Anime Boston

Information for this year's Formal Ball is now available. Please read the page for information on purchasing tickets and the Dress Code.

Those of you who would like to cosplay at the Formal Ball may read the Formal Ball Guide for inspiration on making your costume work!

I see that the dress code says no school uniform but what about male characters slacks blazer and tie? I'm assuming it's more for the girls sailor-suit uniforms and the like.

We encourage people to try and think about what their character would wear to a formal event, which is probably not their school uniform. (Think Ouran High School Host Club.) That said, if your costume follows the guidelines for a suit, it will be allowed.

Hi, I was wondering if a yukata would be considered formal enough for the formal ball? It's cotton, but it definitely shares a style with kimonos - I thought the cotton wouldn't be nearly as hot as silk. If not, that's fine; I just wanted to ask. Thank you in advance!

A yukata is not the same as a formal kimono, and would not be appropriate.

Okay, thank you for your help!

Would this be allowed?

That is allowed. And pretty sharp, too.

Wow! This should be the model pic for anyone unsure about their outfit for the Formal Ball. Don Draper would be jealous

I have a question about the Formal Ball venue- what is the dance floor like? Is it the same size as the floor at the Sheraton? Will the floor be divided for beginners and advanced? Or will we share the same floor as we have in previous years?

I only ask as the bf and I are brushing up on our ballroom skills with some lessons, and our teacher has inquired about the floor. Last year the floor was a good size, but the floor navigation was tricky. We could move pretty well through 3/4 of the floor, and the the last 1/4 was congested with beginner dancers who didn't feel comfortable using the whole area. I know organizers try to get beginners to use the center of the floor, so more experienced dancers can use the outer edge, but that never seems to pan out We just want to know if we should concentrate more on hesitation steps during the lesson or whether we can get fancy with some twinkles.

Bought a brand new dress for the Ball this year, can't wait to waltz in it!!!!

without commenting whatsoever on the new venue or its floor (I'm not in the know on those specifics)

I will tell you from many years of experience dancing many places....YES YES YES if you are brushing up on your dance for the event, work on your hesitation and navigation steps!! I would also suggest spending some time on your connection in addition to the general floorcraft.

A good vocabulary for crowded dancing and a strong connection is the only reason my husband and I manage to make actual laps around the floor in a lot of places



Here are some steps I find particularly useful, though your instructor may call them something different depending on her school of training:

Waltz - Balance steps, oversways, underarm turn can help if you're blocked in but have a circle of space

Foxtrot - hesitation steps, left and right turns, FoxBox, pivots and sways if you're a little more advanced

Tango- ochos, leg hooks, lunges, headsnaps. There's alot of super fun moves you can do in a small space, but I'll admit a lot depends on how strong your leader is on his floorcraft

Rhumba- not really a traveler anyway heh. I tend to avoid latin walks though, as they eat up alot of floor.


Hope that was a little helpful! I will not be teaching the beginners lesson at con this year (though I may try to visit,) but I'm leaving you all in excellent hands!

Oh geez, all of this is like Greek to me. I really need to attend the pre-ball dancing class...

Also, a question about that..Should we come dressed in our outfits for the ball, or just anything?

Thanks guys ^^;. Speaking of dance classes, has there been a official time and room selected for the formal dance practice?

The schedule still hasn't been finalized, so no, there is not an official time and place for the dance class yet.

That said, there is no dress code for the dance class, and you can wear whatever. I recommend bringing your dance shoes to practice in, though. It makes a world of difference. It's not required, however.

LadyFae wrote:without commenting whatsoever on the new venue or its floor (I'm not in the know on those specifics)

I will tell you from many years of experience dancing many places....YES YES YES if you are brushing up on your dance for the event, work on your hesitation and navigation steps!! I would also suggest spending some time on your connection in addition to the general floorcraft.

A good vocabulary for crowded dancing and a strong connection is the only reason my husband and I manage to make actual laps around the floor in a lot of places



Here are some steps I find particularly useful, though your instructor may call them something different depending on her school of training:

Waltz - Balance steps, oversways, underarm turn can help if you're blocked in but have a circle of space

Foxtrot - hesitation steps, left and right turns, FoxBox, pivots and sways if you're a little more advanced

Tango- ochos, leg hooks, lunges, headsnaps. There's alot of super fun moves you can do in a small space, but I'll admit a lot depends on how strong your leader is on his floorcraft

Rhumba- not really a traveler anyway heh. I tend to avoid latin walks though, as they eat up alot of floor.


Hope that was a little helpful! I will not be teaching the beginners lesson at con this year (though I may try to visit,) but I'm leaving you all in excellent hands!

I'm printing this out and bringing it to our next lesson! Thanks so much for the advice

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask the question but I wanted to know how quickly the at-Con tickets for the ball sells out usually? I would purchase my ticket online but I'm not sure if I can get my dress finished by then and I don't know if I can get a refund or what if I get refused for a different outfit even though I bought a ticket in advance.

In the past, the bulk of the at-con tickets sell out within 1-2 hours.

Would it be okay if I confirmed my outfit here on the thread or would that be moving off topic? I had already emailed staff last year about the outfit (but I had not attended last year) so taking up the advice, I modified the cosplay to look like this. The skirt is past the knee and I have a pair of high heel boots for it.

I would actually prefer people post their dress code questions here, it means I know where to find them.

The dress looks fine, but boots of any kind are not allowed at the ball.

Miyu chan wrote:In the past, the bulk of the at-con tickets sell out within 1-2 hours.

Indeed, if you want tickets, try to be there early 'cause the at-con's are (obviously) first come, first serve.

I have a Cheongsam Similar to the one depicted, would that be alright to wear? If its not would a Salsa dress be alright? (mine is a similar cut to the other picture)


Thank you for your help.
~Gypsy

The cheongsam is fine with proper accessories. The salsa dress is too short for the dress code.

Thank you for the information. I really didn't want to have to resort to wearing the same dress as last time I went.

I have a Business type suit dress. It is a black sorta pin striped spag dress that goes down to just above my knee cap, and comes with a matching long sleeve jacket that is equal length. Would this be allowed? I cant figure out how to upload a photo. :\ Its something I could wear if I worked at an office or bank, went to a wedding etc. Nothing shows etc.

I have this dress here:
http://hottopic.scene7.com/is/image/Hot ... product_lg$ (front)

http://hottopic.scene7.com/is/image/Hot ... product_lg$ (back)

Is this acceptable? I have other dresses to choose from if it's not, but would like to know in advance. I also have the proper shoes to go with the above mentioned dress.

Agent_k13 wrote:I have a Business type suit dress. It is a black sorta pin striped spag dress that goes down to just above my knee cap, and comes with a matching long sleeve jacket that is equal length. Would this be allowed? I cant figure out how to upload a photo. :\ Its something I could wear if I worked at an office or bank, went to a wedding etc. Nothing shows etc.

This sounds fine.

almightycows wrote:I have this dress here:
http://hottopic.scene7.com/is/image/Hot ... product_lg$ (front)

http://hottopic.scene7.com/is/image/Hot ... product_lg$ (back)

Is this acceptable? I have other dresses to choose from if it's not, but would like to know in advance. I also have the proper shoes to go with the above mentioned dress.

Since the overskirt is so sheer, I'm going to suggest that you find another dress, one that comes to at least your knees.

alright, well thank you very much for the response!

I LOVE how the ball and the masquerade do not coincide with each other anymore! I had to choose between the two last year.

My friends and I bought Formal Ball tickets online and on the schedule it says that the time for pick-up is 12:00pm - 1:00pm, the thing is, we're traveling pretty far in order to go to this convention and don't know if we'll be in time for the pick-up. Is there something we can do to ensure we get the Formal Ball tickets?

If you purchase tickets online and can't make it to pick up, you can still collect your tickets at the door.

Is it required that you know how to dance to attend? I'm most likely not going to be able to make it to the dance lessons.

screamingthesilence wrote:Is it required that you know how to dance to attend? I'm most likely not going to be able to make it to the dance lessons.

No. I went last year without knowing how and people were more than happy to lead you. Just remember to return the favor once you've learned yourself.

Alright, thanks!