By Ashley Halkett


After four rounds of ferocious competition played out to the soundtrack of the BBC “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries, Max Lubin ’08 and Ali Pechman ’08 were crowned king and queen of the Netherfield Ball this Monday at break.

The dance, held by Eric Schrode for his AP English Literature classes, took place in Hamilton gym, where spectators caught candy thrown to the stands. Schrode said the idea behind the dance was that you could be in love with the person next to you and never notice it, a theme taken from the book “Pride and Prejudice,” which the students are currently reading. Both teachers and other students not participating attended to watch seniors contend for the top prize of gag gifts like a book entitled “Retro Stud.” Daniel Ozen received an Aquaman shirt for setting up the couples on a complex computer system.

Thirty couples competed in the first round, which was divided on the dance floor into four different groups with seven or eight couples each. Several judges prowled the room, watching and taking notes while the dancers walked in and out of the lines. After each dance, the judges would announce the couples moving on to the next round until the winners were determined.

All couples were paired as “soul mates” based on their answers to a test that included questions about race, money and sex. Schrode also showed videos of the dance to his students in class the Friday before and told them to “practice like crazy.” Many found the video on Youtube and studied the dance over the weekend. Extra points were awarded for style, as the attire of the ball was semiformal. An in-class essay was also moved from Monday to Tuesday, due to “intense pressure on the contestants.”