Holiday Ball 2014: The Official Recap

Sometimes a party can be like a bottle of wine: it takes some time for it to “open up”. Last week’s Holiday Ball was nothing like that.

Within seconds of walking into the Crowne Plaza Hotel lobby, guests instantly realized that The Holiday Ball Masquerade was in full swing. Nothing hammered this statement home better than the Gondola staged next to the cocktails, complete with an authentic “Gondolier” singing all the Italian aria greatest hits.

Instant Reaction: This is not your typical Holiday party. The Holiday Ball has begun.

Holiday Ball: The Masks

Beautiful masks and formal attire created a wonderful atmosphere and sparked great conversation. There were masks everywhere. Some people acquired their masks in exotic places like Venice, New Orleans, or Target. Others decided to create their own in unique and artistic ways. Without a doubt, this could not have been mistaken for a cookie-cutter office Holiday party.

Holiday Ball: The Music

The moment Quinn Devaux began playing his New Orleans style of Jazz, the doors opened, and the party truly started. It was like the masquerade party equivalent of a flight of wines at a tasting party: we went from a Masquerade in Venice, to a Masquerade in New Orleans… and it was perfect. Devaux, and his Blue Beat Review, acted as the musical glue that cemented the evening together.

Holiday Ball: The Dancing

There was no shortage of dance options with the music they played. Everything was on display. Students used West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Foxtrot, Rumba, Salsa, and that was only the beginning. The dancing and music took center stage, and maybe it’s because of the delicious shrimp appetizer, but it felt like New Orleans. The best evidence of that was at the end of the night. Quinn and the band played an upbeat party number (“Choo, Choo”?), and what happened next could only be described as an incredible, organic, transported-to-a-New Orleans-wedding merengue line that enveloped everyone in its path. It was, in a word: epic.

Overall, the band and the dance floor seemed to interact with each other. It was symbiotic. It was less “stage” and more “party”, and that seemed to be the theme of the night. Better yet, that’s really the thought behind the Holiday Ball as a whole: to showcase the social dancing our students have been learning, without it being “a Showcase”.

Holiday Ball: The Performances

In addition to the great social dancing, the evening was capped off with some fantastic professional numbers from some of the senior staff, executives, and franchisees in the area. To be invited to perform at the Holiday Ball is a big deal, and all who performed really delivered. A big thank you to all the performers for a fantastic show:

Natalia and Evan H. from Arthur Murray Hayward danced a Rumba

Madisen and Alexis from Arthur Murray Walnut Creek danced a Foxtrot

Zach and Julie from Arthur Murray Santa Rosa danced a Foxtrot

Richard and Marianne from Arthur Murray Fremont danced a Mambo

Jenny & CJ from Arthur Murray Millbrae danced a Bolero

Annaliza and Alex from Arthur Murray Redwood City danced a Rumba

Alex and Karen from Arthur Murray Redwood City/Walnut Creek danced a Viennese Waltz

Final Thoughts: What’s the Point?

“Dance Events” can be misleading… if you only take them at face value. There’s always a moment at an event, or leading up to it, where someone says, “What’s the point?” Well, here it is: It’s a Dance Confidence checkup. Every student, man, woman, or youth jam will have a moment when they are called upon to perform a simple dance task in front of their friends, family members, or co-workers. It’s what you do in that moment that will determine that group’s support or opinion of your dance hobby. Our goal with events is to create the kind of dance confidence that keeps you ready and willing to perform that task when it is presented to you. Now this may sound like a motivational speech for the Army Reserve, but it’s the truth. The Holiday Ball took students out of their comfort zone, in a new environment, with music they had never danced to before… and it was a success. Our goal is to continue to create opportunities like that with each and every event in 2015 and beyond.

Happy Dancing.