ASA Roll bounce is back
Photo courtesy of Pexels
Get ready to lace up and roll out this Saturday, Sept. 27 for ASA’s fourth year hosting the roll bounce!
Since my first year at SUNY Geneseo, there has been one staple of Geneseo Late Knight programming that keeps me coming back to the Union Ballroom every fall: the African Student Association’s “roll bounce” event.
Back again for its fourth year, the ASA roll bounce has become an institution for both ASA and GLK. Centered on a checkered floor that serves as the rink, illuminated by UV lights that make your socks glow, and set to popular afrobeats, the roll bounce gives all Geneseo students the chance to go for a spin on some roller skates.
The event is named after the movie Roll Bounce (2005), which acts as a backdrop for the event, playing on the big screen above the ballroom stage as skaters take turns gliding around the rink. Calling back to the 1970s—whose pop culture is often categorized by the groovy aesthetic of disco, bell bottoms, and roller rinks—the film’s story about teens driven by their passion for skating sets a tone for the event that is delightfully nostalgic and definitively upbeat.
Combining retro visuals from Roll Bounce (2005) at center stage in the ballroom with the contemporary sounds of hip hop, R&B, and, of course, afrobeats bumping over the speakers, ASA’s roll bounce has a little something for everyone. There is plenty of fun to be had, regardless of whether you are an experienced skater or a first-timer who may be a little shaky on wheels.
The event, which tends to draw quite the crowd every September, typically organizes skate times in shifts to make sure that everyone gets a chance for plenty of laps around the rink. In the last three years of this event, the Student Union lobby has been packed with people looking to test their stability on four wheels, some of whom (myself included) have even brought their own skates.
Fortunately, for those who have not, ASA and GLK have rented roller skates available for students to use free of charge at every roll bounce, some of which even have light-up wheels that blink and glow when they move which adds to the already colorful atmosphere in the ballroom.
As someone whose ultimate obsessive COVID hobby was roller skating, this event has meant a great deal to me throughout my time here. I have maintained a real passion for the hobby beyond the scope of lockdown, and it brings me so much joy to share that with other roller skating enthusiasts, including our very own Victor E. Knight, who made his roller skating debut at last year’s roll bounce.
Not only is the roll bounce about dance, music, and skating, but it is also—and perhaps more importantly— about community: the friendships in Roll Bounce (2005) which model how rinks bring us together; the way friends at the roll bounce laugh and hold each other up when they are in danger of slipping; how strangers in the ballroom reach out to help one another back onto their feet after a fall. There is a good chance you might take a spill, but you can always be assured someone will be there to help you back up.
Come to the Union Ballroom this Saturday, Sept. 27, with skates or without, to join in on the fun!
Although this one is by far my favorite, ASA has many more events coming up this year. Their next event will also be in the Union Ballroom, but this time they will be hosting laser tag which will be on Oct. 24. Check out their Instagram page @asageneseo for more information on events and club meetings.