On Saturday, April 24, Oles donned their heels and suits for the annual President’s Ball. Held in the Black and Gold ballrooms, students began arriv- ing at 8 p.m. ready to dance and enjoy themselves on a Saturday night. The ballrooms and halls were decorated with strings of lights and fabric, adding a romantic feeling to the event.
As students gathered on the third floor of Buntrock Commons, there was plenty of entertainment available to keep everyone busy. By Stav Hall, the Student Government Association (SGA) set up a photo booth. Students waited in a long line to have their pho- tos captured with their friends in order to remember the fun night. There were picture frames and fuzzy boas for those who wanted to take less formal photographs as well.
The live music was a favorite component of the night. A mixture of upbeat, jazzy swing songs and slower more classical songs provided a good variety of music and dancing styles. Many students seemed to have expe- rience dancing to the various music genres, teaching others their moves as well as giving a good show. While some seemed to be aware of what they were doing, many were beginners at more classical dancing styles. Fortunately, this did not stop everyone in atten- dance from enjoying themselves and wearing out the dance floor for several hours.
At intervals, the dance would give way to short performances. The Ballroom Club impressed many with their performance, as did a student a cappella group, keeping everyone interested in the ball as the night progressed.
Outside the Trollhaugen ballroom were refreshments for students. Water, cupcakes and crackers accompanied live entertainment outside of the main dancing floor, allowing a nice, few- minute escape for students to cool off and rest. Near the refreshments area and in other parts of Buntrock Commons, many students took pho- tos, chatted and hung out when they were not dancing. SGA did a great job making sure that nobody was bored, providing something for everybody to do.
Many students enjoyed having a chance to go to a fun and highly anticipated event right on campus, especially during such a high-stress season of nearing finals. The classy, entertaining atmosphere was greatly enjoyed, and the event was the perfect night to kick off spring on the hill.
ellfel1@stolaf.edu
