From the “Cupid Shuffle” to “God’s Plan,” Levin Ballroom was filled with laughter, music and chatter on Saturday night. Attendees spent the night flitting between the dance floor, photo booth and chocolate fountains during the Eclipse Ball, the annual formal event organized by the Campus Activities Board. 

Jada George ’20, the major events chair for CAB, started the planning process for the ball back in December 2018. “I knew that I wanted a theme, and after go[ing] through some ideas, I really like[d] the idea of a Black and White Ball and the name ‘Eclipse’ felt like a fun play on that theme,” she told the Justice. 

Last year’s formal was held in Sherman Function Hall and lacked a theme. “[Last year’s planning committee] had a photo booth that did black-and-white photos and I thought that it would be a good, on-theme activity to bring back. Everything else came from me and my committee members, Rayelle Gardner and Aicha Tavares, brainstorming elements that we would want to see at an event like this,” George said. 

From the moment of entry, attendees stepped on an actual red carpet, surrounded by twinkling fairy lights. The formal was a chance for many to get Instagram-worthy pictures: at the end of the night, the photo booth had taken over 400 pictures of dozens of groups. 

“The photo booth was awesome! The snacks and the chocolate fountain were also top-notch,” Sesily Beridze ’22 said. Continuing, she joked that the music was so good that “the speaker was on fire.”

Furthering the black-and-white theme were the milk chocolate and white chocolate fountains that, for many, served as a relaxing reprieve from picture-taking. Most groups swung between the photo booth and food table, with some breaking off onto the dance floor. 

On the dance floor, black-and-white balloons decorated the perimeter, while blue light filtered throughout Levin Ballroom. 

“The months leading up to the Ball were spent contacting vendors, deciding on catering and shopping for decorations with my committee and Robin Donohoe, who is the vice president of CAB,” George said. 

College students love free food and don’t have many opportunities to dress formally, so for many, including Topaz Fragoso ’22, their “favorite part was taking all the pictures and covering the marshmallows with white and dark chocolate.” Fragoso also made sure that her outfit followed the theme, wearing a white and black dress with black heels. She said that she chose her ensemble because it made her think of an eclipse and fit the black-and-white theme. 

“As far as my makeup goes, I just did bold eyeliner and everything else was just my normal makeup routine,” she said. 

This year’s formal was specifically organized to “accommodate any student that wanted to attend,” George said. By changing the event’s location from Sherman Function Hall to Levin Ballroom, CAB purposely increased the event’s maximum occupancy. 

The Eclipse Ball marks the continuing organizational effort to improve and strengthen Brandeis’ campus culture.