Organising a relatively small scale ball which will invariably, at least due to its price tag, invite comparisons with June Events comes with considerable challenges. However, the committee of this year’s Jewish Society Ball was able to achieve a lot by sticking to a well-chosen and well executed Amazon theme, without being afraid to augment it with touches such as a magician, or a Quasar.  

Anstey Hall did not immediately seem an ideal choice of venue, due to its various small rooms not quite seeming suited to a ball, yet each room was tastefully and attentively decorated, with vines draped from chandeliers in the ‘Explorer’s Den’, and the ‘first aid room’ (which I mistook for a first aid room for the first half of the ball, though I suspect I was the only one), in which one could fill in a prescription for cocktails served in syringes: a sure-fire cure for jungle fever. The drinks were well stocked throughout, with rock pools of beer and soft drinks complementing the more extravagant, and invariably delicious cocktails variously on offer, and, similarly the food (understandably more Jewish than Amazonian themed) was plentiful.

Special mention must go to the delicious shawarma, as well as the soups, which rather took away the appeal of standing outside on a freezing night to queue for a burger. Likewise, the cups of corn waiting in what was regrettably one of the few underused rooms upstairs were left to go cold, and, as far as I’m aware, the snacks served by the Safari Van of Life passed revellers by completely; certainly I was only aware of them as they were being cleared away.

These culinary mishaps aside, the evening felt extremely well-paced, bookended by, respectively, Pandemonium’s and Truly Medley Deeply’s takes on Hava Nagila. Though the Funk Nuggets, who appeared between the two, did not add their own version, they nonetheless provided an excellent set, fronted- for only the second time- by Amy Gandon. All three acts were well-received, but the Funk Nuggets in particular seemed to catch the mood, providing soulful yet fun entertainment which led neatly into a silent disco. It would also be remiss of me not to mention the most spectacular Amazonian import (apart from Ball Committee President Stephanie Barrett running around in a tribal mask, of course), a variety of large and, in some cases, intimidating snakes and lizards, housed in (where else) the tribal cave upstairs, an attraction throughout their stay, and a mainstay of photos.