Very Strauss!

Our Ball of Legal Professionals took place once again on 1 March 2025. “Sold out” had been showing on the ball’s website for weeks, as probably the oldest ball in the world was able to report another record attendance this year thanks to the addition of the Metternichsaal. Guests were greeted in the entrance hall of the Hofburg in keeping with the motto “VERY STRAUSS! ZEST FOR LIFE AND LIGHTNESS!”. The JOHANN STRAUSS WALZERMÄDCHEN played waltz music in the plant-framed LEXISNEXIS CAFÉ and the espresso mobile invited guests to a cup of coffee. The photo wall was particularly elaborate this time: a reconstruction of the STRAUSS monument in Vienna’s Stadtpark with a true-to-scale replica of the statue impressed the arriving guests and was much in demand as a photo motif. The magnificent floral arrangements and rose walls at the grand staircase were likewise hotspots for social media fans.

The opening, hosted with great assurance by Mag. Silvia Schneider, was dedicated to the composer’s masterpieces: after the traditional procession of the guests of honor and the debutantes, ZORYANA KUSHPLER enchanted the audience with the couplet “Ich lade gern mir Gäste ein” and FRIEDERIKE MEINKE with the csárdás “Klänge der Heimat”, accompanied by the CARL-MICHAEL-ZIEHRER ORCHESTER. The debutantes delighted with a briskly danced “Juristenball Polka”. Following the addresses by the President of the Juristenverband, RA DR. ALEXANDER T. SCHEUWIMMER, MBA, and by the great-great-nephew of Johann Strauss the Younger, PROF. DR. EDUARD STRAUSS, the then Federal Minister of Justice DR. ALMA ZADIĆ opened the ball. In her speech she compared politics and the rule of law to a waltz, since with both one should never fall out of step. The designated Federal Minister of Justice DR. ANNA SPORRER watched closely – after all, she would be speaking the opening words the following year.

The waltz formation of Tanzschule Elmayer and the opening committee presented the “Juristenball-Tänze” by Johann Strauss the Younger (op. 177) in a much-applauded choreography by the Viennese waltz formation of Tanzschule Elmayer under the direction of Mag. Reinhard Hohenegger. Then came the long-awaited words “Alles Walzer” from PROF. THOMAS SCHÄFER-ELMAYER. That was the signal for the guests, and the dance floor filled rapidly to the music of the PEPE ALLSTAR BAND. In the Radetzky Appartement the operetta ensemble – ANA MARIC, ALICJA CIESIELCZUK, GUSTAV W. MOST and pianist LASZLO GYÜKER – treated operetta lovers to their program “Fledermaus Meets Wiener Blut”, while MASUMI ORMANDY created a jazz mood in the Künstlerzimmer. Barely had the guests explored all the halls when the JANOSKA ENSEMBLE made its way to the stage to send the ball audience into raptures with a brilliant show. ZORYANA KUSHPLER paid another homage to the musical figure of the year, JOHANN STRAUSS THE YOUNGER, singing the famous “Schwipslied” accompanied by the wonderful musicians – and then the three brothers Frantisek, Ondrej and Roman Janoska and their brother-in-law Julius Darvas showed what real music in the JANOSKA STYLE sounds like.

Almost seamlessly the evening moved on to the first quadrille, led by Prof. Thomas Schäfer-Elmayer on a gloriously crowded dance floor, and at 1.30 a.m. the raffle prizes were drawn in aid of the charitable association Wider die Gewalt, hosted by the association’s managing director Prof. Marika Lichter. There were valuable and much-coveted prizes, and the happy winners were delighted with gifts from SPAK, LINDE VERLAG, NÄGELE & STRUBELL, CIRO, ROBERTO CAVALLI, LEXISNEXIS, MANZ, VOSSEN, LILIRUSH, 25HOURS HOTEL, MOTTO HOTEL, JUSCOACH, UEBERREUTER, KATTUS, NEW AGE PHOTOGRAPHY and CONNEX MARKETING.

For further entertainment, guests could try their luck at the gaming table of CASINOS ON TOUR, the KARAOKE BAR was full, the Heuriger with the DUO FRANZ LUIDOLT was busy, and the JUSTIZCLUBBING DELUXE with the judge DJs WALDI & WOLF as well as the disco with DJane MEL MERIO in the CAMPARIBAR were, as ever, the meeting points for younger and young-at-heart guests.

On leaving, guests could look forward to the ball gifts, once again generously sponsored by GMUNDNER KERAMIK: a beautiful coffee cup and saucer, together with pralines from ALTMANN & KÜHNE. There was also a bag containing a towel from VOSSEN, gingerbread pralines in a metal box from METZGER & SÖHNE, an isotonic drink from ELOTRANS and small give-aways from MANZ. All guests were additionally treated to a special lemonade donated by KATTUS.