By Emily Rosman

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts hosted its 20^th anniversary last night, and the atmosphere of the building was transformed entirely.

Upon stepping inside the building, students were greeted by a red carpet-esque photoshoot backdrop featuring the logos of the student performance groups and media teams that attended. Further inside was a coat check, a table filled with catered food and a table for refreshments. The professional atmosphere that normally encompasses the Quick Center was maintained in this entryway.

However, once you stepped further inside the building, the transformation was apparent. Colored lights flashed around the room, green star-like patterns were projected onto the ceiling and balloons were draped across the pillars. The music playing was consistent with their theme: Drake’s “Tuesday.” DJ Johmo and WSBU, The Buzz were providing the dance party.

The only word that came to sophomore Peter Bertoldo’s mind when describing the event was “fierce.”

As the night progressed, several prizes were raffled off to students, including movie gift baskets and gift cards.

Sophomore Sarah Faltyn said, “I came here for the Bonacoustics mostly…but I ended up winning a movie box! I got some movie passes and popcorn, and I won with my ticket number.”

Members in attendance were not only excited for the prizes, but also for the performances by the SBU Hip Hop team, the SBU Step team, the Bonacoustics and the Chattertons poetry club.

Each of these groups worked hard to perform at last night’s event. The Bonacoustics in particular went the extra mile into making the night unique.

“We made a nineties medley so we could pay tribute to the fact that this [building] was built in 1995” said sophomore Stephanie Kennedy, Co-President of the a cappella group.

The SBU Hip Hop team was one of the main performances of the night as they participated in a dance battle against the SBU Step team.

“We did a number in the beginning and we have three separate numbers for the dance battle,” said Nisha Patel, sophomore member of the team.

Using some moves from their old dances and incorporating some new choreography, the SBU Hip Hop team came up with enough cool moves that ultimately won them the competition.

While dance performances went on in the main room, the Chattertons poetry club members read some slam poetry in the ‘relaxation room’ provided during the event. They offered a more relaxed vibe so students could take a break from the music.

All of these synchronized pieces did not come together without a lot of hard work and tedious planning. Sean Conklin, assistant curator at The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, has been planning this event since August 2014.

When approached over the summer of last year about plans for a 20^th anniversary celebration, Conklin and other collaborators all had the same idea.

“As an arts center, we said, let’s get the arts involved,” said Conklin. “Let’s do something just for the students because that’s what this event is about.”

And they did not disappoint. Students could be seen laughing, dancing, singing, or taking photographs throughout the entire event all while enjoying the work of on-campus performance and media groups. Their excitement only increased as the hundreds of balloons that were draped across the pillars were released to signify the end of the night.

As for the future of the Quick Center, “I would love there to be a crazy fun vibe going forward,” Conklin stated.  “I think this made the big splash that we needed.”