In an informal poll, The Blue & Gold asked some upper school students at Taipei American School one question: “Do you know what Santorini is?” Out of the 30 people polled, only 12 knew what Santorini is and subsequently described it as a Greek city. Out of the 18 people who answered “no,” one added, “I thought it was a perfume or something,” while a few others said, “It’s a place…?”

The readers who know what Santorini is are probably excited for this year’s prom which takes place on at the Westin Taipei. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., but the dance will officially start at 7 p.m. The early bird discounted ticket price was 1800 NT; tickets are still on sale now for 2000 NT.

This year, the theme, as decided by the prom committee headed by Isabelle Sung (11) and Marina Chang (11), is set to be “Santorini,” inspired by the Greek isles of the same name. Compared to the more glamorous and night-centered settings from previous years, this upcoming dance emphasizes a clean and contemporary look. Isabelle noted the movie Mama Mia provided inspiration because the two of them loved the iconic “bold blue color” on the houses off the Santorini coast. Some initial ideas the girls came up with included “Under the Sea” and “Hawaii,” but they decided to abandon these ideas after searching for decoration ideas online and discovering undesirable photos like “tacky blue photo booths.” Isabelle expresses their wish for a “simple and modern theme.” Marina also mentions the importance of spacial limitations as well: “We want [to do] something that we can recreate in a small space …[and use] simple decorations that we can put up easily and quickly on the day [of prom].”

Prom is going through a few changes this year. The prom committee decided to start prom at 7 p.m. (doors will open at 6:30) rather than the original 8 p.m. so people can enjoy their dinners earlier. Besides the classic prom talent show, this year’s prom further commemorates student talents by inviting two TAS seniors to DJ for the dance. Marina says, “This is very exciting because I think that prom is a night for seniors to celebrate everything they did throughout their years of high school and also a good night to make memories with friends. I hope that prom can be a night that people can remember for the rest of their lives. [I hope that attendees] can have a great night with friends, enjoy good music.”

In less than two weeks, juniors and seniors are will attend the 2017 Prom. Marina adds with a sarcastic laugh that hopefully, it will be “a night that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”