Top hats, feather boas and masked faces twirled around Rice Eccles tower to the sounds of a live instrumental trio doing Prince covers on Friday night.
Students dressed in gowns and masks waltzed the night away at ASUU’s Masquerade Ball. For some of the 900 students that attended, it was a chance to meet new people. For others, it was simply a good excuse to get dressed up.
“I’m wearing false eyelashes. I never do that!” said Zoe Koch, a junior in mathematics.
Koch was not the only one to go all out for the occasion. Diego Salas, a junior in animation, arrived at the party sporting a tailcoat, monocle and a top hat — a decision he said was only in competition with “watching Netflix all night.”
“I never get to go to any dressy events,” Salas said. “It’s good to have a little bit of excess.”
The event was a result of a student survey given by ASUU, where students were asked what kind of programming they wanted to see on campus. Formal dances similar to homecoming were highly requested.
The ball was also a way to involve different organizations on campus, such as the LDSSA and Orientation office. Jean-Louis Leclerc, a ballroom dance instructor at the U, and students from his classes took the opportunity to demonstrate and teach their moves in a setting more appropriate than the gym.
“Why don’t we just give students a chance to do ballroom at a ball?” Leclerc said.
For participants who were tired of dancing, there was also an opportunity for a little competition. Above the flashing lights and bustle of the dance floor was a silent auction, where students could bid on items like gift cards to various restaurants, baskets of goodies and ski passes.
“I think I’ve bidded on eight or nine date night options,” said Braxton Dutson, a senior in social work.
Dutson hovered around the item tables throughout the night, protecting his claims from rivals. In the end, Dutson won four of the packages he was interested in.
While the auction made for friendly competition, it was also for of a worthy cause. The proceeds from both ticket sales and the auction, which brought in more than $1,000, are going towards ASUU’s philanthropy board, Rock the U and the Hunstman Cancer Foundation.
Laura Madsen, a junior in business management and director of ASUU’s campus events board, orchestrated the event and was impressed with the generosity of all who attended. She hopes the winter ball becomes “a new tradition that continues.”
“If this is what the students want, then this will for sure be something that happens annually,” Madsen said.
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