La Dolce Vita

THIS WAS THE BALL OF LEGAL PROFESSIONALS ON 18 FEBRUARY AT THE HOFBURG VIENNA

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

allow me to share the report of this glittering ball night with you:

It was just like it used to be, only more beautiful! That was the unanimous verdict on this more than successful ball. Festively dressed, cheerful people were swept up by the ball mood the moment they arrived at the magnificently decorated Hofburg. An Italian piazza complete with a Trevi Fountain as a photo wall, decorated with Vespas, palms and little lemon trees, had been built there and instantly conjured Italian flair into the traditional entrance hall of the Hofburg. An espresso mobile could not be missing either, and musically the hall was filled by Italo singer Lado Kravanja with hits from our favorite holiday country.

The President of the Juristenverband, Dr. Alexander T. Scheuwimmer, was delighted to welcome the guests at the VIP cocktail in the Motto Bar donated by Kattus – especially, of course, the leading figures of the profession. But numerous artists and prominent personalities of our country also honored the ball with their presence.

Even at the opening, directed by Prof. Thomas Schäfer-Elmayer, a number of familiar faces could be spotted among the debutantes: the young composer and musician Alma Deutscher and Bernadette de Roja. Bernadette fulfilled her dearest wish: to open a ball just once! The young Carinthian had fought her way back into life from a wheelchair after an accident and could hardly believe her luck at being able to dance again.

Ball director Mag. Reinhard Hohenegger did his best to get the dignitaries to their assigned places in time for the entrance – no easy task. Marika Lichter, as artistic director, visited the side rooms and wished the musicians performing there luck for the evening, while production manager Paul Lichter took care of the last organizational details to guarantee a smooth evening.

The imposing procession of the guests of honor was once again a highlight of the evening. More than 100 guests walked from the Vorsaal across the entire dance floor to the stage, where they took their seats on golden chairs. Among them were former Federal Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein, Minister of Justice Alma Zadić, NEOS leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger, the Vice-President of the European Parliament Dr. Othmar Karas, Michaela Steinacker, chair of the Justice Committee, Helmut Brandstätter, ÖVP Vienna leader Karl Mahrer, the President of the Administrative Court Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rudolf Thienel, Sabine Matejka, President of the Association of Judges, the Vienna state parliament member Ingrid Korosec, the Dean of the Faculty of Law Brigitta Zöchling-Jud, the ambassadors of the Netherlands, Israel, France, Egypt, Spain and Italy, and further dignitaries.

And for the first time there was also an entrance of the artists and VIPs:

The singers Zoryana Kushpler, Clemens Unterreiner and Iva Schell, Gery Keszler, Alfons Haider, choreographer Giorgio Madia, Vincent Winnetou Sousa, director of the orchestra of the Brandenburg Philharmonic, designer Thang De Hoo, and the Dancing Stars professionals Dimitar Stefanin, Herby Stanonik, Danilo Campisi and Conny Kreuter. Particular interest was aroused by the Italian actress Bianca Nappi (“House of Gucci”, “Männer al Dente”), who attended the ball as a guest of the Italian Ambassador.

Patrizio Buanne set hearts racing with his room-filling voice and his charm in “Il Mondo” and “Torna a Sorrento”. The President of the Juristenverband, Dr. Alexander T. Scheuwimmer, welcomed the guests, and Minister of Justice Alma Zadić opened the ball, appealing in her speech for democracy and the rule of law to be upheld. The waltz formation and the debutantes enchanted with their choreographies. With the magic words “Alles Walzer”, the guests conquered the dance floor and a wonderful ball evening could begin. Host Silvia Schneider guided this official part of the evening with her usual brilliance and was applauded at length for it. Time flew by, and the midnight show with Insieme and Monika Ballwein paid tribute to our favorite holiday country with the greatest Italian hits. There was dancing and singing along in the packed Festsaal, and the audience simply would not let the artists leave the stage. The Pepe Allstar Band and the Ziehrer Hofball Orchester brought first-class dance music and waltz sounds to the Festsaal. In between, guests could freshen up at the beauty bar by Nägele & Strubell, and the other rooms of the Hofburg also invited guests to dance.

The charity raffle in aid of the charitable association Wider die Gewalt once again demonstrated the social responsibility of the organizers. The draw for the main prizes was accompanied by the best of moods, and the winners were delighted with genuinely great prizes.

From 4 a.m. the dance-hungry guests had more room on the floor and showed off their dancing skills. The Logen were still well occupied and one had the feeling that the guests wanted to keep on enjoying this very special evening. At 5 a.m. the music stopped and the Hofburg slowly emptied. A more than successful evening had come to an end.

“Because of the pandemic-related late decision to hold the ball, we had little time for the preparations, but everything worked out wonderfully and I am delighted that we were able to spend this unforgettable evening with our guests,” said the President of the Juristenverband, Alexander T. Scheuwimmer, delighted with the great success.