Photo Credit: Elizabeth Snow

As if a thousand magic carpets had flown straight into the students’ imagination, the Arabian Nights prom landed in the most blatantly Arab venue to be found in the Bay Area: The Exploratorium.

Inside the Exploratorium, shrieks of excitement could be heard echoing in the rafters, as girls sighted their female companions, clicked precariously towards each other in heels at least 4 inches too tall, and gushed over the other’s chemically enhanced appearance.  It was indeed a night of beauty: girls glowed in an aura of orange tans, sporting enough cosmetic powder for a ski slope, and gazed amorously at their dates through eyes fringed with lashes that threatened at every moment to break free of their restraining glue and tumble to the floor.  The male population was equally stunning, sporting attractively moist foreheads and grimacing with such beauty that it made one wish they would wear such uncomfortable shoes every day.

And who could forget the dance floor, illuminated as it was with about a thousand different sources of light, leaving far too little to the imagination.  Each and every gyrating pair, thoroughly engrossed in grinding elegantly from side to side, was spotlighted by the dazzling fluorescence of the exhibits.  What a sight it was: guys’ expressions strikingly frozen in sweat-soaked concentration, providing the perfect complement to their airbrushed companions, who moved with the subtle grace of an antsy football hiker.  Plus, with spacing as expansive as the Exploratorium floor, those who, like whales that strayed from the pod, opted for extra room to boogie down, had both the space and the excellent lighting to trigger the gag reflex of all who were unfortunate enough witness the hair crunching, suit drenching violence that was their dancing.

As you can see, prom was truly a night of splendor. And while you may ask why there were no snake charmers or camels, the answer is: too obvious. Each and every student left with cherished memories: the sight of streaky makeup, the scent of gorgeous locks cemented with hairspray, the sound of panting students too tired and sweaty to do anything but make out in the mirror kaleidoscope. All I can say is: Best. Night. Ever.