“Alles walzen!”: The First “Riga Ball” Successfully Held

On Friday, 17 September, the House of the Blackheads hosted an unprecedented cultural event—the first “Riga Ball”. The building’s luxurious interior helped recreate the atmosphere of traditional Viennese balls. Participants and organisers are convinced that the “Riga Ball” was a great success and hope that it will become an annual event.

“We tried to preserve the format of a classical ball while adapting it to include elements of modern social life and nuances of Latvian cultural traditions,” says the event’s organiser, Latvian singer Natālija Tumševica. “We approached the organisation of the ball very seriously. More than 150 people were involved in preparing the event, 100 artists performed on the evening of the ball, 5,000 flowers were used to decorate the halls, and guests from 11 countries attended the ball. We are grateful to everyone who joined us this year and look forward to meeting again at the “2017 Riga Ball”.”

The evening began with words of welcome from the ball’s patron, Riga Deputy Mayor Andris Ameriks, and patroness Natālija Tumševica. Traditionally, the ball was opened with a debutants’ dance: eight ladies in white ball gowns and their partners, dressed in black tailcoats, danced the polonaise and the Viennese waltz. When the famous phrase “Alles walzen!” (Everyone waltz!), which had been entrusted to the ball’s dance host Vjačeslav Višņakov, was announced, the guests joined the debutants—around 30 couples began to whirl to the timeless music of Strauss, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. The performers included the orchestra “Rīga”, artists from the Latvian National Opera and Ballet, Latvia’s finest ballroom dancers, and the boys’ choir of Jāzeps Mediņš Riga No. 1 Music School. In the second part of the ball, “Mirage Jazz Orchestra” replaced the wind orchestra, and it was time for the foxtrot, tango, rumba and jive. The programme continued with a festive dinner and wine tasting. The ball concluded with a midnight quadrille. 

A charity lottery was held as part of the ball. The funds raised will be used to support young and talented Latvian musicians and to provide ballroom-dance training for children in residential care homes. 

Classical balls are unique events included on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage, and they are held annually in cities in various countries around the world: Vienna, Moscow, New York, Rome and Tokyo. Traditionally, they develop into city-wide events to which businesspeople, philanthropists, politicians, and representatives of the arts and culture from around the world are invited. This, in turn, creates the conditions for political, economic and cultural development in the city and strengthens international relations. Guests at the “2016 Riga Ball” represented 11 countries: England, France, Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Ireland, Belarus and Latvia. 

The organisers of the “2016 Riga Ball” were the association “Royal Events”. 

Project supporters: “Porsche Centre Riga”, “Purified”, “Cellarte”, Exupéry International School, Riga City Council, “LIVE RIGA”, “Noble Wine”, “36. Līnija”, “Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze”, “Люблю”, “Ziedu Sēta”, “Van Vliet Flower group”, the charity projects “Avanti” and “Latvian Ballroom Dance Support Association”.