Students dance, unite at Mas-queer-ade ball
Multicolored feathers and metallic marker designs adorning dozens of plastic masks matched the rainbow Christmas lights lining the wall.
The mask decorating table was the first stop for many attendees at Friday night’s Mas-queer-ade Ball, put on by Pride Union in Room 500 of Hall of Languages.
‘We thought that the facade of the Hall of Languages would lend itself to the theme of a masquerade,’ said Michael Tassini, a junior anthropology major and Pride Union board member.
The dance, only two years removed from its former name, the ‘Big Gay Dance,’ was a lighthearted ending to National Coming Out Month.
‘The month is life-defining for some people. It can be very heavy,’ Tassini said. ‘We want to end it with something a little more aesthetic, a little more fun, a little lighter.’
On Wednesday, many masquerade attendees gathered at the LGBT Resource Center to decorate masks together. Even with limited art supplies available Friday, some attendees bejeweled their masks and some decorated their masks with zebra-printed duct tape.
With no specified dress code for the event, guests came in a mix of jeans, fancy dresses and Halloween costumes, including the Mad Hatter and the goddess Artemis.
An hour into the event, several students rocked out to a disc jockey and chowed down on some pizza, fruits, veggies and soda. The atmosphere exuded the feel of a middle school dance as several wallflowers lined the refreshments table and huddled in circles with friends.
When Nick Haas, president of Pride Union, and Rachael Card, a sophomore English and textual studies major, took over the dance floor, more people joined in.
‘I’m a dancer, so I don’t mind getting the party started,’ Card said. ‘This is about community. We’re all together and having a good time.’
Despite the masquerade theme, the dance had nothing to do with masking identity, Tassini said. Pride Union planned the event with the kick off of Halloween weekend in mind, promoting it as a substance-free alternative to other parties, and its members expected people to show up whether it was a special weekend or not.
After a month filled with serious discussions, Molly Mendenhall, a freshman photography major and LGBT learning community member, said she was happy to participate in a celebration that was just for fun. Sharing the same sentiment, Ben Aaron attended the event.
‘The LGBT events, like the people that go to them, are a lot friendlier than other campus parties,’ said Aaron, a freshman newspaper and online journalism major. ‘There’s nothing LGBT-related about the masquerade. It’s just a fun thing.’
The Pride Union board members who planned the event intended for attendees to have a good time and let loose, but they also had a message to send.
‘It says, ‘We as a community are here for you.’ We wanted to create an environment that you know without a doubt is safe,’ Tassini said. ‘It’s probably the safest dance party you’ll find on campus.’
Published on October 30, 2011 at 12:00 pm
