‘Twas The Night Before Lascivious

Settling into a black chair, I glanced about me to take in the sights and sounds of the Cloister Club. Models stood half-dressed in lace and leather while dancers splayed themselves on the room’s tiled floor, unafraid of the cold that slowly seeped in through Ida Noyes’ windows. They were done for the night, but a handful of Lascivious Ball performers stayed behind, letting their bodies wind down from a good two hours of rehearsal.
 
After mingling with the designers, Alexandria Batdorf sits down next to me, proud of everyone’s work. As Co-Executive Director for HYPE, Batdorf has overseen much of the Ball’s administrative and creative aspects. She’s exhausted, but nevertheless convinced that her work will show through when the Ball returns for a fourth consecutive year this Saturday.

“It’ going to be on a larger scale than the last three years, but also much bigger than the Balls from almost 30 years ago.”
 
For months, Batdorf and the UChicago HYPE board have sought to recreate the glitz, glam, and freedom that characterized the Lascivious Balls of old. Known as the Sex Anarchy Party way back in the day, the Ball has always been a point of intrigue for those within and outside of the University community, defying social norms towards sexuality. With a huge number of supporters and an equal amount of students who described it as “weird,” the Ball ran for 14 years straight before the University banned it, citing students’ behavior as the main motivation for their policy.
 
In other words, Batdorf says, the Ball was rumored to be all about “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll.”
 
The reputation stuck for more than two decades before HYPE fought for the Ball’s return. Dedicated to promoting a social nightlife on campus, HYPE came across the Ball in 2008 and instantly recognized its resonance with the student population. While many would shy away from the event’s sexual nature, the HYPE board realized that it would resonate with a good fraction of students on campus.
 
“Everyone has their own form of sexual expression that they, unfortunately, can’t be free to show most of the time,” Batdorf explains. “We brought the Ball back because it was a way for us to not only bring people together, but to also allow them to demonstrate their form of sexual expression in a supportive setting.”
 
Batdorf isn’t alone in encouraging students to embrace their sexuality, whatever the word means. Drag performer Jeremy Saxon began attending the Ball in his first year, during which he came to terms with the importance of sexual freedom as an aspect of human character.
 
“It’s not that we have repressed our sexuality, but [here at UChicago] it feels as though we’re generally more disinterested in it,” says Saxon. “We take our academics so seriously that a lot of the time, the sexual element of our lives becomes secondary. What we often don’t realize is that sex is such an integral part of who we are as human beings and that we should celebrate it once in a while.”
 
“We’ve got a very set hierarchy of what we think we need in life. But why not put everything out of order just for a day, or even just a night?”
 
For Saxon, the first step towards embracing his sexuality was slightly intimidating, just as it was for second-year Angela Wang. With Saxon’s encouragement, Wang signed up to perform a burlesque piece that required her to be, as Wang says, “practically naked.” Not knowing what to expect Wang went ahead with the tease, a performance that compelled her to rethink her ideas about sexual esthetics.
 
“Before I performed [at the Ball], I had this idea that the Ball was about exhibiting a sort of obtuse sexuality,” Wang says. “But as I started delving more into burlesque and watching more and more videos, I started to realize that it really was mostly about playfulness, and that it was a sort of art that, contrary to what a lot of people think, wasn’t vulgar.”
 
“It’s all about showing a sort of boldness that is a bit taboo in society.”
 
And fighting that taboo is what “1984,” the theme of this year’s Ball, aims to do. In a nostalgic throwback to the old Ball’s last year, “1984” seeks to reimagine the UChicago tradition but with a more modern twist. With the entire Ida Noyes Hall at their disposal, HYPE will be throwing the biggest party yet complete with the traditional fashion show and performances by student groups like Rhythmic Bodies in Motion and Maya.
 
The goal this year, according to Batdorf, is to make the Ball more accessible to everyone.
 
“We decided on ‘1984’ because as amazing as our past themes have been, we wanted this year’s theme to be more all-encompassing, more open to everyone who wants to participate,” she explains. “We’re living in a time where, I think, is different in how people sexually express themselves. There is still a sort of stigma associated with sexual display, but generally speaking we’re more open than we were in the past.”
 
Batdorf sits back and smiles, “What we want is for everyone to, just for this one night, party for their sexuality.”