“So I put my hands up / They’re playin’ my song, the butterflies fly away.” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” blasts through the DJ’s speakers, pulsing through the room as hundreds of students enter the main ballroom. Dressed in Chinese qipaos, Indian saris and outfits reminiscent of homecoming, the diverse crowd dances together, shouts of excitement called out as the DJ transitions to K-pop sensation NewJeans’ “Super Shy.”
On Jan. 17, Hagerty’s Asian Culture Club held its annual Winter Ball in collaboration with 12 other schools. Combining students from the Seminole and Orange counties, the event is supervised by the Orlando Asian Student Association, who has been planning the event since December.
As a first-year ACC president, senior Huixin Chen saw the dance as an excellent opportunity to network with other school presidents and engage members.
“I just thought it would be a really nice opportunity for us to connect with others of similar culture [and] values,” Chen said. “[It’s nice that] we’re one big community directed towards one common goal.”
The ball took place at the Maitland Civic Center with the theme “Moonlit Lotus Garden.” For many students, the event served as a unique chance to showcase their culture’s traditional clothing.
“My outfit is a Vietnamese ao dai…it is a really nice outfit, [but] I haven’t worn it in a really long time or to events like this, so I wanted to wear it,” junior Rieley Vu said. “It feels way more nicer than regular, semi-formal clothing [and] also way more unique.”
Senior Riana Nguyen decided to be more abstract with her outfit choices.
“I [wore] a red dress because it’s [almost] Lunar New Year, and red is like a lucky color,” she said.
This is ACC’s third year participating in the cross-county-wide celebration. Senior Laura Chen attended when the event was first held in her sophomore year and returned this year.
“I’ve formed a lot of close friends this year after my previous friends graduated, and I thought it was going to be a good time to bond with them and people from other schools,” Laura said. “[It’s fun] being able to take a lot of pictures with my friends.”
While the event officially started at 7 p.m., as a board member, Chen had to arrive two hours earlier. Meeting with club presidents from other schools, she helped set up streamers, lights and outdoor patio arrangements. Later on in the night, Chen also helped check tickets and let people in.
“This winter ball was definitely a lot of hard work. [There was] some miscommunication, since it was a lot of people’s first time hosting this event…but we worked there in the end,” Chen said.
In order to participate in the ball, each school had to raise around $200 for decorations and venue fees. While some clubs chose to collect the money from officers themselves, Chen worked with Vu, whose family owns a boba shop, to raise funds.
“[We wanted to help] because it brings the community [and] everyone together,” Vu said. “This is [actually] the first dance I’ve ever been to.”
For Nguyen, the best part of the night was being able to meet with friends from other schools. While most school events are more exclusive, Winter Ball provided an avenue to meet up with students from different counties.
“School can be stressful, so a little fun is good,” Nguyen said. “I also think it’s important to learn more about other people’s culture and make new friends.”
Food and beverages were provided throughout the night until the event wrapped up at 11 p.m. Overall, Chen sees the event as a job well done.
“It was really fun. I got a chance to see the Asian population in other schools and how it varied,” Chen said. “I just feel proud of my culture…events like these are a really [cool] opportunity to get to know other members of our community, to really reach out and just have fun with other people of like-mindedness.”
