia: She was a little scared to enter the room because it had a sign on it for a private event, but I convinced her that we were actually supposed to be there. They were playing salsa music in the room and they had chips and dip. We were able to chat for about 45 minutes. It was pretty natural and I had fun. She seems passionate about musical theater; we were able to bond over that shared interest.
Beatrice: We learned a couple of steps, and that was fun! I regularly do salsa dancing, but I usually dance Salsa Rueda which is a more social version done in a circle. I wasn’t familiar with this style so it was fun to try something new.
Lucia: We both got the hang of the dance moves really quickly; she’s actually taking a tango class right now. I took a few musical theater classes during my first year and I do musical theater so I have a sense of rhythm. The instructor taught us this really complicated four-part turn, but we got it down and we kept doing it. I had a lot of fun doing that. I think we worked well together.
Beatrice: This is the first real date I’ve ever been on. We talked about seeing each other around on campus, but we didn’t exchange phone numbers.
Lucia: I liked how passionate about theater she was and she made salsa pretty fun, too. I wasn’t surprised that we had matched because of the whole theater thing. I’m curious as to what she was looking for. I don’t know if she was looking for the same thing, and I don’t think that we were attracted to one another.
Beatrice: I was a little surprised that we were matched. I don’t really know what I was expecting. The date didn’t end in a kiss, because we weren’t very attracted to each other. I wouldn’t not want to meet her again, but I don’t know if I would actually seek her out.
Lucia: I had a paper due at midnight that I hadn’t finished so I left around 10:15 p.m. I didn’t think that we were going to meet again, but I figured I should get her contact information, so I asked her for her social media, but she doesn’t use any, so I didn’t get anything from her! I’ll probably see her around campus and say hi to her, but I’m not sure if I’ll hang out with her again.
Beatrice: I’m glad I went on the date; dancing was really fun. It was probably the best date to go on in terms of an activity, but it wasn’t with the right person for me.
Lucia: I think she has this spark but there’s a sense of anxiety around it. I think that I need to be around people who push me out of my comfort zone and I don’t think that she is the type to do that. She doesn’t like any competition where she feels like she may lose, so she never plays board games, which I love, and I thought, “This isn’t going to work out.” Not a lot of my dates work out that well, so this was pretty average. I’m glad I went on the date so it’s still a fun story that I get to tell.
MoRomance is a student-run matchmaking service run by Gina Perry ’20. These interviews have been condensed and edited for clarity. To sign up for MoRomance, visit mountholyokenews.com/moromance. *Names have been changed for anonymity.