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Kupala Theater to host Vienna Opera Ball on 14 December
MINSK, 2 October (BelTA) – The First Vienna Opera Ball with A1 at Kupala Theater under the patronage of the Austrian Embassy in Belarus will take place in Minsk on 14 December, Director General of the Yanka Kupala National Academy Theater Pavel Latushko told the media, BelTA has learned.
“The Vienna Opera Ball is a brand of Austria, while the Kupala Theater is a national brand of Belarus. The blend of these two brands and symbols will create an unforgettable event in Minsk. Dancing is not just an ability to move gracefully, but also polite manners, education and relations between a man and a woman,. This is very important,” Pavel Latushko said.
The director of the Kupala Theater said that the tradition of hosting balls in Belarus, which dates back to the 18th century, was especially popular with the Radziwill family. “Today, together with our partners we resume and, at the same time, continue the tradition of hosting balls in our country,” he said.
The theater hall and the stage will be united into one platform with the help of technical means. The orchestra and the hosts will be on the stage. In 2011, Pavel Latushko was one of the initiators to organize the first ball in the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, and later in Nesvizh Castle. “It will be great if we host more such events that educate both us and the younger generation through culture,” he said.
The Vienna Opera Ball is an object of the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, a traditional charity event, which is held annually in Vienna and other cities in strict compliance with the approved criteria.
Austrian Ambassador to Belarus Aloisia Worgetter stated that the Belarusian theater would become similar to the ballroom venues in Vienna. “Today we are negotiating with the organizers of the Opera Ball in Vienna, with Mr. Elmayer, in particular, who has the most prestigious dance school in Vienna. Perhaps he will train debutants, and the training will include not only dance lessons but also master classes on etiquette,” she said.
One of the traditions of the Vienna Opera Ball is the participation of debutants. These can be unmarried girls aged 16 to 23 and unmarried young men aged 18 to 26. In Minsk, the ballroom committee will hold a casting in mid-October among those willing to get into the number of debutants, They will have to fill out a questionnaire in advance. Of them, 40 people will be selected to make up 20 couples. A four-week dancing course will be run for them. Rehearsals will be held twice a week in November.
According to Aloisia Worgetter, the Vienna Opera Ball always begins with a polonaise performed by debutants. A Viennese waltz follows, in which everyone present can take part. There will also be a possibility to participate in social dances. It is essential to prepare the appropriate outfits and shoes. Ladies must be dressed in floor-length evening gowns, while gentlemen must wear bow-tie suits.
Debutants will participate in the Vienna Opera Ball at Kupala Theater free of charge. Tickets for others will be soon on sale. The ball is designed for 250 participants, in addition to 40 debutants, artists and musicians. 50% of the proceeds from ticket sales will be used to help SOS Children's Villages.
SOS-Children's Villages Belarus is a non-government charitable organization established in 1991 to address socially important issues in child protection. It is a member of the international organization SOS-Kinderdorf International which operates in 135 countries. Three SOS Children's Villages were opened in Belarus: in Borovlyany, Maryina Gorka and Mogilev. The first of them was set up in 1995 with the support of Austrian investors. In these villages orphans live in cozy cottages and are brought up in SOS-families for 5-7 people under the supervision of SOS-mothers. In Belarus there are about 30 such families for almost 300 children. As part of its 100th season the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre has launched the project Kupala Theater Opens Hearts. About 300 children from SOS Children's Villages have recently attended several performances at the Kupala Theater.
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