While many clubs start the fall semester with an introductory general body meeting, The Lafayette Music Appreciation Floor (is awesome), known colloquially by its acronym MAFia, took a different approach with its first event of the year.
MAFia Mania brought students a night of “music appreciation” in the Leopard’s Lair on Sept. 6, filling the room with Just Dance, karaoke and drum making.
“In previous years, we usually sit at the involvement fair and tell freshmen to come to our general body meeting,” said William Blair ‘26, the president of MAFia. “But nobody wants to sit through that. We wanted something where people were able to come out, get up there, dance, sing a song and have a good time.”
Though MAFia has hosted many events since its inception in the late 2000s, Mania was the first of its kind.
Emily Rice ‘25, MAFia’s vice president of communications, described a desire to create an event with “something for everyone.”
MAFia coordinated with the Lafayette Activities Forum to bring Mania to life and through the combined efforts of the two organizations, MAFia Mania saw upwards of 40 people throughout the evening, dancing the Just Dance Rasputin dance and singing Minecraft parody songs.
“The crowd was there the whole time and it just kept the energy going,” Blair said.
One attendee of Mania, Carden Osborne ’27, said they enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere of the event, emphasizing how people “committed to the bit” in their karaoke performances and dance move execution.
“Sure, maybe you’re making a fool of yourself, but you’re in a group that’s making a fool of itself,” Osborne said.
Osborne particularly enjoyed playing Just Dance in the Mania setting.
“It kind of ended up being like a mob of people in the center of Leopard’s Lair doing Just Dance,” Osborne said. “It definitely makes Just Dance a lot more fun when there’s a whole big group.”
“It was fun to just go sing karaoke and be a nuisance in Farinon,” they continued.
Club treasurer Pedro Dos Santos ’26 emphasized that the event is just a glimpse into what MAFia has planned, referencing the group’s annual lip sync event and talent show.
“I think it was a good opener to the semester,” Blair said. “I think it gets everyone hyped for the year.”
Managing Editor Elisabeth Seidel ’26 contributed reporting.