The Masquerade Fall Ball, sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, attracted more than 150 people to the Holmes Student Center’s Regency Room on Saturday night, said NAACP president Tim Jones.

Callie Simpson, a senior electrical engineering major, was one of the students in attendance.

“I came because I wanted to support NAACP,” she said. “I wouldn’t be in college if it wasn’t for the contributions made by people in the NAACP.”

The ball featured a dance performance by the dance group Shush. There also was a Steppers Set sponsored by Trio. The set featured six couples who competed for a $100 prize. The couples danced to tunes such as “Step in the Name of Love” by R. Kelly and “The Big Payback” by James Brown.

Alex Graves, a junior family social services major, and his sister, NIU graduate Rayna Graves, won the Steppers Set.

Jones said he was pleased with the overall turnout.

“We wanted this to be a positive gathering that met a more sophisticated social need for the students of color at NIU,” Jones said.

William Johnson, a classical music graduate student, said the event exceeded his expectations.

“It’s nice to see young people presenting themselves in a classy manner,” Johnson said. “We need more events such as this at NIU.”