E12 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN * SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2005 CITY Debutantes A night to remember Fifteen young ladies, in flowing 15 Cinderellas select gowns, learn to waltz for the social event of the season gowns and carrying their BY KIRSTIN ENDEMANN It was a dream for the more than 50 girls who studios and dance instructor for the ball. “So we applied for the ball and underwent a two-inter- will often take anyone who shows up — and can newly taught acki Bird’s teenaged face exploded in smiles view process that measured their poise, dance move a bit. Often the girls will drag them in.” dancing skills, “If I do not fall, the first time she tried on the dress, emerg- skills and ability to maintain charming chatter Jacki is anything but nervous about the gala everything will be Jing from behind the dressing room draped in with a partner during a seven-minute song. night. “I’m school co-president, so I speak in will grace fine. I have this dazzling white satin and organza. The few chosen then embarked on two months front of people all the time, so I don’t think danc- tonight’s fabulous hairstyle “Oh, mom,” she said quietly, the normally talk- of rehearsals to learn the polonaise, ländler and ing in front of people will be a problem,” said the Viennese Ball — almost architec- ative girl silenced as her eyes sparkled and took waltz. Beyond the time commitment, there is al- girl who admits to giggling incessantly. “Unless I ture.” in every detail. “Oh, mom, this is the dress. I nev- so a financial one. The debutantes do not need to trip, of course. But my partner, Nick, will help me Ariane Belisle er want to take it off!” pay for a ticket to the ball, but they are required and we have the steps down pat now.” The Nepean High School student laughed to purchase their pure white ball gowns, shoes Somehow, she is convinced the practice will aloud as she gathered up the full ball skirt, swish- and elbow-length gloves. enable her to deal with her pointy shoes, full ing it back and forth to examine it fully in the Throw in a professional coiffure, makeup skirts and the hundreds of eyes watching her as shop’s mirrors. artist, suitably elegant jewelry and the cost can she engages in the dances she barely knew exist- She had obviously already begun considering go past $800 for the evening — most of that for a ed mere weeks ago. possible hair styles and jewelry to match the dress they will probably never wear again. Lucki- Jacki was so unperturbed by the preparations bodice, sequined delicately with branches and ly, Jacki’s parents volunteered to cover the costs that her mother finally had to force her to go flowers. (Jacki intends to never wear the dress again: “def- shopping for the dress, a mere three weeks be- “Look at her face,” her mother, Cynthia, said. initely” not for her own wedding and not for her fore the event. “I was the one who got stressed,” “She’s so happy. I guess we’ll be taking that one. high school graduation this year — that dress has Mrs. Bird said, mocking strangling her daughter. But I must say this process is rather odd — sort already been bought.) “I finally had to pick her up after school and “I think all the “I’m most looking of like a trial run for her wedding.” “She told us last year that she wanted to do force her to go. I hadn’t even thought about alter- people I convinced forward to dancing The gown Jacki chose was originally intended this, so we were prepared.” Mrs. Bird said. “And it ations, but luckily everything has fallen easily in- to come are great. with my father — for a bride, but down to its ribbon-trimmed hem is a once in a lifetime opportunity, something she to place.” I am not worried at but I should maybe it precisely fits the criteria for a debutante at Ot- will remember forever.” They found the “dream” dress 10 minutes after all, more excited.” give him waltz tawa’s most glamourous event, the Viennese To her parents and herself, there is no adjunct entering the second store at an extremely rea- Jacki Bird lessons.” Winter Ball. between Jacki’s athletic pursuits — she is a rugby sonable price, along with a dressmaker who Kerstin Brauneder Jacki and 14 other teenage girls will be present- player, competitive skier and gymnastics teacher kindly met the tight deadline. ed tonight in their white finery at the National — and her desire to dress up like Cinderella. And tonight, Jackie finally gets to parade in her Art Gallery to the strains of an orchestra. There, “I like to try everything,” Jacki said. “And I do finery on what she predicts will be “the most under the watchful gaze of the Austrian Ambas- like to get dressed up, but also be extremely ca- magical night ever.” sador, Ottawa luminaries and coupled with sual.” In fact, Jacki used her position as popular “It will be so beautiful and elegant and utterly teenaged boys in tuxedos and white gloves, they Nepean High School co-president to “force” sev- romantic,” she said, grinning broadly and sigh- will perform old Austrian court dances and re- eral people into trying out. Seven Nepean boys ing. enact an aristocratic tradition. and two girls made the cut and are dancing this “Yes, I admit I am a sap. But how could you not “I am going to feel like a princess,” said Jacki, 17. evening. be? With the lighting and dinner and live orches- “I am going to BE a princess, at least for one “It is usually harder to get the guys interested,” tra? Every part of the evening will be romantic. I night. Isn’t that every girl’s dream?” said Melissa Krulick, manager of Fred Astaire cannot wait! I just can’t wait.”

“My dad is ambas- “I have met the sador from Austria, most wonderful but I would have people doing this chosen to be here and I’m looking even if he wasn’t. forward to the ball It is a lifetime like crazy.” experience.” Sara Duplancic Charlotte Ditz

“I predict my “It’s been a great favourite moment honour to partici- will be at midnight pate in an event of when I turn 18. such prestige. There is no better It will be such a way to spend your wonderful thing 18th birthday.” to experience.” Renée Farrell Caroline Fulop

“I’ve found it really “When you see interesting watch- people waltz in the ing these macho movies, it looks like guys trying to do the easiest, most spins, and gliding effortless thing. I and stuff, it’s been was wrong!” ASHLEY FRASER, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN so much fun.” Carolynn Partners Jacki Bird and Nick Miragliotta take to the dance studio floor as they practise for the big day. Chantal Laberge Roscoe-Lacasse And 40 years ago in Vienna there was a girl...

BY JENNI LEE CAMPBELL youth groups for the Catholic Church. He was a few years younger, and a great hey are people who love to dress dancer. By ball season a month later, up and dance. They embrace a cul- they were inseparable and attended “I did it last year, “I went to Vienna T ture where staying up late to cele- balls together every weekend for the so I already have a last year and brate is, well, celebrated. whole winter. dress and know adored it, so I can- She’s been in Canada for five years, The frigid months between Christ- what it is like. The not wait for the but the influences of Gabi Kaindl’s Aus- mas and Lent — called Carnival — are night is an amazing Austrian food and trian upbringing are still with her. when almost all Viennese balls take experience.” all that.” The Kanata mother of four and part- place, Mrs. Kaindl says. It stems from a Marielle Eva Manole time German instructor made her “de- long tradition of preparing for the aus- McGovern but” at a ball in Vienna as a 17-year-old. terity of Lent, so it’s no surprise that the That thrill will return tonight when she revelry goes late, the champagne flows walks through the doors at the National and the food is rich. Gallery for her first Viennese Winter Balls were historically a way for aristo- Ball in Ottawa. crats and nobility to introduce their shel- The chance for people to dress in all tered daughters into society. The tradi- their finery and waltz the night away tion, if not the intention behind it, lives comes only once a year to our snowy on at Ottawa’s Viennese Winter Ball. capital, but the balls Mrs. Kaindl attend- Two of Mrs. Kaindl’s sons are part- ed as a young woman were anything but nered with debutantes who will wear few and far between. white ballgowns and together perform “I am so happy “Dancing in a During ball season in Vienna there the first dance of the night. Though nor- that I get to wear gown, you feel like are more than 300 balls in the city, some mally more interested in Metallica than the white dress royalty and all eyes of them drawing as many as 5,000 peo- Strauss, her sons are enjoying the expe- and dance all are watching you. ple. Performing the polonaise is practi- rience. Her young daughters have heard night. It’s all about It’s great to be part cally a rite of passage for many teens, all the stories and can’t wait until the dress.” of the tradition.” who start taking ballroom dancing they’re old enough to go. Alexandra Mierins Marie-France lessons at 15 or 16. Mrs. Kaindl is proud her children are Perrier Mrs. Kaindl can recall the excitement carrying on a long tradition. Born on a of her first ball, a black tie event to farm in Baden-Vienna, she can remem- which she wore a chiffon and taffeta ber playing dress-up with her mother’s dress with a full skirt. Her older sister, ballgowns and high heels. In the post- who studied fashion design, made it for war years, money for fabric was scarce, her. so her mother once attended a ball in a She had passed her dancing test and dress made out of curtains — visions of knew all the steps, and now it was her The Sound of Music and the Von Trapp first time being allowed to stay up all children. night with her friends. North American At school, Mrs. Kaindl is excited balls usually last only until midnight, about planning a Carnival celebration “It is just a com- “I foresee the best but Viennese balls go until 5 or 6 a.m. for her young students. She plays accor- pletely amazing moment of the As a debutante, Mrs. Kaindl performed dion and will teach them some basic experience to be dance being the quadrilles, waltzes and, of course, the dances. with all these entire group bow- polonaise, seven or eight times more that She has also planned a buffet with a people and meet- ing on the last WAYNE CUDDINGTON, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN year at various other balls. mixture of Canadian and traditional Aus- ing all these dance and getting Gabi Kaindl, mother of five now living in Ottawa, wears a traditional On a November day several years lat- trian foods, including faschingskrapfen, people.” lots of applause.” special-occasion Austrian dirndl-style dress. As a young woman, she er, she met her husband in a small town an indulgent jelly doughnut popular dur- Erin Taylor Emily Vingerhoeds attended balls in Vienna wearing similar dresses. outside Vienna. She was 24 and running ing Carnival.