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TU-Ball 2010
The TU Ball is a good ball which just keeps getting better, especially this year. In contrast with the earlier Hofburg Gala and Pharmacie Balls, the TU Ball was sold out (as were the following Ärzte and IAEA Balls) and had a much more full feeling in the sense that there was a good distribution of guests to the available space. It was especially noticable in that the main floor was well filled until quite late into the morning.
The TU Ball's opening starts at a rather late 9:30pm opening, considering that it is on Thursday. In past years, however, if one arrives by 9am, then they serve a gratis champagne in the Vorsaal. I am kicking myself for not having checked this out this year as it is such an excellent way to start the ball. As with last year, all the organizational problems that I had noted in earlier years have been fixed. Specifically, the opening went quite well. In particular, the crowd control was good so that guests were not spilling onto the main floor prior to the opening. The seats for the orchestra were very nicely arranged on the dance floor just in front of the stage. It was a humorous moment when, shortly before the opening commenced, the seating arrangement was hurridly parted as if someone had just realized that the special guests would need to go through the orchestra to attain their seats on the stage. The speeches were fairly brief. The last and
youngest speaker seemed to get tongue tied at the end, right when opening the ball, but fortunately one of the announcers came to her aid.
I really like the TU orchestra. Once the guests were seated they played Overture zur Oper Der Schauspieldirector and the playful piece Wildfeuer. Theconductor is so intense and has such a range of expressions that plays across his face. The music selection was good and the quality was good - there was nothing not to like. And it was nice to see the orchestra members staying for the ball.
The Eroffnung Committee started their presentation with the third piece, again by the TU orchestra. This year, the committee was divided into two distinct sections, a smaller front half and a larger rear portion, with distinct, complimentary choreographies. The fourth and final piece was a waltz choreography to the tune of the New York Herald Waltz by Johann Strass Sohn. As with the Hofburg Gala some considerable effort had gone into the piece, some 5 rehearsals of 2 to 3 hours each over the course of 3 weeks. The result is a choreography that is longer and more intricate than those at the larger Hofburg Balls. There were a few couples in the rear group who were struggling with the waltz, but fortunately they stayed in their proper place and stayed on time to the music so it was not so distracting. At the end, the front group reached out to the audience so earnestly that I almost put down my camera to join them.
Interestingly, two of the Eroffnung Committee were struck by the same strange epidemic that struck at the Hofburg Gala - they fainted. Really, this is supposed to be reserved for the Kaffeesieder Ball, with occasional cameos at the Aerzte or Juristen Ball where the speeches also stretch on. Once the TU Ball and Hofburg Gala get to that size, I could see introducing a fainting or two, but really I think it's putting on airs to do such things at their current moderate size, especially at the TU Ball where the amount of time taken up by speeches and standing through the orchestra's delightful playing is minimal.
There were five distinct rooms with live music. In the Ceremoniensaal, the space was cleared of tables in most of the room giving a sizeable space to dance, which idea I am all for. They also had standard dances in additional to the usual fare of Latin and pop. I am glad to see that the traditional Austrian band has been moved to a slightly larger room. This group, led by the accordionist is always a delight to hear, and they are good at getting people to join in, even non dancers. When they introduce a new Austrian folk dance, they'll show a simple step. People form a big circle around the band and then they do the simple step for one song. Then, a next step will be added on, and beginners can practise this in the second song while more confident people can add embellishments. And so a dance is slowly built up. In the Rittersaal was the usual combo band. Finally, downstairs in the Forum, across from the garderobe, was a Latin band with a
distinctly African lilt. The quality of the playing was good, and it was a popular room. An even more popular room was the Schatzkammersaal for getting a snack, and at 1:30am time it was stuffed with people. There was no disco, but there were the two free hair stylists between the Festsaal and the the Wintergarten. If you want in on this, you have to approach them early.
The fifth room with music was the Festsaal, of course. This room started full, was stuffed to the gills with people during the midnight Quadrille, and was even packed at the 2am Quadrille. For dancing I didn't find it unbearably crowded (as is usually the case on the first song after "Everyone Waltz"), but floorcraft stays an important component of one's dancing through 3am. There is no special floor show at the TU Ball which I think is
perfectly fine as it leaves more time for dancing. There were several pieces that the alernating two bands played that were somewhat ambiguous as to what type of dance they were (usually that means one may/should dance slow fox). In fact, the more I hear the TU orchestra play, the more I think that they should play more of a part in the dancing music. It's just a little selfish to only let the Eroffnung Committee dance to their delightful sound and not the rest of the attendees. Logistically it would probably be difficult for them to continue right after the opening because of the space they occupy on the main dance floor, but it would be super excellent to have (some of) them come back after an hour and play till the midnight Quadrille. Or really anything at all that involved them more.
There was something new to the ball, minor in its way but an excellent idea, which may grow. On the left, after the entrance, there was a car on display, but it was no ordinary car. It was a racing car that was put together by TU students, and had won awards that year, including coolest looking car. The reason this is such a classy idea is that lots of people like cars and because it was done by TU students, it fits very well with the ball's theme. This is a win/win situation for all, and I would be happy to see additional high quality displays like this. Left out of all of this, quality and organization aside, is the reason that the TU Ball really shines, which is
because of the people there. I find it to consistently be one of the nicest two crowds at the Hofburg. Don't go expecting to find a special pulsating energy at this ball - that's not what it's about. Don't go for interesting side attractions or diversions. They're not there. This ball is about a really solid, comfortable evening without pretenses. It's about some of the best average level of dancing at the Hofburg Balls. It's about people who are not unwilling to dance with strangers. It's about people who are just a little bit more open than at other balls. Other balls can be friendly, but the TU is consistently so.
How did it get this way? I wish I could tell you. What I can tell you is that on a Thursday night / Friday morning, there are more people at the wee hours, dancing nicely, than at the larger Friday night, Saturday night balls. There are more people intermingling than I usually see, and there are definitely more people who are dancing with different dance partners. This year a group of Hungarians came from Budapest just because they'd heard about the reputation of the ball, and similarly from Linz.
In conclusion, without gimmicks or distractions, the TU Ball is a top of the line ball. May future seasons be as good.
The TU Ball's opening starts at a rather late 9:30pm opening, considering that it is on Thursday. In past years, however, if one arrives by 9am, then they serve a gratis champagne in the Vorsaal. I am kicking myself for not having checked this out this year as it is such an excellent way to start the ball. As with last year, all the organizational problems that I had noted in earlier years have been fixed. Specifically, the opening went quite well. In particular, the crowd control was good so that guests were not spilling onto the main floor prior to the opening. The seats for the orchestra were very nicely arranged on the dance floor just in front of the stage. It was a humorous moment when, shortly before the opening commenced, the seating arrangement was hurridly parted as if someone had just realized that the special guests would need to go through the orchestra to attain their seats on the stage. The speeches were fairly brief. The last and
youngest speaker seemed to get tongue tied at the end, right when opening the ball, but fortunately one of the announcers came to her aid.
I really like the TU orchestra. Once the guests were seated they played Overture zur Oper Der Schauspieldirector and the playful piece Wildfeuer. Theconductor is so intense and has such a range of expressions that plays across his face. The music selection was good and the quality was good - there was nothing not to like. And it was nice to see the orchestra members staying for the ball.
The Eroffnung Committee started their presentation with the third piece, again by the TU orchestra. This year, the committee was divided into two distinct sections, a smaller front half and a larger rear portion, with distinct, complimentary choreographies. The fourth and final piece was a waltz choreography to the tune of the New York Herald Waltz by Johann Strass Sohn. As with the Hofburg Gala some considerable effort had gone into the piece, some 5 rehearsals of 2 to 3 hours each over the course of 3 weeks. The result is a choreography that is longer and more intricate than those at the larger Hofburg Balls. There were a few couples in the rear group who were struggling with the waltz, but fortunately they stayed in their proper place and stayed on time to the music so it was not so distracting. At the end, the front group reached out to the audience so earnestly that I almost put down my camera to join them.
Interestingly, two of the Eroffnung Committee were struck by the same strange epidemic that struck at the Hofburg Gala - they fainted. Really, this is supposed to be reserved for the Kaffeesieder Ball, with occasional cameos at the Aerzte or Juristen Ball where the speeches also stretch on. Once the TU Ball and Hofburg Gala get to that size, I could see introducing a fainting or two, but really I think it's putting on airs to do such things at their current moderate size, especially at the TU Ball where the amount of time taken up by speeches and standing through the orchestra's delightful playing is minimal.
There were five distinct rooms with live music. In the Ceremoniensaal, the space was cleared of tables in most of the room giving a sizeable space to dance, which idea I am all for. They also had standard dances in additional to the usual fare of Latin and pop. I am glad to see that the traditional Austrian band has been moved to a slightly larger room. This group, led by the accordionist is always a delight to hear, and they are good at getting people to join in, even non dancers. When they introduce a new Austrian folk dance, they'll show a simple step. People form a big circle around the band and then they do the simple step for one song. Then, a next step will be added on, and beginners can practise this in the second song while more confident people can add embellishments. And so a dance is slowly built up. In the Rittersaal was the usual combo band. Finally, downstairs in the Forum, across from the garderobe, was a Latin band with a
distinctly African lilt. The quality of the playing was good, and it was a popular room. An even more popular room was the Schatzkammersaal for getting a snack, and at 1:30am time it was stuffed with people. There was no disco, but there were the two free hair stylists between the Festsaal and the the Wintergarten. If you want in on this, you have to approach them early.
The fifth room with music was the Festsaal, of course. This room started full, was stuffed to the gills with people during the midnight Quadrille, and was even packed at the 2am Quadrille. For dancing I didn't find it unbearably crowded (as is usually the case on the first song after "Everyone Waltz"), but floorcraft stays an important component of one's dancing through 3am. There is no special floor show at the TU Ball which I think is
perfectly fine as it leaves more time for dancing. There were several pieces that the alernating two bands played that were somewhat ambiguous as to what type of dance they were (usually that means one may/should dance slow fox). In fact, the more I hear the TU orchestra play, the more I think that they should play more of a part in the dancing music. It's just a little selfish to only let the Eroffnung Committee dance to their delightful sound and not the rest of the attendees. Logistically it would probably be difficult for them to continue right after the opening because of the space they occupy on the main dance floor, but it would be super excellent to have (some of) them come back after an hour and play till the midnight Quadrille. Or really anything at all that involved them more.
There was something new to the ball, minor in its way but an excellent idea, which may grow. On the left, after the entrance, there was a car on display, but it was no ordinary car. It was a racing car that was put together by TU students, and had won awards that year, including coolest looking car. The reason this is such a classy idea is that lots of people like cars and because it was done by TU students, it fits very well with the ball's theme. This is a win/win situation for all, and I would be happy to see additional high quality displays like this. Left out of all of this, quality and organization aside, is the reason that the TU Ball really shines, which is
because of the people there. I find it to consistently be one of the nicest two crowds at the Hofburg. Don't go expecting to find a special pulsating energy at this ball - that's not what it's about. Don't go for interesting side attractions or diversions. They're not there. This ball is about a really solid, comfortable evening without pretenses. It's about some of the best average level of dancing at the Hofburg Balls. It's about people who are not unwilling to dance with strangers. It's about people who are just a little bit more open than at other balls. Other balls can be friendly, but the TU is consistently so.
How did it get this way? I wish I could tell you. What I can tell you is that on a Thursday night / Friday morning, there are more people at the wee hours, dancing nicely, than at the larger Friday night, Saturday night balls. There are more people intermingling than I usually see, and there are definitely more people who are dancing with different dance partners. This year a group of Hungarians came from Budapest just because they'd heard about the reputation of the ball, and similarly from Linz.
In conclusion, without gimmicks or distractions, the TU Ball is a top of the line ball. May future seasons be as good.