Seniors, get ready to put on your dancing shoes – and masks.

The 2011 Commencement Ball, an annual event hosted by the University of Massachusetts Student Alumni Association (SAA) will take place on May 6 and will feature a “UMassquerade” theme. The theme was chosen by seniors in an online poll in January.

Tickets are $25 per person and have been available since April 6 online, but they can be purchased in person during the next few weeks. SAA members will be at Memorial Hall on Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22 to sell tickets. Seniors can also obtain tickets during Senior Fair on Tuesday, April 26 through Thursday, April 28 at Memorial Hall.

Because of high demand in previous years, SAA moved last year’s Commencement Ball to the Mullins Center. The event will take place there again this year as the SAA hopes “UMassquerade” will draw a four-digit amount of students.

A DJ will be on hand to lead a dance party on the Mullins Center floor from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. UMass Catering will provide hors d’oeuvres and desserts for the evening. Students over the age of 21 can purchase drinks at a cash bar.

In addition to the SAA, Mullins Center and UMass Catering, the Commencement Ball is supported by a variety of campus-related organizations, individuals and corporate sponsors. These include Auxiliary Services, Coca-Cola, the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, the College of Engineering, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Dean of Students, Housing and Residence Life, the Isenberg School of Management, the School of Education, the School of Nursing, Senior Campaign 2011, Student Affairs and Campus Life and the UMass Amherst Alumni Association.

More information about this year’s Commencement Ball and other senior activities can be found at UMassalumni.com/students/seniors.

– Collegian Staff