A Balli di Gruppo, or “line dance” in English, was held by the Italian Department to help students experience a taste of Italian Summer, according to the Dickinson College website.

The event was a chance for groups of people to get together and have fun dancing to music, in Italian, with a few Spanish songs mixed in.

The second Balli di Gruppo of the year was publicized through the Italian department’s mailing list, past attendance, or word of mouth, with many of the students hearing about the event from their Italian teachers.

Shante Toledo ’21 attended the event for extra credit for her Italian class, whereas Olivia Riordan ’21 decided to attend after having danced at Balli di Gruppo held in the fall. The warm weather of the weekend also motivated students to attend, with Maria Villoti ’18 saying she attended because she had been writing a long paper and needed a fun study break.

Alejandro Arango ’21 was also in attendance and said that “more people should sign up for events for the sake of experiencing a different culture. I went because I had friends who were already going, but even if I hadn’t, I would have gone anyway.”

Along with those who already knew about the event, during the event, students passing by or watching from the sidelines were invited to come and join everyone already participating.

“It was cool to see some people passing by actually join when they were encouraged to,” said Villoti. “It really felt like a community event that way.”

Overall, attendees agreed that the activity helped them unwind and de-stress. Riordan enjoyed the event which allowed her to have fun and dance, despite not being someone that is usually a dancer. Vilotti had “spent most of the past few days writing in the library… so it was really great to get outside with some friends and just move and laugh.”

Toledo said that dancing allowed her to “[take] a break from [her] routine, and [dance] with some great people.” Riordan had a similar opinion, saying that Balli di Gruppo helped her forget about other stressors in her life.

“All in all, the weather was perfect, the music was good, and the people were cool,” said Arango, adding that “[it] couldn’t have been better.”

The event was held on Saturday, April 21 on the beach volleyball courts.