CitySteppers Declare Success

After moving from the Boston Children’s Museum to a Boston night club, students and CityStep leaders alike declared Wednesday night’s Remix at the Roxy a success.

“It was very much what we expected,” said Peter A. Dodd ’06, one of the special event chairs in charge of coordinating the event. “We had a great turnout and moving to a club was definitely a good idea.”

After their formal at the Children’s Museum last year netted only $6,000, CityStep leaders hoped to double that by moving to a less formal venue, which would allow them to sell up to 1,500 tickets, 300 more than the museum.

CityStep members suggested that upperclassman turnout increased. Caroline M. McKay ’05, an executive producer of CityStep, said there was a solid representation of freshmen and upperclassmen at the formal. “That was part of our goal,” she said. “We wanted to make it an all-school affair.”

Leaders estimate that only 1,100 tickets were sold—many of them at the door—but they say they were happy with that outcome.

CityStep leaders said that while the cost of the event itself was about the same as last year, they had managed to cut costs by declining to offer buses home from the event.

Though they could not say exactly how much the event had profited, they estimated it was more than last year.

CityStep will use the profits from the dance, which has historically been the group’s major fund-raiser, to pay for its after-school dance program for local fifth- to seventh-graders, and for its annual April performance.

McKay attributed what seemed to be higher turnout in part to the attire. “I think people liked being able to wear what they wanted to wear,” she said. “You didn’t have to go out and rent a tux if you didn’t want to.” Black dresses and tuxes remained popular, but some students branched out: outfits included a nurse costume and leopard-print hats.

Students largely gave the event positive reviews.

“It’s CityStep, it’s always awesome,” said Patrick F. Baur ’07, shouting over the beats of Ludacris. “I went last year and it was great then and this year it’s even better.”

Among the freshmen, who still seemed to compose the majority of the crowd, there was a palpable sense of relief.

“This is the first good party I’ve been to,” exclaimed Khary O. D. Francis ’08.

“There were definitely three people—two guys and a girl—making out two feet away from me on the dance floor,” said Anna M. F. McCallie ’08.

Sheria D. Smith ’05, who attended the benefit for the first time, qualified her praise, saying, “I expected there to be more people...It would have been more fun if I had gone my freshman year.”

In the next couple of days the group will be discussing plans for next year’s ball. Though they have not made any decisions, they noted that hosting the event at the Roxy, which took care of security, bouncing, bartending, music, the light show, and clean up, made the dance more efficient and enjoyable for members of the group.

The club left one element to the student leaders—some spent hours on Wednesday inflating red and white balloons.