Esperanza dance venue announced
Tired of waiting for that special guy to make the first move, ladies? Well, with Esperanza around the corner, it is up to you to take the initiative and ask him to "Take me out to the ball." "It's a Cinderella-esque baseball theme," Esperanza organizer and Rice Program Council Social Co-Chair Libby Ulman said. "We're really excited about it."
Esperanza, Rice's homecoming dance, will take place Oct. 15 at the FiveSeven Grille in Minute Maid Park. Esperanza will go from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
There will be 800 Esperanza tickets available this year, a 200- ticket increase from last year. Tickets will be sold for $15 s a piece, or $25 for those above 21 who want to drink, at the Rice Memorial Center starting today. They will also be made available by the RPC reps of each of the colleges, Ulman, a Sid Richardson College sophomore, said, with buses running back and forth from the Sallyport all night long. There will be free parking at the venue. Ulman recommended that people not take the METRORail.
The Grille has two levels, with a deck outside the back and a great dance floor space Ulman said. While Esperanza was held at Minute Maid Park three years ago, this years venue will be at a totally different section of the park.
"I like the fact that it already has an atmosphere to it," Ulman said. "I think everybody who's seen it likes it."
The search for this year's venue started early March of last year. Other potential venues included the Natural Science Museum, the Aquarium and the Marriott Hotel Ballroom.
The additional tickets were a result from the vote to increase the blanket tax last year which gave RPC socials a bigger budget to work with, Ulman said.
McMurtry College senior Lily Ito, who has been to every Esperanza in her time at Rice, is eager to attend this year.
"At Rice, there aren't many formal events to dress up for," Ito said. "It's like a more mature prom."
Duncan College junior Alexander Zinchenko is still debating whether he will go.
"I want a really hot girl to ask me and then I'll definitely go." Zinchenko said.
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