Last Saturday night, alumni, faculty and students gathered in the Shapiro Gymnasium in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center for the Inaugural Ball, which was held in celebration of the inauguration of University President Frederick Lawrence. Doors opened at 8:30 p.m., and guests dressed in their finest clothes were greeted by the lively music of Boston's White Heat Swing Orchestra. In true Brandeis spirit, the theme of the evening was "Celebrating the Diversity of Brandeis." Many guests wore the traditional garments of their respective cultures, which displayed the diversity of the Brandeis community. The performances that followed-including a song played by the Brandeis Wind Ensemble, a slam poetry performance and a song performed by several Brandeis a cappella groups- each showcased the University's talented and unique community.

The gym was transformed for the event, complete with a dance floor, sheer white and blue fabric that was artfully draped from the ceiling, blue globe lights on all of the tables around the room and even intricate ice sculptures. Guests were treated to lemonade that was poured through these ice sculptures and chilled before it hit their glasses. The extravagant evening also boasted a dessert table filled with small pastries and petits fours.

At the start of the evening, the dance floor was sparse with only a few people dancing, but more guests arrived throughout the night, and the dance floor soon became crowded with people showing off their best swing moves. The orchestra added class and fun to the evening with its energetic and catchy performances.

Around 10 p.m., Student Union President Daniel Acheampong '11 stepped up to the microphone to introduce the guests of honor for the evening, Lawrence and his wife Kathy. The president was dressed in a sleek tuxedo and Kathy wore a beautiful deep blue gown. Lawrence spoke to the attendees for a few minutes, expressing his thanks. He jokingly compared the evening to President Barack Obama's own inaugural ball and then injected some characteristic humor and wit by saying, "My date's prettier," while smiling at Kathy.

After Lawrence spoke, the Brandeis Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Thomas Souza, performed "Officer Krupke" from West Side Story. People gathered all around the dance floor to hear the performance, which showed off another side of the Brandeis student body's creativity. For the second performance of the night, Usman Hameedi '12 gave a short slam poetry performance, depicting more of Brandeis' talent. The entire evening was truly a representation of what makes Brandeis so unique. Appropriately, for the next act, the University's many a cappella groups came together to perform a rendition of Michael Jackson's "We Are the World."

Following these poignant performances, Lawrence and his wife had their official first dance to the music of the White Heat Swing Orchestra. Onlookers gathered around the perimeter of the dance floor to witness this touching moment. After the first dance, members of the Brandeis Swingers gathered on the dance floor to demonstrate various swing steps. The orchestra received a request to play the Cha Cha and the dance floor was once again filled with people dancing energetically to the rousing rendition.

After the orchestra played for a while, Student Union Secretary Herbie Rosen '12 announced Brandeis' own DJ Sensation, who provided the music for the rest of the evening. DJ Sensation first played "The Way You Look Tonight" as a dance for the president and his wife, and then proceeded to play some of today's popular dance hits. For the latter part of the evening, students dominated the dance floor and the atmosphere became even livelier.

The Inaugural Ball culminated the week of events held to usher in this new presidential era at Brandeis. The evening paid homage to everything that makes the University unique and to all of the creativity that characterizes the Brandeis community. Many of those who attended the Inaugural Ball shared the sentiments of pride and optimism-pride for a community that is so diverse and talented, and optimism for a bright future under Brandeis' new president.