Feb. 3, 2005

Belle of the Balls

University Fourth Presidential Inaugural Celebration Grows Beyond All Expectations

Members of the GW community converged upon the elegant Omni Shoreham hotel for The George Washington University’s fourth Inaugural Ball Jan. 20. Billed as the “Unofficial Youth Ball,” along with the 15 other inaugural balls (nine official), GW’s ball celebrated the nation’s 55th Presidential Inauguration. This year’s gala marked the biggest and most extravagant since GW’s first ball in 1993.

Four ballrooms in the Woodley Park hotel overflowed with more than 4,000 students, parents, faculty, alumni, and friends of the University. The ball featured a host of entertainment options for just about any taste. The ballrooms teemed with revelers dancing to performances by Rapture Dance Band; GW’s King James and the Serfs of Swing; student performers Aatash, The GW Vibes, The Sirens, GW Bhangra, and the sunday mail; and DJ-Phil, who kept the dance-floor packed with fans of the club scene. While President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and their families could not grace GW’s ball, nationally recognized “W” impersonator Brent Mendenhall, a veteran performer whose credits include The Tonight Show, was on hand to entertain the crowd. Mendenhall’s “Address” ran the gamut of “Bush-isms,” but also praised GW’s successful basketball team. 

The general sentiment from the students about the ball has been positive. Steve Khadam-Hir, a junior majoring in economics, perhaps sums it up the best. “The ball was really great — it was really cool to see such a huge mixture of ages out having fun.”

“I think that its great that in a school so politically divided, students from both parties are represented here tonight,” added Emily Kleckzo, a sophomore majoring in biology, CCAS. “It’s really nice that both sides can put away their differences to have a good time.”

This year’s celebration marks the steady growth of the University’s inaugural celebration. GW held its first-ever ball in 1993 and boasted a sellout crowd of 2,500. Subsequent GW Inaugural Balls in 1997 and 2001 also featured capacity turnout with 3,000 and 3,500 attendees respectively. To accomodate to growing popularity of the celebration, the expanded into the Omni Shoreham facility, adding two extra ballrooms.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu

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