Jaeyoon Kim

Junior Valerie Lai performs during the Viennese Ball. “It’s basically an orchestra-held Homecoming,” orchestra co-president Spencer Wang said. “[But] we’re the ones providing the music, and we objectively have better food.”

Step into an evening of music and tradition, where you can waltz the night away at the Viennese Ball. On Nov. 15, the Jefferson Orchestra held the annual Viennese Ball, bringing live music and ballroom dance to the school community. Allison Bailey, the orchestra director, brought this tradition to Jefferson. The ball brings students together and features performances from Jefferson’s orchestra and the jazz band. 

“It’s been a tradition ever since [Bailey] has been directing the Jefferson orchestra. Every year, we just reinstall it and do what we did the last year. It’s a tradition [in] the Jefferson orchestra as a way to give back towards the students,” orchestra co-president Spencer Wang said.

A key aspect of the Viennese Ball is the live music that orchestra performs, which makes it stand out from other school dances. 

“Live music enhances the atmosphere of the ball because it makes the experience feel a lot more real and authentic,” freshman Kossara Tabakova said.

Additionally, the planning for the ball begins far in advance, and requires lots of organization. The planning is mostly done by the orchestra co-presidents, who are elected at the end of each school year.

“Bailey starts by selecting a day, and then we have to let everyone in the orchestra know and make sure there aren’t any conflicts,” orchestra co-president Colleen Duggar Muñoz said. “Then, we assign shifts, decide what pieces each student will play, organize seating and start practicing in class.” 

However, there was a large conflict with a Science Olympiad tournament this year. The Jefferson Orchestra is divided into two ensembles, with Symphonic being more advanced than Philharmonia. Since Philharmonia is mostly made up of younger students, this led to many of Symphonic’s more experienced students being unable to perform at the ball.

“We have a set number of instrumentalists who play for every shift. What we had to do was take a lot of our symphonic second violins, move them to first [violins] and then take [Philharmonia] students to substitute [for the second violins]. So, we had 20 students from [Philharmonia],” Duggar Muñoz said.

Additionally, students attending the ball have the opportunity to attend a waltz lesson provided by the Ballroom Dance Club prior to the start of the event.

“I’m really passionate about bringing ballroom dance to Jefferson, because I feel like ballroom dance is starting to become a dying art, especially [in] our generation,” Ballroom Dance Club president Julia Showers said.

Showers’ hoped the lesson would encourage students to participate in waltzing.  

“From what I’ve seen this [year], more people are engaging with the waltzing aspect and trying it out for themselves, which I’m really excited to see,” Showers said.

For many students, the Viennese Ball stands out as a unique event compared to other schools. The combination of live music, formal attire and waltzing creates a special atmosphere that is not commonly found elsewhere.

“Compared to other dance events, for example, Homecoming isn’t completely dancing. It’s mainly just [eating] food and walking around with your friends,” sophomore Arya Singh said. “The ball is definitely more formal compared to Homecoming.  You’re not [obligated] to dance, but it makes you want to actually try and ask someone to dance.”