Reporting by Hunter Frederick and Francesca Campione

“The Great Gatsby” might have hit the big screen last year, but that did not stop Stony Brook students from filling the Student Activities Center Ballroom B Saturday night with the sound of decadence and Roaring Twenties fun.

RA Lisette Nuñez of Hand College and Weekend Life Council co-hosted a 1920s themed party, dubbed “What Would Gatbsy Do?”

The event featured a photo booth, a DJ, a fashion show and live performances. Ballroom B was transformed in 1920s fashion, featuring gold, black and silver balloons, DJ Enclave, sparkling cider (in lieu of champagne) and electronic swing/jazz music.

Nuñez came up with the idea for a Gatsby-like party and reached out to the Weekend Life Council.

“We kind of used the movie as inspiration for the theme,” Marielle Rodriguez, a member of the Weekend Life Council who helped plan the event, said. “Then it was a matter of planning, purchasing supplies and setting this whole thing up.”

First up was SB Live, the campus’ live performance band, who played a medley of songs. Next, RA Hiba Hashim of Dreiser College and Steve Morel performed an acoustic selection from the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby followed by Justin Sterling joining Hashim on stage for a re-imagining of Jay-Z’s hit singles “No Church In the Wild” and “Empire State of Mind.”

“I thought it was really good,” Samson Woo, a political science and business student who also was a part of the show, said. “The décor and the music and especially the atmosphere were all done so well.”

After that Nuñez announced the fashion show, the evening’s final performance, complete with models and a small vocal performance from Nuñez herself.

Jay Mourabet, a senior engineering major, modeled in the fashion show.

“I think it was great,” he said. “Everything was good and it had a lot of different, well-run aspects to it.”

Two other Weekend Life Council members, Samantha Shetty, a psychology and biology major, and Daniella Gordello, a Spanish major, agreed that the event was a success.

“You know, it’s a good night out,” Mourabet said. “It’s been a stressful week with exams and this is a good way to relieve stress on campus.”