nawl

The Viennese Opera Ball was a deeply hilarious experience, a year's dosage of upper-class decadence.

The debutantes and waltzers crowding into our sumptuous dressing rooms, suites of the Waldorf-Astoria, photos of Grace Kelley and Nixon lining the hallways, a chaos of flouncy white dresses, curling irons, bright red lipsticks, and girly pink blush powder dashed across our cheeks.

The final rehearsal in the ballroom, ornately decorated and empty except for us performers and the waiters carefully placing a program at each setting, choreographers and producers with clipboards pointing at the lights and the floors, the ballerina kicking at her too-long dress, the debutantes snapping pictures of each other.

Miss Universe parading out on the arm of a West Point cadet, the debutantes in their white dresses doing a polonaise, our waltz routine with red ribbons that went off without a hitch, the Austrian ballet dancers, opera singers.

I had forgotten the rush that came with performing, when the curtains opened and the spotlight was in my eyes, and we danced forwards and I found myself curtsying in front of the seated dignitaries who smiled as I met their eyes, nearly brushing guests seated at the tables as we waltzed around.

We sat on the third-tier balcony for dinner, watched couples lurching or gliding around the floor, the opera from above.

The party ended at 4 am after several hours of assorted cheeses, some showing off on the dance floor, and a chocolate fountain.

The ball guests were all given gift bags. Here is what mine contained:
Swarovski Christmas ornament 2006
Silhouette bendy sunglasses
"Empress Elizabeth's hair star" pin from City of Vienna
pepper mill, labeled in German
"The Best of Vienna Choir Boys" CD
"The Complete Musician" CD set
small bag of "Austria's Finest" natural pumpkin seeds
Madame Paulette "Professional stain removal kit"
"Die Echten Reber Mozart-Kugeln" marzipan chocolates
baby phat champagne fraise scented candle
small pot of black cherry preserves
sample of "baby phat goddess by kimora lee simmons" perfume
small box of Boehm's chocolates
SOS Children's villages keychain
Opera News magazine

(Lots of photos here.)