Much like tech week for dance showcases and tech week for theater productions, all hands were on deck in the weeks leading up to the Stanford Viennese Ball, which was held at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis on Feb. 21.

The ball has been an annual occurrence since 1978, inspired by balls former Stanford students saw while studying abroad in Vienna. The event, which is open to the public, has been applauded for being similar in caliber to real Austrian balls, according to Stanford Magazine.

Between organizing bands to play live music and booking venue and shuttle tickets, putting on the ball was no easy feat. Chhavi Nahata ’26 and Colin Aponte ’27, the Viennese Ball co-chairs, have been working to ensure its success since they were appointed last spring. 

“We all are just able to come together at this common goal of making the ball a very special and memorable event for everyone,” Aponte said. “We don’t get paid for this. We do this out of the goodness of our heart. This is volunteer work at its finest.”

One key organizational aspect Nahata and Aponte handled was ticket logistics. The co-chairs wanted to make enough money to cover the cost of the ball without going over budget, which could have complicated the planning for next year’s committee.

The two noted the dedication of the ball’s Steering Committee in contributing to logistical planning: “We really couldn’t have done this without them,” Aponte said. 

Grace Lee ’24 M.S. ’25, a member of the Opening Committee, described the intense work that goes into the ball. The Opening Committee is a group of 32 dancers that performs at the start of the ball. Knowing her last fall quarter as a coterm would be her only chance at performing, Lee put in a lot of effort to get from “fumbling with the basic waltz step to somebody who even had a shot to perform,” she said.

Becoming an Opening Committee performer is a heavy commitment: auditions happen in late September, and practices occur twice a week until the week leading up to the ball.

Despite not having much of a dance background, Lee’s persistence gave her the technical ability to lead one of the Austria Fortnight workshops, which are designed to teach beginners the fundamental steps to prepare for the ball.

Lee, who heard about the ball her freshman year, took DANCE 46: “Social Dance I” before her first ball. She soon realized she loved the art and spent hours in her room practicing the steps.

“Unlike academics, where you can go back to your room and grind, for dance, there’s only so much you can do by yourself,” Lee said. “You really have to go out and dance with people that are way better than you and just… put yourself out there.” As an introvert and someone who doesn’t like messing up, putting herself out there was “a huge hurdle, but I really enjoyed it,” she said.

Lee also praised the Opening Committee dance choreographers, Akshay Smit ’21 M.S. ’21 and Lyna Kim ’23 M.S. ’24, for their dedication in uniting the group together on the choreography.

She described choreographing as “a huge unpaid job.” The role involves behind-the-scenes effort and detail: choreographers have the physical and emotional responsibility of supporting their dancers. 

The Opening Committee’s performance drew a crowd, executing their flips and footwork with  precision evident in each movement. Their signature white gloves brought attention to the technicality and grace with which they moved their arms all in time at the same height, creating a synchronized viewing experience for all corners of the room. The Cardinal Ballet Company also delighted the audience with a variation from “Le Corsaire,” giving the Opening Committee a brief respite from their dancing.

After the performance, attendees dispersed to different rooms in the Marriott. Dance partners led each other onto the dance floor and waltzed in time to the live orchestra. Less experienced dancers stayed off to the sidelines, practicing steps and taking turns to teach each other.

There were many first time ball-goers in attendance. Dean Liang ’28 heard about the ball from upperclassmen. 

Liang was excited to show his moves out on the dance floor: Could what he’d learned in class “be extended to two to three minutes of straight dancing?” Liang asked. Phenomenal performances aside, Liang was also eager to see the dance music selections — Richard Powers ’71, professor of Social Dance, “tends to play interesting music” ranging from classic music to Taylor Swift, he added

Other attendees have had more familiarity with the ball, like Matias Benitez ’25, former co-artistic director, financial officer and social chair of Stanford Swingtime, as well as a performer at Viennese Ball each year he’s been in the group.

Benitez has always found Swingtime’s Viennese Ball performances exciting, given the athleticism and stamina required to perform intense choreography and moves like aerials. 

For Benitez, dancing can “tap into a lot of different types of moods and energies,” and it was beautiful and moving to see “the expression of emotion through dance.”

A previous version of this article stated that the Opening Committee was 30 dancers, not 32. The Daily regrets this error.

A previous version of this article stated that Grace Lee took Social Dance I after the Viennese Ball, not before. The Daily regrets this error.