This Carmen Miranda look alike was one of the many revelers at this year's Drag Ball, held April 6 in Wilder Hall. The event (recently dubbed the "Mardi Gras of the Midwest" by Rolling Stone magazine) included two dance floors, music by a 21-piece orchestra, a lip-sych contest, a runway competition, and awards for the best costumes.
Begun in the early 1990s, the event has steadily grown in popularity and is now one of the most eagerly awaited social events on campus, a virtual Oberlin Rite of Spring. More than 1,530 people--including students, faculty members, and administrators--attended this year, costumed in everything from the elegant to the tacky. Included in that number was none other than President Nancy S. Dye, fashionably attired in a black tuxedo with satin accents, bow tie, and cummerbund. The ball was sponsored by the Student Union and the Oberlin Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Union.
--Photograph by Robb Stolberg '95
Return to Around Tappan Square
Return to the OAM Summer 1996 Table of Contents