If you miss the days of getting dressed up to dance with your friends at a swanky locale rather than a club, the Honors College and Honors Student Council are hosting a benefit dance Saturday that’s like prom but with college-level sophistication, the invitation says.
In order to raise money for the Community Food Bank, the Honors College and HSC have collaborated and planned Fall Ball. The dance will be Saturday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Historic Y with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
HSC president and education senior Jaime Campos said there will be vegetable and fruit trays at the dance, as well as sirloin steak and polenta hors d’oeuvres from Old Pueblo Grill.
The first hour of the dance will be devoted to swing music, Campos said. Local swing instructors will teach swing, then there will be swing music so dancers can show off their new moves, he said.
After the swing dance, UA students will DJ a mix of hip hop, R & B, electronica, soul music and other genres, Campos said.
Honors College Dean Patricia MacCorquodale thinks the dance shows how committed and caring Honors students are. The Honors College designated the Community Food Bank as their charity for the year, so she suggested students host an event “”along the lines of a cookie sale or something, in the college”” to raise money.
But “”they thought really big; they had a bigger vision,”” MacCorquodale said.
Purchasing tickets to Fall Ball or donating money to Community Food Bank is much more effective than donating food, said Campos. “”For one dollar that the Community Food Bank gets in money, they can get nine dollars worth of food.””
Political science freshman Julia Cavanaugh said that in addition to raising money for a good cause. “”Fall Ball is supposed to be an event that can get a bunch of the students at the UA, especially Honors students, really excited about a dance, because we don’t have all that many big dances.””
Cavanaugh, as a member of Honors Student Council, helped Campos and HSC plan the event with the Honors College.
“”To me, it’s one of the things that makes Honors an exciting place,”” MacCorquodale said of Honors students coming together and utilizing their passions to make a difference in the community.
MacCorquodale and Campos both said they hoped Fall Ball will become a tradition. “”It’s for a good cause and we hope to do this in the future, if it proves to be a success,”” Campos said.
“”The music is going to be amazing, the food is going to be amazing, the dancing is going to be awesome and you get to dress up,”” Cavanaugh said. She added, “”If you don’t know anybody, if you don’t have a significant other, you can come and meet some great people – and mingle!””
Tickets are available at the front desk of the Honors College from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Slonaker House, which houses the Honors College, is located on the northwest corner of campus at 1027 E. Second St.
Tickets are also available at the door Saturday. The Historic Y is located at 300 E. University Blvd., at the southwest corner of University Boulevard and 4th Avenue.
Prices are $35 for a couple and $20 for an individual. Discounts are available.