Eye Makeup and Face PaintNow strikes the balance betwixt the Seasons– when the brightness of Day equals the darkness of Night.

This year we explore the theme of the elements: earth, air, fire, and water, as well as spirit, ether, metal, wood, or any other elements your cosmology recognizes. Come clothed in earth or veiled in water, alight like need fire– or wrapped in clouds and wind. Be the lush summer earth or the crystalline night sky, come masked in dark glamour, or shine like the dawn.

Choose your favorite element, or embrace mutability! Come dance with the Wild Ones in twilight and trance! Seelie, Unseelie, and Wild Fae– peris, goblins, daemons and devas– all welcome and lustily encouraged.

Garb: Bright and dark finery, symbols of the elements, particolored hose and motley wear, masques, body paint, jewelry, wings, ferns and flowers, mystic armor, enchanting furbelows and other surprises. Whether of this world, or another– you are welcome!

Time: Saturday, March 15, 8pm–1am… any after-parties in hospitality suites to be announced in Paganicon program. Check out the details of the ball on our online schedule.

Place: The Park Ballroom on the 2nd floor of the St. Louis Park Doubletree Hotel (1500 Park Place Blvd., Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 55416)

Tickets: $15 per ticket, but FREE to all Paganicon registrants. If you’re coming for the ball only, just select the Paganicon Ball ticket at our Paganicon registration page…link coming soon!

Music: The band Crow Call will kick off the party at 8pm, and will be followed by  Unique Drive,  who, in keeping with our theme, unite the elements in the worlds of music, dance and technology.

Unique Drive will be providing a musical multi-media experience. With dancers and singers, and a unique fusion of musical talent and technical expertise, Unique Drive creates powerful, magical sounds and music that will resonate through the magic of the Paganicon Ball. They will be performing music from their recently released CD, Forever Dream. Learn more and listen to their music at http://www.unique-drive.com/.

Crow Call is Ellie Bryan and Peter Ruddy, a folk duo from south Minneapolis that combines traditional Folk/Americana genres with minor chords and subtle metal influences. On the 5-string banjo and 12-string acoustic guitar they perform dark originals that draw influences from ancient mythology and personal experiences alongside old-time traditional songs, blurring the dichotomy of the old and the new; the traditional and the modern. Together they write deep, thought provoking music that transports the listener to personal place, as well as up-tempo traditional songs that transport the listener back in time. Learn more about them at http://crowcall.bandcamp.com/.

Ilessthan3photography
Ilessthan3photography

Photography: In the past, ball attendees had a blast photographing each other. This year, we have the opportunity to have a professional photographer on hand to immortalize you as you Embrace the Elements at the Equinox Ball. Check out their facebook page to learn more about them. Ilessthan3photography

At 10-10:30 we’ll take a brief pause from the music to award prizes for best costumes – with audience participation, of course! And then the music resumes at 10:30 with a DJ playing all your favorite dance tunes from the ’70s to today, including plenty of danceable Pagan music as well. Let’s see how many people we can get to do the Time Warp in unison this year! So whether you like live music, Pagan songs, or your favorite hits, you’ll be sure to hear something you like at the ball this year!

Wondering what to expect? Check out Diana Rajchel’s PNC Minnesota article with photos of some ball attendees if you’re curious about the awesome costumes. (All those photographed gave their permission for use in the PNC article but not for other uses: please share the link, not the photos.)

What’s your costume? Embracing the Elements is our ball theme this year, which opens up a wealth of possibilities. Choose your favorite element, or embrace mutability! Will you dress in rich, sultry reds with soot in your hair as the element of fire, or embody the lusciously cool and flowing element of water? Perhaps you’ll come as a sylph or a gnome, a thunderstorm or a snow crystal. But you can also go beyond the “traditional” (to some) Western elements – remember the Chinese elements also include metal and wood! Or come as your favorite element from the periodic table, whether that’s helium or solid gold. Just make it funky, make it fabulous, make it fun!

In the past we’ve seen costumes involving body paint, papier-mâché, ball gowns, incredible make-up, LED lights, fake foliage, and much more. The sky is the limit! Come dance with the Wild Ones in twilight and trance. Seelie, Unseelie, and Wild Fae – goblins, daemons and devas – all welcome and lustily encouraged.

This year to immortalize your creative spirit we’ll have a professional photographer on hand with a backdrop to take portraits which you can order for yourself. (No, they won’t be shared publicly.)

Awards will go to Best Earth, Best Air, Best Water, Best Fire, Best Other (any other element, including spirit or something unique, or a combination thereof), and Best in Show.