BALLin! FlyBy’s Formal Reviews Pt. III

FlyBy donned our Sunday best every day last week while heading to each house's spring formal. Our guide to the balls being inadequate, a more thorough investigation was necessary. Below: Leverett, Dunster and Quincy.

Leverett:

Leverett has never been known as a “cool” house, so when its HoCo tossed aside plans for an ultra-fancy formal at the top of Boston’s Prudential Center in favor of a standard in-house affair, you can understand why some (FlyBy among them) thought it would be business as usual in everyone’s favorite pit stop on the way to fun in Mather.

But those who decided to pass up Lev’s “Casablanca”-themed spring formal haven’t been paying enough attention, because things at Mill and Dewolfe have been different as of late. If Leverett’s open-list spat over its formal location showed anything, it was that, for the first time in FlyBy’s memory, more than a handful of people actually cared about the going-ons of Leverett. And as it turns out, when people actually care about the house, it can be a pretty cool place—or at least throw a pretty cool formal.

FlyBy gives the Lev HoCo some major props for its creative and varied use of house space. Matted stills from the classic 1942 film lined the walls connecting the formal’s three main areas, each of which had a decidedly different feel. Those looking for the typical Harvard dance experience—i.e., sweaty writhing in a dark room with DJ Straus—found what they wanted in the Lev Old Library. Across the hall in the JCR, formal-goers enjoyed a tasty chocolate fountain while random revelers, presumably aided by the free-flowing open bar (FlyBy and friends had no problem doubling up on drinks), struck up tunes on the piano.

But the real heart of the formal was the outdoor tent in the courtyard, which housed said open bar, a handful of small dining tables, and a light jazz band that made up for not being good by…well, just being there. (The swing-dancing couples didn’t seem to care who was playing, anyway.) And while some cost-cutting measures were evident—note to Lev HoCo: FlyBy could recognize that second-rate HUDS hummus and tabouli anywhere—the 510 students who purchased tickets got to experience something entirely new: for one night, at least, Leverett was cool.

Jump, for more.

Dunster:

Fête. Bacchanalia. Hell, we’ll even throw in Mather Lather (it’s close enough to formal season). These signature House dances help define their homes.

Dunster’s HoCo was apparently attempting to give the House a trademark event of its own in naming this year’s formal—Beltane.

At first, Beltane, a historic festival in May, seemed a fitting choice. Formals are in May! Indeed, Beltane is an ancient Gaelic celebration that occurs on the first of May. Combined with the barbaric Goat Roast, maybe Beltane could be the perfect choice for an enduring Dunster formal name, assuming the ladies don’t mind bringing dates donning kilts and Braveheart war paint.

However, as FlyBy conducted a more thorough investigation of this pagan festival, HoCo’s reasoning began to unravel. Beltane involved Druids and otherworldly spirits back in the day. Today, Wiccans celebrate this ritualistic jamboree. What the eff? Message to Dunster HoCo: just because a holiday occurs in May, it is not necessarily an appropriate formal theme. As delightful as wearing maternity dresses to a Mother’s Day-inspired formal would be, something just doesn’t sit right with Beltane.

Nevertheless, the outlandish theme didn’t seem to deter partygoers. From the very beginning of sold-out Beltane to its 1:30 AM final song, the dance floor was tightly packed. Unfortunately, these close quarters inspired minimal Moose promiscuity, as overly bright lighting revealed all. Still, Dunster’s dark tunnels managed to provide a more intimate setting for those who sought a bit of escalation.

The DJ balanced Top 40 and 80s and 90s throwback music quite well. Though it teetered towards wedding/prom at times, hardly anyone left the floor except to hit up the well-stocked (and well-attended) open bar, including the Dunster tutors, who raged hard alongside students the entire night.

Décor and food were pretty standard. Given the formal’s name, FlyBy expected to eat Celtic dishes, light bonfires for druidic sacrifices, and practice witchcraft with cauldrons. Beyond one Dunsterite spotted in a kilt, most stuck to the usual formal garb. But maybe HoCo should find this a blessing in disguise. Rather than reflecting its batshit theme, Dunster’s Beltane was a solid night likely to remembered (or not) by many.

Quincy:

Unlike the rest of its river house brethren, Quincy House’s formal was devoid of grassy lawns, temporary tents and chocolate fountains. Instead, it was hosted at The Estate, a nightclub in the center of Boston. This is the fourth time that Flyby has been at the Estate in the past three weeks between sorority formals and the Red Party, so Q-Ball had to impress in order to rise above the rest.

FlyBy loved the club atmosphere: you know, velvet booths, club lighting, smoke machines, gyrating bodies on the dance floor, and hot bartenders in sheer tops. Q-ball was able to outdo the other recent events in The Estate by opening up the top floor so attendees could overlook the dance floor while grinding with a little less sweat and a little more privacy than on the lower floor. Even the VIP lounge was open, where FlyBy went to rest our feet from all the dancing.

Even though Q-ball was widely advertised to have an open bar, the only drinks available free of charge were wine and beer. There was also fingerfood like cheese and crackers and meat on sticks, but they seemed out of place and less than appetizing amidst the dim club lighting and the loud bass.

The music started out well mixed, but later it seemed as if the formal had fallen into a time warp to the 80s. After the DJ played Metallica, Bon Jovi, Aint No Mountain High Enough, Michael Jackson, Def Leppard, Jessie’s Girl and Bon Jovi again, FlyBy just wanted to go home. And speaking of getting home, while the yellow school bus shuttle service meant not having to pay for a cab, it was a yellow school bus. Yeah. Flashbacks to middle school included.

Overall, Quincy House threw a pretty baller ball. The estate was a much needed departure from traditional House Formals, and FlyBy hopes that more Houses will venture outside their courtyards next year.