The annual AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) Ball took place Friday night at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. A diverse crowd gathered at the dance, sponsored solely by the ALC, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.
Pursuant to the newly enforced policy on serving alcoholic beverages at student organized events, the ball was a dry affair for the first time, which affected bus loading procedures, according to Joanna Wong, director of programming for ALC and CSOM '06.
"We had to move bus loading to Conte Circle instead of St. Ignatius Gate due to the change in alcohol policy," she said. "It was a decision made by faculty administration because they wanted to make sure they caught everyone and made sure everyone going to the Ball was OK."
Ticket sales were not affected despite these recent changes. In fact, more than 900 students were in attendance, which is a fairly large jump from last year's ball where only 500 tickets were made available.
"Maybe some seniors were turned off by that idea, but obviously there are a lot of classes present so I don't think it's a problem," said Susan Gao, CSOM '05.
The event was sold out within three days, even with the addition of 250 tickets and the new alcohol policy.
"People are just here to have a good time. Even it's a dry event; it hasn't affected ticket sales at all, and hopefully everyone will have a good time," said Stephanie Fernandez, ALC chief of staff and A&S '06.
Furthermore, as the eclectic crowd was representative of the ALC's commitment to promote diversity, both ALC members and non-members alike seemed to agree with Fernandez, and felt that the event was successful.
Event organizers saw little need for disciplinary action as well, said Wong.
"We didn't have any problems with people being intoxicated at the Ball," she said. "It went really smoothly."
To accommodate the larger mix of attendees, the Ball was hosted in two rooms this year.
The menu for the night included tricolor tortellini with parmesan sauce, gemilli with tomato sauce, and chicken and beef fajitas, complete with an array of condiments like guacamole, jalapeno, and salsa, as well as Caesar salad, chicken marsala, and shrimp scampi.
An assortment of chocolate covered fruits and pastries were served for dessert.
At the dance floor, DJs Roland and Trevor worked the crowd, with a blend of various genres like hip-hop, salsa, and a stream of old school classics, interrupted only by a brief "battle" between a couple of break dancers. Latin music was played with dancers from campus groups like Fuego and the Organization of Latin American Affairs showing off their salsa superiority.
By midnight, the dancers had given in to fatigue, but a few remained strong.
The dancers from Synergy, a campus dance group, kept the floor hot, dancing to some of the choreography they had performed together at recent Boston College shows.
"It's so nice to see everyone get together all dressed up, having fun with their friends," said Adrienne Leslie, A&S '08.
The Ball paid tribute to the 10th anniversary of the formation of ALC with commemorative magnetic photo frames given to each dancegoer.
Staff writer Pooja Awatramani contributed to this article.
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