Kate Kennedy May Ball: Spiegeltastic

Walking along the Madras Rugby pitches in the dimming light, chatting to

mates, letting our words flow into the evening vespers, there was a distinct

buzz in the air. Looking around, I could see a plethora of others following our

trajectory, varied groups, dinner jackets mixed with spring dresses,

interweaving, all homing in on this one beacon, flashing, pulsing ahead, inviting

us to join its revelry — the Kate Kennedy May Ball.

Credit: The Kate Kennedy Club

Jasper Kirkby, the Ball Convenor for The Kate Kennedy Club, saved everyone the

trouble of buses and transport, meaning a short walk to the ball and more

money able to be invested in the venue and its guests. The venue had two

sections: a smart gazebo style tent, decked out in white, and the grand

emporium of the Spiegeltent, a rotunda cabaret ballroom with lavish colours of

rouge and magenta striped all over.

When I entered the gazebo, everyone was very excited. Music was playing,

people were grooving; one person even said to me that they were having such

fun they “felt like the bride at their own dream wedding.” I managed to chat to

a Kate Kennedy club member, easily identifiable in his deep green tartan trews

and silvery-grey bowtie streaked with red, to see if his thoughts corroborated

with this sentiment. What was his favourite aspect of the evening? “I loved the

live bands! They really got the guests going after what was a very fun dinner.”

How was the meal? “Surprisingly good food for a ball.”

I had indeed heard rave reviews about the food at dinner, and the live bands

certainly did justice to the moment. The student bands Fool Circle and Since

Juniper are regular fixtures at these events, and they didn’t drop the ball on

the night either. When the guitar solo of The Chain by Fleetwood Mac was

belted out by Since Juniper, I’d never seen such a frenzied throng of people

surrounding the band, 100 jack-in-a-boxes going up and down with

unadulterated glee.

Going into the Spiegeltent, the Kate Kennedy member said it was “obviously unique and probably the coolest venue for a St Andrews event,” and I had to agree with

him. The typical environment of a St Andrews event is a spruced up place where

cattle and pigs used to dwell, but this Spiegeltent had no such lineage. It held a

different atmosphere, more verve, with strobing lights and the DJs on their

pedestal, a mass of people moving to the music with such devotion as you might see at communion. I joined in with some of my own signature moves,

the mash potato and sprinkler — the usual.

There were seats around the side of the dance floor in the Spiegeltent and it

was pleasant to look on and reflect with a few others about the vista in front of

us: a collection of students who have worked through a hard-fought academic

year and this is their victory parade (or at least, the pre-exam one). I asked a

few ball-goers how they would describe the event in three words: their

responses brought quite the juxtaposition. The more put-together person said

“proper, aristocratic, genteel.” The other, slightly swaying, remarked that it

was “crowded, drunk,” and then bellowing out the final word, “ELECTRIC!” Two

perfect responses for the event, the former more a summary of the gazebo,

the latter the Spiegeltent.

The number of people at the occasion was testament to the popularity of the

Kate Kennedy events. Thousands of pounds are put into the night, whether it

be into the venue itself, or the Dodgems, for which the queue never abated.

After the successful 100th Spring Procession, The Kate Kennedy Club continued their winning streak with this jubilant night. One final person gave me their three

words for the event. With a cheery smile they said “best one yet,” and I might

have to agree.