After a five-year pause, a charity Ukrainian Ball will be held again in Vienna on February 15, designed to tell more about Ukrainian classical culture and to raise funds for a rehabilitation center.
This was reported by Lidia Akryshora, a member of the board of the Ukrainian Youth Society in Austria (TUMA), co-founder of the Ukrainian Ball, who spoke in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“The Ukrainian Ball today offers a unique opportunity to establish historical justice and learn more about Ukrainian culture. Especially Ukrainian classical culture, language, intellectual life and the connection of the intelligentsia between Ukraine and Austria. Also, in this difficult time, as Ukraine defends the values of democracy and freedom, it is important to draw attention to this struggle and the need to save lives. In addition, during the ball, funds will be raised for the Vidrodzhennia rehabilitation center for victims of Russian aggression,” Akryshora said.
The Ukrainian Charity Ball will be held in the Austrian capital for the sixth time. It is organized by the Ukrainian Youth Society in Austria, which this year, along with the sixth anniversary of the ball, celebrates 15 years of its work. As in all previous years, the organizers promise an interesting combination of Viennese classics and Ukrainian charm.
In 2025, the ball will be held for the second time at the Palais Ferstel and Café Central, the famous tourist attractions of the Austrian capital. At the same time, the historic Café Central also has a Ukrainian imprint – many representatives of the Ukrainian intelligentsia, in particular, Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, Olena Pchilka, and Mykhailo Drahomanov, often visited here while working or studying in Vienna.
According to the rules of Viennese balls, the event will be opened by debutantes with a polonaise and a Viennese waltz. Debutantes on the dance floor at the Palais Ferstel will flaunt dresses by Ukrainian designer Maria Shamedko, who creates collections of modern clothing using hand embroidery. The debutantes will be adorned with accessories – tiaras and bracelets – by Viennese designer Niely Hoetsch.
On the sixth anniversary of the ball, Ukrainian singer Oksana Mukha will perform live the song “Where Are You” by the legend of Ukrainian jazz and pop music Kvitka Tsisyk. It is to this romantic melody that debutantes will dance the Viennese waltz. Opera singers Olena Lezer and Mykola Hubchuk will also sing at the opening. A special highlight of the program will be a performance by a violin virtuoso, finalist of Ukraine’s Got Talent Oleksandr Bozhyk.
At the ball, the audience will also be entertained by the well-known Ziehrer Hofball Orchester, while the jazz and playful mood will be ensured by the Vienna Jazz Melange band.
“As in previous years, the ball’s slogan is ‘Help by Dancing’. It clearly and aptly explains the charitable purpose of the ball, where guests, in order to make a good contribution to society, only have to buy a ticket to the Ukrainian Ball and enjoy an unforgettable evening. During the 6th Ukrainian Ball, we are raising funds for the Vidrodzhennia rehabilitation center in Berezhany,” Akryshora noted.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, the 5th Ukrainian Charity Ball was held in Vienna on February 15, 2020 at the Ferstel Palace and Café Central. Each year, the funds raised in the charity lottery were sent to the two Ukrainian orphanages. At the fifth Ukrainian Ball, over EUR 5,000 was raised, directed to scholarships for gifted students from low-income families.
Source: Charity Ukrainian Ball to be held in Vienna after five-year break
