Waltzing With Winter
It’s a night of enchantment, fine-cuisine, and of course - dancing!
On Saturday, February 2nd close to 300 guests will celebrate the winter season with the 17th annual Viennese Opera Ball at the National Gallery. The Ball is modelled after traditional Viennese Balls that take place all over Austria. “The tradition of the Ball is a coming together of friends, to entertain and to dance,” explains His Excellency Austrian Ambassador Arno Riedel, who arrived at his post in Ottawa just a few short months ago with his wife Loretta and their two children. “It is my hope that all of our guests will have a lovely evening, and most importantly – dance the night away.” One of the highlights of the evening is the opening of the Ball with the traditional Polonaise, performed by a group of 28 Debutantes and Cavaliers, all between the ages of 16 and 18. The students represent 12 different local High Schools. In order to perfect the choreography of the dance, the teens have been working for three hours every Sunday for the past eight weeks with Fred Astaire Dance Studio director Melissa Krulick. “They have picked up the Polonaise and Quadrille (a type of square dance performed typically by four couples) very quickly,” explains Krulick. “Each week I am always amazed at just how much of the dances they remember.” Each student has a very personal reason why they wanted to take part in the Ball. For some it was the intrigue of learning the art of ballroom dance, for others it was a connection to the cause. This year, funds from the Viennese Opera Ball will be directed to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation in support of Cancer Coaching at the Maplesoft Centre and cancer services at Bruyère Continuing Care. As in previous years, a portion of the funds will also be directed to the OrKidstra youth music program. “I am dancing in honour of my grandmother Elizabeth,” explains Olivia Zed. “She passed away last June after battling brain cancer – and I wanted to do this in her memory.” For Dionysios-Ioannis Anghelopoulos, the son of the Greek Ambassador, it is his grandfather who will be serving as his inspiration on the dance floor. “My grandfather is a cancer survivor, and I am pleased to be able to help raise funds for cancer patients and research,” he said. “The 17-year-old Ashbury College student grew up in a European household, and has been an avid admirer of Austrian culture and music for as long as he can remember. “It’s so amazing for me to be dancing in a classical Polonaise to music that I have heard a thousand times,” he explains. “It has been a tremendous experience, and one that I will cherish for years to come.” Those feelings are echoed by Jeff Boyd, the Regional President for Ontario North and East with RBC.
This is the third year that Royal Bank has supported the Viennese Opera Ball. “It is a terrific event, and this year especially with the broadening of its support to raise funds for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, Bruyère and OrKidstra,” explains Boyd, “It’s a great combination of supporting the arts and health care, and the results so far are fantastic.” Boyd’s youngest daughter, Madeline, is following in her sister’s footsteps and will be one of the Debutantes. “I went to last Sunday’s rehearsal and it reminded me of how special the evening is,” he explains, recalling his eldest daughter Meghan asking him to dance at last year’s Ball. “When she came up to me and brought me out onto the dance floor, it was a very special fatherdaughter moment that I will always cherish and I look forward to that again this year with Maddy.”