The best places to hold a friend’s pinky ever so lightly with your thumb and index finger. For fun!

There are many spaces on campus. Affinity spaces. Study spaces. Living spaces. Performance spaces. Eating spaces. Place any verb before “space” and you are likely to find one such space on campus (mostly). However, with the recent release of Wicked (2024), we are now in search of spaces for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity.” This may also be motivated by the fact that all my roommates have been singing this song nonstop for the past week. They need to find new spaces to hold space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity.” 

John Jay Dining Hall AC Unit:

While watching Wicked (2024), I was struck by the gravitas of the moment as Cynthia Erivo soared around the Emerald City, the wind billowing in her cape. To replicate this feeling, one can simply stand facing the John Jay AC unit and close one’s eyes. Imagine you have Erivo’s pipes and soar around campus. Bring a blanket or scarf to use as a cape to evoke a similar effect as seen in the film. To emulate the musical, perhaps you can stand on a stool, imitating Elphaba’s rise as she belts out the lyrics. 

Butler Library entrance:

Similarly to the John Jay AC unit, this especially windy corridor accurately replicates the conditions of Elphaba’s climactic moment in “Defying Gravity.” And, just like John Jay, I highly recommend bringing along a cape. However a stool might be less than ideal, as this is a high-traffic area, and holding space might require you also hold space for those trying to get into the library. Nobody wants a stool blocking their way. 

Look to the western sky from somewhere in Sulz Tower: 

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of places on campus where the western skyline can be clearly seen. However, Sulz Tower stands tall enough to look over the buildings on Riverside and view the Hudson River. This space might be the most effective in the evening as the sun is setting, the orange glow glinting off the surface of the water. From this vantage point, you’ll be able to search for Elphaba, to determine if she truly is in “the western sky.” 

Sit with a friend in the Milstein green chairs: 

Hey, it’s on theme! Perhaps one of you can wear pink and the other can wear green. And you can sit next to each other. And one of you can lightly hold the other’s index finger. And you can both stare intently at everyone walking by trying to find a chair to study for a final. 

Go to the 116th station and angrily part ways with a friend: 

The entire first few verses of “Defying Gravity” are mostly Elphaba and Glinda arguing over what they believe is the right thing to do. To hop the turnstile or not. To take the bus or not. To go uptown or downtown. The subway station is a point of departure, where friends must leave one another, no matter how tragic. Thus, it is the perfect space to hold space for the lyrics of departure and friendship breakups in “Defying Gravity.” 

Butler Library atrium: 

The acoustics are great! I mean, even when I don’t mean to make any sound, any movement or whisper is amplified by about ten times, for better or worse. However, this special feature of Butler can prove useful when projecting the lyrics of “Defying Gravity.” Hopefully, it will be like singing in the shower, except with an audience. And the fact that this space is in a library further encourages a deep deliberation of the lyrics; an intellectual analysis of the truly meaningful and impactful words in the song. 

Hang out in your dorm room:

Just be in your room all the time. This works especially well if there is already some animosity between you and your roommate. Over time, you should get way too close to your roommate, nearly co-dependent, and then have a very public argument in which you never speak to each other ever again. By literally living out Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship (and subsequent fracture), you can hold space in your heart and mind space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity.”

Images via Anjali Mignone