Viennese Ball 2020: A Romantic Evening
An evening of decadence. This past January I attended the Portland Austrian Club's annual Viennese Ball.
This was my second year attending, and I'm sharing photos and video highlights from the entire Ball.
Floral Arrangements
In January, I imagine flowers like these are a bit spendy. This large bouquet of roses on the stage is a charming tradition. Each of the gentlemen are invited to take some roses and share them with each of the women they attend with.
Table Arrangements
Guests are assigned to tables ahead of time. Members of the Austrian Club are also seated at each table to help host guests and answer any questions people may have about the event activities, or Austian culture and customs.
My group was large enough to span two table areas, and thankfully the other table guests allowed for my dance students and I to all remain seated together. After all, we bought tickets to this event specifically to enjoy the dinner and dancing together.
I was treated by one of my friends to a delightful glass of white wine. Pinot Grigio, please.
Romantic Dinner
As we awaited the first dinner coarse, the salad, I usually entertain myself with the chef's menu. The various items are written in English and Austrian. I practice pronouncing eat to the best of my ability.
The lavish desert matches the beautiful color decor of the entire room. The slightly sweet airy cream is so delicious, I try not to inhale it all in one bite. The chocolate truffle cake is slightly moist, and not overly indulgent, and leaves you wanting more.
The actual stars of the plate are the tart raspberry sauce and the contrasting liquored cherries hidden between the chocolate mouse layer and the cream topping.
The Ballet
The Northwest Ballet dancers provided the dance entertainment after the dinner hour.
Personally I am not a big ballet fan, but even I can appreciate the beauty of these highly trained young women. They were beaming with joy and clearly knew the dance by heart.
If only all ballets were less than 10 minutes long, I think more people would be fans. Long shows and leotards to ward off most men, honestly.
Honored Guests
Everyone attending the ball is instructed to wear their favorite formal attire. All of the men dressed in tuxedos, tail suits, and even a few wearing top hats. Women wore full length gowns, jewelry, fancied up their hair.
Like the red carpet, more than a few model women became the eye candy of the evening with some daring dress line cuts along the leg, back, and chest.
Once the live music started, we delighted to dance the evening away on the checkered floor. The biggest complaint of the evening is that we wished there was a bigger dance floor, because it was so over-crowded with everyone wanting practice dancing with their partner. We did get to bust out our better moves near the end of the night after more people left early.
Be sure to check out the video I posted here, as it shows clips of me dancing with my students to the highly invigorating Austrian Quadrille, the West Coast Swing, and various other dances. I really hope if you watch the video, you will have almost as much fun as we clearly did.
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