Through the ball and other events, the BAS raised over 65 million won in 2002 that was distributed to several worthy causes including the Korean Foundation for Women, which helps abused and destitute women and children, the Salvation Army and the flood victims of Typhoon Rusa.

  Orange Ball
  Great Atmosphere with a Dutch Stamp
  Named for the Netherlands royal family, the Orange Ball celebrates the Dutch national day, the birthday of Queen Beatrix and is the premier event for the Dutch community in Korea and their friends.

  ¡°It¡¯s one of the most popular balls mainly because of the atmosphere,¡± said organizer, Ylona Wirahadiraksa. No more than 60 of the guests generally hail from the Netherlands out of a total of more than 400, many of them Korean. Nonetheless, the Orange Ball has a firm Dutch stamp, with a band bought in from the Netherlands every year and a theme that is Dutch-related. A special effort was made this year to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the arrival in Korea (by shipwreck) of Dutchman Hendrik Hamel, an occasion that marked the first contact between Korea and the people of Holland. A replica of the ¡°De Sperwer,¡± the vessel on which Hamel was shipwrecked was built at the entrance to the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt where the event was held. Hung from the walls of the ballroom were huge banners bearing blow-ups of excerpts from the journal that Hamel wrote upon his return to the Netherlands.

  For the last two years, proceeds of the ball have gone to support Raphael House, an orphanage for handicapped children, a continuing commitment by the organizing group, the Hamel Society. For the future, another beneficiary will be Kumtel Hagoe, a small privately operated academy for teens that have dropped out of school.

  AMCHAM Inaugural Ball
  Celebrating the first 50 Years
  The AMCHAM Inaugural Ball is usually held early in the year to welcome and introduce the newly elected officers and governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea and to celebrate the occasion with members, friends, and colleagues. Said the chamber¡¯s Minseon Lee: ¡°The ball is also a fabulous public relations opportunity for our sponsoring companies since it gives them maximum exposure and visibility among the leaders of the top U.S. multinational corporations in Korea.¡±
  One of the best attended of the foreign balls, the AMCHAM Inaugural regularly attracts over 700 guests.

  Each ball has a theme that is reflected in the decor of the ballroom as well as the entertainment. In the recent past themes have been based on popular American culture and included ¡°Hollywood,¡± ¡°Disco Inferno¡± and ¡°Motown.¡± However, as 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of the American chamber in Korea, this year¡¯s event, held in April, was re-christened the AMCHAM 50th Anniversary Inaugural Ball 2003 and featured a heightened level of festivities built around a traditional Korean theme entitled ¡°A Great Past, A Greater Future.¡±

  St. Patrick¡¯s Charity Ball
  For the Enjoyment of Irish Culture
  St. Patrick¡¯s Day brings out the Irish spirit in everyone and what better way to celebrate in Seoul than by attending the St. Patrick¡¯s Charity Ball organized by the Irish Association of Korea?
  In all of its eight years, the ball has had a particular theme. This year¡¯s theme was Irish music and featured celebrated traditional Irish musicians, Andrea & Fee plus friends who included step dancers brought from Ireland especially for the event. Primary sponsors include BMW Korea, UDV/Guinness, Pernod Ricard Korea and KLM Airlines who customarily donate a clutch of Irish beverages ¡ª including Bailey¡¯s Irish Cream, Guinness and Bushmills Whiskey ¡ª for each table.


  ¡°The ball is organized for the purposes of enjoying Irish culture while raising money for Ireland-related charities in Korea,¡± said the association¡¯s Tom Coyner. ¡°Most of the proceeds have gone to various Korean social welfare projects of the Columban Brothers & Sisters and the Little Sisters of Charity.¡± This year the association added the Korean team who competed at the Special Olympics in Dublin at the end of June.

  Latin Ball
  Passion & Sensuality
  Live, authentic Latin music has always been a feature of the Latin Ball over its 20-year history.
  ¡°That¡¯s the difference between this ball and the others; no one else has a live Latin band,¡± said organizer Rosina Rubarth of Club Iberoamericano, an association of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking people. The club has regularly brought bands in from as far away as Peru and Mexico for the event, and invited a samba band from Brazil to play at last fall¡¯s ball held under the theme of ¡°Carnival Rio.¡± Other themes in recent years have included ¡°Tropicalia¡± and ¡°Wineries.¡±
  Attention to detail is also important. To decorate the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Seoul for Carnival Rio, Ms. Rubarth provided the hotel¡¯s Korean designers with images and materials from her home country of Brazil in order to create the right ambience. Said Ms. Rubarth: ¡°I feel a very strong responsibility to convey the passion of all things Latin at the ball; through the taste of the food, the sensual form of the dance and the joyful, happy music.¡± She said that to ensure the sensual experience of the ball would extend even to the sense of touch, the tablecloths were of velveteen.


  Donations from the proceeds of the ball are made to the religious group, Consolatas Missionaries that operates an orphanage together with homes for the elderly and single mothers in Incheon.

  St. Andrew¡¯s Ball
  Dance until Dawn
  Hosted by the St. Andrews (Scottish) Society in mid-November, the St. Andrews Ball is a magnet for all aficionados of traditional Scottish country dancing in Seoul. The ball typically features 16 dances ranging from the older Petronella and Dashing White Sergeant to the more recent 51st Division Reel and the locally composed Reel of Seoul.
  Apart from the traditional, formal nature of the dancing and entertainment (a Scottish band and piper are flown in every year) the ball is unique on account of the early breakfast it offers revelers.
  ¡°When the ball was first started in 1976 there was a midnight-to-4:00 a.m. curfew in effect,¡± explained organizer Gavin Mackay, ¡°so we extended it to include a breakfast.¡± Although a curfew is no longer imposed in Seoul, 70 percent of guests do stay to enjoy a hearty breakfast of sausages, scrambled eggs and devilled kidneys among other dishes.


  The ball is unique also in that the society organizes 16 weekly dance lessons prior to the event to familiarize guests with the steps of the various dances. Although a number of men (Scottish and Welsh) do attend kilted, guests should feel no pressure to wear tartan since it is the Scots who are the hosts, said Mr. Mackay.

  AFC Gala
  Creating Something Magical
  French flair is truly in evidence at the gala held during the winter months at the Intercontinental Grand Hotel by the Association Francophone de Coree (AFC), the organization of the Frenchspeaking community in Korea.

  The galas are always themed in a characteristically Gallic fashion. The theme of last year¡¯s event was ¡°Paris Incognito,¡± and year¡¯s before was ¡°Paris by Night.¡±
  ¡°We always try to create something magical, not the same as other events,¡± said Sandra Wambersie, AFC secretary and a native of Belgium. ¡°The gala is very important occasion for all French-speaking people, where they can meet each other, looking their best and where they have a chance to eat French food.¡± The gala regularly attracts patrons from across the French-speaking world from Quebec to Africa as well as a very large Korean presence.
  The AFC also holds parties every spring, which also are themed. The theme of the most recent event in March was ¡°A Cruise on the Mekong.¡±
  The recent ¡°Couscous Party¡± was a costumed event at which patrons dressed in Arabian attire.