In coordination with the Ballroom Dance Club, Jefferson’s orchestra held the Viennese Ball after school on Friday, Nov. 18. 

Admission was $20 during presale and $25 at the door. Students enjoyed food, drinks, and waltzes performed by the orchestra from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. 

“The Viennese Ball is a dance planned by the TJ orchestra, where the orchestra plays waltz music and the ballroom dance club teaches people how to waltz,” junior Abi Little said. 

The orchestra prepared for the event in the upcoming weeks by practicing various waltzes, performing in Nobel Commons at lunch, and placing posters all around the school. 

“Symphonic [orchestra] usually practices our waltzes a few weeks in advance. We come up with shifts and everyone practices the waltzes that they play in their shifts. Orchestra students also have to bring in refreshments the week of and help publicity wise,” junior Neha Asuri said. 

At the event, the orchestra performed different waltzes, not under the conduction of Allison Bailey, the orchestra director, but under the conduction of fellow students for the second year in a row.

“Last year, Ms. Bailey was out because her shoulder was injured, so we had student conductors,” Little said. “This year we continued it and had student conductors conducting for all the waltzes.”

For those who did not know how to dance, the ballroom dance club taught students how to waltz for thirty minutes prior.

“It was mainly a TJ orchestra event but the ballroom dance club provided a thirty-minute ballroom waltz lesson before the orchestra started playing so that everyone would know how to waltz once the music started,” Little said. 

The annual Viennese Ball gave Jefferson orchestra students a chance to showcase their waltzes.

“I think the ball went really well this year,” Asuri said. “Last year, the ball was really fun because we made a conga line, which was really crazy and fun.”