No experience was necessary for attendees at the Black and White Ball, cohosted by the Ballroom Club and Elonthon March 3 in McKinnon Hall.
The ball was a semi-formal event, so attending students were dressed to the nines in black and white attire for a classy evening.
Originating in 2007, the ball is a co-sponsored event between the Ballroom Club and another organization asked by the Ballroom Club to volunteer each year. This year, the Black and White Ball was co-sponsored by Elonthon, with donations going to the Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center.
Junior Kaitlin Lumpkins is the special events coordinator for Ballroom Club, and she planned most of Saturday’s event.
“We encourage donations at the door, and all donations go to a charity of the co-sponsor’s choosing,” Lumpkins said.
The annual tradition is typically an enjoyable event, even for those with no dancing experience, Lumpkins said.
“For those who don’t know how to ballroom dance, we taught mini lessons, so it was a great chance for people who have never come to Ballroom before to try it out for one night.”
Lumpkins said she was responsible for most of the planning, but the other Ballroom Club officers contributed ideas and helped set up. Elonthon contributed by creating a presentation about the organization, which was showcased during the ball.
“Members of Elonthon executive board went to the ball as well as members of Club Dance and other students interested in learning how to ballroom dance,” said Alexandria Weller, executive president of Elonthon.
Margaret Rowland, director of operations for Elonthon, was also in attendance at Saturday’s ball.
“Every 30 minutes or so, Club Dance would teach everyone how to do basic ballroom dance steps in the styles of East Coast swing and the foxtrot,” Rowland said. “They also had guests participate in a couple (of) games that involved dancing and gave away prizes like free movie passes to the winners.”
Attendance at the ball was even better than anticipated, according to Weller.
“It was a night full of dancing and food,” Weller said. “Donations were suggested, and we ended up raising $136 for the kids.”
Ballroom Club meets twice weekly. Tuesday meetings are more advanced rehearsals for club members, while Friday meetings are “come one, come all.” The club also has a competitive team, Flight of the Phoenix, which attends ballroom competitions.
Elonthon, co-sponsor of the ball, is a student-run philanthropy organization that is committed to raising money and awareness for the children at Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center through an annual 24-hour dance marathon. This year’s event will be held on campus April 13.