Annual Yule Ball dances onto UT’s campus

Get out your old prom attire ladies and gentlemen, because the University of Toledo Ballroom Dance Society’s 5th annual Yule Ball is waltzing into your calendars.
In 2010, UT Ballroom Dance Society came up with a philanthropy event inspired by the Yule Ball held in the fourth Harry Potter film.
Attendees will be split up into the four Hogwarts houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each “house” will then compete for the Hogwarts House Cup by participating in dance competitions, games and Harry Potter trivia.
According to Caroline Beck, a third-year majoring in environmental science and co-chair of the event, some of the competitions include reverse-lead, where the girls attempt to lead their guys through dances and the same-sex rumba, where same sex couples try to “show off their most romantic moves.”
Along with their usual Yule Ball theme, Beck said UT Ballroom Dance Society will incorporate a “winter wonderland” theme inspired by how the ball looked in the fourth Harry Potter film.
This year, the Yule Ball will honor the Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo. All proceeds from the ball will go specifically toward the Boys and Girls Clubs’ reading and education program.
“We chose the Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo because we wanted a charity that was local and that many UT students were involved with or even had benefited from in the past,” Beck said.
Matt Muha, a fourth-year pharmacy major and event co-chair for the ball said the event is always a great time and he looks forward to it every year.
“The Yule Ball aims to raise money that will benefit the education and reading skills of the generation below us,” Muha said. “This is our chance to give back and help young kids reach where we are in our schooling.”
Muha has attended the ball for the last three years and served as event co-chair in 2013.
Sean Coyle, president of UT Ballroom Dance Society, said that for the last three years the ball has given all proceeds from ticket sales to charity to support reading and literacy in the Toledo area.
Coyle has attended and helped set up every Yule Ball except for the very first and he said he couldn’t be more excited for the fifth anniversary of the ball.
“Students should come to the ball because it has something for everybody,” Coyle said. “If you’re into dancing, you won’t find a better event all year.”
The ball will be held on Dec. 6 in the Student Union Auditorium. The doors will be opened at 7:30 p.m. and the dance will last from 8-11 p.m.
Single tickets will be $8 and couples tickets will be $12. Pre-sale tickets will be available Dec. 1-5 in the Student Union near the food court.
Attendees who buy tickets ahead of time will be able to pick which house they will be in, but attendees who buy tickets at the door will be sorted by the Sorting Hat.
There will be light refreshments and food free of charge.
Beck said there will also be a popcorn machine and a snow cone machine.
“Yule Ball has recently been declared a ‘UT tradition,’ and we hope to see the support of many UT students,” Beck said. “It’s not only for a great cause, but it is a great way to have fun and meet new people before the stress of finals week.
Muha said around 100 people attended last year and they are hoping for 150-200 attendees this year.
“It’s a fun event, a lot of dancing, and Harry Potter themed…who wouldn’t want to go?” he said.
The Yule Ball is hosted by the UT Ballroom Dance Society and will be sponsored by the Student Activities Committee, Campus Activities and Programming, Student Government, Mortar Board, Blue Key and WXUT.
If you have any questions about the Yule Ball, you can contact Matt Muha at [email protected] or Caroline Beck at [email protected]