Super Mash Bros. will headline school-wide ball

Super Mash Bros. will perform at the Orange and Black Ball, the class governments announced in emails to their classes on Sunday afternoon. The event, a revival of the all-campus Prince-Tiger Dance that used to take place annually during alumni weekend at the University throughout the mid-20th century, will be held on Friday, Nov. 11, at 11 p.m.

“We wanted to be sure that we were being financially responsible with the amount of money that we had,” junior class president Zach Beecher said. “Super Mash Bros. offered the best show in our price range.”

Beecher, who took the lead in organizing the class government-sponsored event, added that he thought Super Mash Bros. put on a great show when they opened for B.o.B. at Fall 2010 Lawnparties and said that many of the people with whom he has spoken agreed that the group would be a great lead artist for the ball.

The ball will also feature a performance from Cheap Thrills, a band that performs covers ranging from The Police and Journey to Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco, according to Beecher.

Though the class governments did not announce this in their emails, the ball will take place in Dillon Gymnasium, the historic home of the dance when it was held on campus. In the 1940s, the ball was sometimes held off campus at the Greenacres Country Club in Lawrenceville, NJ.

“In order to accommodate as much of the Princeton community as possible, we will be holding the Orange and Black Ball in Dillon Gym — its historic location,” reads the website set up by the class governments to disseminate information about the ball. “Whether or not you recognize it after we decorate it is another question.”

Beecher said he and the class governments were committed to holding the ball at a central location and have worked with the Dillon Gym staff and administrators of the Department of Athletics to secure the space.

“For the spirit of the event, it was important for it to be central to Princeton and central to the community, and Dillon fills all of those roles,” Beecher said. “We’re keeping with tradition while also innovating and adding our own take.”

Students may pick up tickets to the ball at the Frist ticket window from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Monday through Friday. Students who have already picked up their own ticket may begin signing out-of-town guests up for the event beginning Wednesday for students.

Beecher declined to release the capacity for the event in order to create excitement for the tickets, he said. He added that the capacity will be determined by the fire marshall and that the class governments will consider other options for the event if the demand for tickets exceeds the supply.

The ball will include food from a local caterer and non-alcoholic drinks. The gym floor will be separated into spaces for dancing and listening to music and spaces for eating and socializing.

“We’d like to emphasize how excited we are for this opportunity and moment for Princeton to come together,” Beecher said. “For once there’s going to be a social event where the complete point of gravity is going to be the Princeton undergraduate community.”

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While in many ways the class governments are reviving an age-old tradition, neither the USG nor the University administration had anything to do with the planning or running of the original Prince-Tiger Dance.

The dance was originally organized by the business staffs of The Daily Princetonian and Tiger Magazine and funded from these organizations’ own coffers.

Unlike this year’s event, which is free, students would have to pay for their tickets, with “stags” often having to pay a higher proportional price than couples. Depending on the year, students would either pick up a ticket from the ‘Prince’ or TigerMag office or purchase the tickets directly from a member of one of those publications.