New Jersey 2006

	New Jersey 2006
The Social Mixer I Click a picture to enlarge it. Photos and Articles by Matt Lurrie
Things in camp don't stay the same. Different campers come and go, and the staff seems to change year to year more than Regis Philbin's co-host on his daily talk show. But while the makeup of the camp changes, the structure does not. The shows take place in the same sequence, the BBQ is always Wednesday (weather permitting), the periods start at the same time, the meals vary very little, and in this case, the number of dances doesn't change. Each year, Campus Kids holds four social mixers, giving every camper a chance to get their groove on. So, wouldn't it be horrible repetitive and boring to sit at your computer and read four identical stories with four sets of mostly identical pictures of smiling dancing campers, embarrassed counselors, and proverbial frisbee throwers tossing around a disc in the back? The answer, simply, is yes. So as I sit here in room 102 of Van Winkle, the Staff Assistant, mail, and web photo room, I think to myself: how can I spice things up? Each social mixer is unique, but follows the same format. Then, like the air hitting my face from the box fan propped up beside me on the floor, it hits me: focus each week on a different aspect. But which one? Social Mixers at Campus Kids are as intricate as the computer I type into. Finally, I have decided to focus on the aspect that people associate most with dances: dancing. So without further ramblings about the complex thought process of a Campus Kids Web Photo Journalist, I present the many moves of CK.
Many campers were reluctant to get on the dance floor, either because they doubted their own ability, or they fear ruining their shoes on the grass dance floor, after a torrential downpour turned the luscious green grass into an area where any step could plunge you three inches into the mud. But thanks to Jimmy and Floyd, two self-appointed dance motivators, the dance floor soon filled up with eager campers, and blackened white shoes.
	They were not the only self-appointed dance motivators, but they were the successful ones.
Styles began quite conservatively, beginning with a simple conga line.
	Soon, groups began to form.
Although individual styles were not lost.
	Like the 2004 bunk group name, campers did the "Worm". Those who thought ahead did it on the evenly paved cement walkway that crisscrosses the quad. Those who thought only of the recognition they would receive did it on the grass, and white shirts soon had a very apparent stain.
The 1990's came back with a vengeance when the Macarena was blasted through the speakers.
	Campers also developed their own moves. To quote this camper directly, "This one's called the George Bush!"
Some honored old traditions. This is Donald performing the "Ian Dance" in memory of a Ian Lovejoy, the former head counselor.
	Some chose simply to jump.
It seemed that everyone knew the dance to Cotton Eyed Joe.
	And it seemed that some had taken dance classes before.
But even for those who were born with bolts in their knees, there is one song that brings almost everyone to the dance floor. It has become the unofficial theme song here at Campus Kids, and I cannot give a reason why. This song is, of course, Billy Joel's Piano Man. What happens each time it is played is that a giant circle is formed. Campers and counselors alike lock arms, and begin swaying to the rhythm. Seasoned CK-ers know all the words, and sing them at the top of their lungs. This camp encourages people to do whatever they want. So, in order for people to do that, they split up into different activities. But for those four minutes, the camp unites, into one giant swaying circle.






By the end, everyone was tired. While only a few actually sprawled out on the lawn of the quad, the exhaustion was felt throughout the camp. After a quick recharge at canteen, the night was over.


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