‘Clap as if the Cantus is about to begin and you’re going to have the best night of your life!’

Ahoy is lit just brightly enough on Tuesday evening to read the lyrics in the cantus codex. Because a cantus is all about singing together. And beer, as becomes clear from, among other things, one striking outfit.

Florian Yoka Mbaki’s outfit attracts plenty of attention outside Ahoy. He is dressed as a lager glass. “Tonight I’m here as Pupilsje“, he says with a laugh. “That’s the mascot of the korfball club.” The Instagram handle of RSKV Erasmus is printed on his outfit.

From the moment the doors open, first-years, guides and members of student societies slowly file in for an evening of singing, alcohol and conviviality.

Opening act

“Tonight you’re here to sing your lungs out with your new friends!”, one of the presenters calls out as the cantus begins at 7.30pm. After a short list of house rules, the opening act is announced.

The Erasmus Music Association (EMA) appears on stage. “We want to hear you sing; we want to see you dance”, the singer calls into her microphone. “Can you do that?”

At the start of the evening, with the hall still slowly filling up and the alcohol not yet really flowing, the response is subdued. Even so, a number of people get up to dance – mainly guides and society members who are more familiar with the cantus than the first-years.

With a final song – Shut Up and Dance – the opening band goes out with a bang. By now, more and more people have got to their feet and are dancing and jumping around the hall.

Leaning tower of pitchers

Time for a break. With nothing else to do but talk, get beer and drink beer, a group near the stage starts building a tower of pitchers. To make the tower – consisting of empty water and beer pitchers – as high as possible, they even stand on the benches.

Four rows further back, another table notices what is happening. The boys take it upon themselves to build an even higher stack, which threatens to topple over with every new pitcher added.

First-years

On the other side of the hall, three first-years are sitting together. When asked who can sing best, two of them immediately point to their brown-haired friend. He shakes his head vigorously. “Definitely not! I can’t sing at all.”

Vince, who is starting IBEB (International Bachelor Economics and Business Economics), is sitting on his own. He has not found his group yet, but that does not stop him. He browses through the cantus codex on the table. He pauses briefly at Africa. “I really like this song”, he says, “so I’m glad they’re going to play it.”

Bracchus

At the end of the break, the presenters return: “Clap as if your best friend has just graduated. Clap as if the Cantus is about to begin and you’re going to have the best night of your life!”

Party and cantus band Bracchus runs onto the stage, and the Wilhelmus rings out across the hall. Booklets are opened and the singalong can now really begin.

Dancing, singing, heat

Bracchus does a good job of getting the atmosphere going in the hall. Almost no one is sitting down anymore, and plenty of dancing is going on. The voices from the audience can now also be heard clearly – the singers on stage are not performing alone.

But all that dancing, singing and drinking is making the hall increasingly warm. A number of people can therefore be found outside, including Tom – a member of De Zeil, the Rotterdam Student Sailing Association. “You should see what I’m wearing”, he says, gesturing towards his waistcoat. “I’m absolutely boiling!”

Despite that, Tom is enjoying himself. Shortly before he went outside, the band played Brabant by Guus Meeuwis. “My family is from Brabant, so that song feels like coming home.”

On stage

Inside, the party is in full swing. Students are sometimes sitting or standing on the steps leading to the stage. Every so often, the singer even sits among them, creating a connection between the band and the students in the hall, who are moving ever closer to the stage.

With the end of the evening in sight, the energy in the hall begins to wane slightly. The most enthusiastic dancers remain near the stage, but those who really cannot go on any longer are sitting on the benches or staggering outside for some fresh air.

Even so, the closing song – het Rotterdamlied – also encourages tired revellers to sing the final line at the top of their voices.