‘Suit up and be awesome.’ – Barney Stinson
No, this is not another review on ‘How I met your mother’ but it is the most fitting wording for what happened on Friday, March 25, when the International Students Ball was organized by, just like the tram party, ESN Brno United (MUNI, MENDELU, VUT). The event took place at Semilasso.
This year’s ball comprised a little mystery in a form of the masquerade theme, which complemented well the spiffy style of clothing. The setting of the venue sparked up with gold confetti, rose petals, dainty light bulb chains, and cozy flickering lights in yellow and blue tones made you feel as if you were on the set of Euphoria – our attentive photographers contributed to this feeling by being constantly at your disposal, ready to take a picture of you (and your mates) any time of the evening.
The program revolved around a live band (in case you missed our article on the ball culture in the Czech Republic, it is here) that was playing well-known songs, specifically arranged for particular classical dance styles, such as cha cha, waltz, tango, rumba or polka – the ESN section had also organized several workshops on these dances prior to the ball. The evening also included a short demonstration of classical dancing from professional dancers. The dancefloor was persistently buzzing as the people soaked in the atmosphere.
One of the peaks of the evening was a raffle. Our raffle sellers were surrounded by people seeking to find their luck in one of those tiny little pieces of paper – the main enticements were a voucher for poshme.cz, wellness stay, or a German language course (along with many others). If there was no number, you were enriched by life-changing quotes, such as ‘Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages’ or ‘Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.'
Another highlight was the spot-on performance called midnight surprise (“Půlnoční překvapení” or, familiarly “půlnočko” in Czech) masterly prepared by ESN members, which offered various creations on couple dancing, solo ladies dancing and solo gentlemen dancing. The dancefloor turned into an after-party scene afterward with many people staying, dancing, and relishing every moment until the last song. Certain people even managed to start singing and silly dancing when the music ended to ‘Kde si včera bol’, which is a part of the cultural heritage among the ESN members and the legend says that they may have been singing this even in one of the night buses on their way home.
For even more authentic feedback, here is a short interview with Matilde from Sweden who attended the ball:
‘How did you enjoy the evening? What was the highlight for you?’
‘The evening was amazing, and well organized. The atmosphere was perfect, and we could tell instantly that there was a lot of effort behind it! My highlight was probably the dancing from the professionals! As well as the dancing surprise from the ESN people, it was so good and so fun to see them enjoy the performance and laugh together!’
‘Does it differ much from the balls you have in Sweden? If so, how?’
‘The university balls in Sweden always have a 3-course dinner, then it’s followed by live music and a lot of speeches – which can be tiring sometimes. Then there’s usually no “fancy dancing” – such as waltz – just “regular” dancing until the early hours… But apart from that, kind of similar!’
‘Would you go again?’
‘I would definitely go again!’
Thank you all for suiting up and being awesome.
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