Dancing prep step in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom -- sounds like your typical University short course. But add dim lights, two great bands, the Virginia Reel and bubbly champagne, and you've got the Colonnade Ball.
If you've never attended the Colonnade Ball, then you may at least have heard about it, although often in the wrong context. Many students characterize the night as an opportunity for politicos to socialize, or that only members of the University Guide Service may attend. And while many of the attendees may fit such a limited description, organizers claim the formal event aims to include students of all years and backgrounds.
Sponsored by the Guides, and open to all who call themselves Wahoos, the Colonnade Ball is a black-tie event that will take place this Saturday in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are available all week on the Lawn.
Equipped with an ambiance to suit all tastes, guests may stroll from the main ballroom to the private Patron's Lounge where they will find chocolate covered strawberries and champagne for those of age. The music of the University Jazz Ensemble and the cover band The Bureau fill the main ballroom for those who like to dance, show off their prep step moves or merely mingle. The Bureau played at last spring's Restoration Ball and the Jazz Ensemble will continue its tradition of playing at every Colonnade Ball since its inception in 1989.
Quite the setting.
It's for a good cause as well.
In past years the proceeds of the Ball have gone toward the eventual restoration of the Lambeth Colonnades, hence the name of the event. But last fall, the Ball's committee decided restoration of the colonnades would require funds far exceeding the scope of what the Ball could hope to offer. Since then, the Colonnade fund has been switched over to a more fiscally realistic project -- the restoration and beautification of the plaza outside Clemons Library.
So far, the event has raised $70,000 to go toward the Clemons project.
One of the main visionaries for the project is University Architect Pete Anderson.
"The primary element of my concept is simply to re-create the plaza, which in spite of much appreciated efforts to furnish with chairs and tables, still lacks what you might call ambiance," Anderson said. "This re-creation would be a place where students and faculty might, in the natural course of their day, meet informally, sit, chat, look out at Lewis Mountain, read a book, etcetera."
According to Anderson, this area would turn into a shady spot with different structures and plantings, as well as places to sit and converse.
"What comes to mind would be something that might recall the beautiful late 19th century pergola structures on either side of Old Cabell Hall, but oriented differently so as to make a place to 'go to,' instead of walk through," he described whimsically.
The idea for the Clemons restoration originated from several sources, including the "Groundswalk" concept -- a network of pedestrian-friendly paths ultimately linking North Grounds to the rest of the University and the Medical Center.
"We see this as a way to get people to move about on foot, in the course of which they might meet and talk to other people," Anderson said.
The Ball now may focus on the Clemons project, but what about the gala's past 14 years?
The Ball actually is the reincarnation of another formal ball that failed at the University. Bonnie Ford, associate director of the University Fund, has watched the Ball change since its beginnings.
"The Colonnade Ball was begun by a group of Guide Service members after the demise of the Commonwealth Ball," Ford recalled. "The Commonwealth Ball was a joint effort of the Guides and the Jefferson Society similar to the Restoration Ball in the spring. It was held near Christmas and for a lot of reasons was never as successful as the Restoration Ball."
Soon after the failure of the Commonwealth Ball, the Colonnade Ball was formed with the eventual goal of restoring the Lambeth Colonnades. Ford, who manages the account for the Colonnade Ball at Alumni Hall, was skeptical to fund another event, but decided to do so if the Guide Service agreed to cover any monetary losses.
With that, the first Colonnade Ball was held October 28, 1989, and has proved a success for the past 14 years.
"I've been to the Colonnade Ball for the past two years and am excited about going again this semester," fourth-year College student Sheila Laderberg said. "The Ball has great music and is an opportunity to see people that you do not necessarily hang out with on a regular basis," Laderberg said. "It's also fun to get dressed up, go out to dinner with friends and be able to enjoy an evening of dancing that does not include grinding on a fraternity dance floor."
The visible results of the Ball, which may come with the Clemons project, make its purpose more directed at students, she added.
"It's good to know that the Ball and its goals have been made more relevant to us as students," Laderberg said. "I've walked by the Lambeth Colonnades three times, so I think a project in front of Clemons would meet with more appreciation by University students. It would also be nice if the area in front of Clemons didn't look like a parking lot."
In 1989, in a letter to the Guide Service, the Purple Shadows, one of the University's secret societies, wrote that "The Colonnade Ball is a particularly creative endeavor aimed at preserving the worthwhile traditions that are held so dearly by University students. The University should be proud of the event because of its purpose of restoring valuable architecture and consequently promoting the Jeffersonian ideal of education through everyday exposure."
So, if you feel like dancing the traditional Virginia Reel or simply grooving to Livin' On A Prayer, grab a date because the Colonnade Ball is right around the corner!
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