First published in New Sunday Times
12 October 2008
His right step forward
ALONG Jalan Tun Razak, while the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace, another dance was happening inside a BMW showroom.
Renowned Austrian dance teacher Reinhard Polt, garbed in a grey suit and pants, grabs hold of his young partner and begins to teach the floor how to do the waltz. “Lift your hands up, and hold her close to you,” he instructs gently. “Forward, side, close; back, side, close.”
As the music begins to play, the gentlemen take their partners’ hands and begin to dance their night away. “You need to hold her close to you,” he quipped at a nearby couple who was standing too far apart.
Among the dignitaries, parents, sponsors and guests, there I am holding my partner’s hand as we attempt to do the waltz together. Am I nervous? Yes. Fearful? A little.
Never in my life did I think I would learn ballroom dancing, let alone in a BMW showroom in downtown KL. And I have two completely useless left feet when it comes to dancing.
But thanks to Polt’s exceptional tutelage, and after countless stomps on my partner’s foot, I can now do the basic waltz steps!
As the night progresses, we also learnt the basic foxtrot, cha cha, rock and roll, and the Midnight Quadrille.
That’s my favourite. It’s a form of line dancing where couples stand in two lines facing each other. Then everyone begins a ritual that involves a lot of curtsying, bowing, circling around and exchanging partners. It’s like something you see in Victorian-era inspired films like Pride & Prejudice.
The free dance lessons were hosted by the Austrian Embassy Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with the Viennese Ball to be held on Oct 25 for the second time here. The Viennese Ball will see hundred debutantes performing the polonaise, quadrille and Viennese waltz during the opening of the traditional Austrian event. These couples aged 15 to 23 years old were selected out of many hopefuls and the best couple of the night will be given the honour to dance at the Vienna Opera Ball in Austria next February.
“We decided to have these classes for the non-debutantes because we want the guests to dance together with us during the ball. It would make the evening more fun!” says Polt who has trained debutantes from Athens, Berlin, Beijing, Tunis and Singapore.
Among the guests that evening were dignitaries as well as guests from the media. Some debutantes also attended the night in order to learn more from Polt, dubbed as the Dancing Ambassador of Vienna.
The ball, which originated as a traditional public ball in the 18th century, can be enjoyed by anyone across the world. It has been held in Abu Dhabi, Athens, Brussels, Shanghai and New York.
“Today, almost everyone in Austria takes part in a ball. The engineers will have their own party while the accountants will have their own,” says the debonair Polt in his melodious voice.
Well, we certainly had a ball too, with smiles and giggles while everyone tried to coordinate their feet to the music.
The ball is a strictly “black tie” event, commemorating Austria’s National Day. For more information, visit www.vienneseball.my.
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