Commemoration ball

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A Commemoration ball or Commem. ball is a formal ball held by one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in the 9th week of Trinity Term, the week after the end of the last Full Term of the academic year, which known as "Commemoration Week". Commemoration balls are held by different colleges each year, following a cycle by which each college holds a ball every three years.^[1]

Commemoration Week is so known because of the ceremonies in commemoration of the benefactors of the university that are held then, namely the Commemoration Day sermon formerly held (until 2006) on the Sunday, and the Encaenia ceremony (where the annual Creweian Oration in honour of benefactors is given) and garden party on the Wednesday of that week. Commemoration Week was formerly one of two occasions when balls were traditionally held, the other being Eights Week, the 5th week of Trinity term when the Summer Eights bumps races occur. Eights balls are nowadays comparatively rare.

[edit] Definition

There is no formal definition of a Commemoration ball, but the usual Oxford convention is to refer only to the larger, triennial balls as Commemoration balls. The dress code is usually white tie. Many other colleges hold smaller events during Commemoration Week that they call summer balls or parties rather than Commemoration balls. These are usually held on an annual or irregular basis, and are usually black tie.

[edit] Recent balls

In the past, Commemoration balls were held "night after night" ^[2] by different colleges during Commemoration Week. With many colleges now holding smaller annual summer balls, Commemoration balls are now only held by some of the larger colleges, who still follow the traditional triennial cycle. Currently, in first two years of the three-year cycle there is only one Commemoration ball (held by Magdalen College and New College respectively), but there are three in the third year of the cycle (in 2008, Christ Church, Trinity College, Worcester College).

The 2005 Christ Church Commemoration ball was the first to be held by that college for fifteen years, due to an incident at the 1990 ball that led to the Governing Body suspending the ball and replacing it with an annual summer party until 2005.

2003 — Magdalen College
2004 — New College
2005 — Worcester College, Christ Church, Trinity College
2006 — Magdalen College
2007 — New College
2008 — Worcester College, Christ Church, Trinity College

[edit] Performances

Commemoration ball organising committees generally seek to secure private performances from leading entertainers; some notable performances are listed below.