WHIP students attended a Viennese Waltz in Washington D.C.
Courtesy | Mary Grace
Walking into the Organization of American States, the smells of baked brie and made-to-order crepes meet your nose. You take someone’s hand, and walk into a room filled with ball gowns and tuxedos, where students and professionals alike are dancing to a live orchestra’s performance of Johann Strauss’s “Vienna Waltz.”
“It was very magical to walk into the atrium,” Hamilton said. “You have to process into the dance, and so you line up two by two in a promenade and then join the event. It was so surreal, and like walking into a ‘Pride and Prejudice’ movie.”
Decorated with white marble, grecian columns, and the flags of every country in North and South America, the Organization of American States building opens into a courtyard with water fountains and topiaries.
This may sound like a scene out of a Jane Austen novel or a 19th century period film, but in Washington, D.C., it is the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s annual Viennese Waltz. An invite-only event, the students on the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program were invited to join the table of Matthew Spalding, dean of the Van Andel School of Government.
The ISI Viennese Waltz is the only white tie dancing event in D.C., and one of two waltz events, the other of which is hosted by the Austrian embassy.
White tie attire for men requires wearing tuxes, while women wear floor length gowns. In fact, the ISI has been known to turn attendants away from the Viennese Waltz who do not wear the proper attire.
“If a guy didn’t wear a tuxedo, he was not allowed to enter,” Hamilton said.
A lot of students drew inspiration from the past in their outfits, including WHIP student Meredith Kottom, who wore her grandmother’s dress from 1968.
“The dress was a Chinese red and was sleeveless with an embellishment on one of the sides,” Kottom said. “I also wore some vintage earrings.”
Other WHIP students recycled prom dresses, or rented outfits. Junior Caleb Holm borrowed Spalding’s tuxedos.
Students on the Washington Hillsdale Internship Program had the opportunity to join hundreds of people in the dance, including students from the Naval Academy as well as experienced dancers from the D.C. area. The ISI also hired professional dancers to perform throughout the night.
“There were professional dancers there, and also people who had absolutely no idea what they were doing,” Hamilton said. “Dr. Spalding taught me how to waltz while we were there.”
Hillsdale College also hosted a brief dance lesson for Viennese Waltz at the Kirby Center prior to the dance on Saturday.
“While it’s not entirely necessary that you know how to dance, we hosted a pizza and practice night,” WHIP Undergraduate Program Coordinator Mary Greco said.
The waltz has been running for the past forty years, but it was canceled in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID.
“Hillsdale College has a good relationship with the ISI, so each Spring we get to bring our WHIP students and a couple of the staff members to enjoy a night of dancing,” Greco said.
The waltz was very beginner-friendly, but dancers of all skill levels attended, according to Hamilton.
“The ISI brings in professional dancers to the event,” Hamilton said. “It was very aesthetically beautiful, but you could also just do a basic waltz step if you didn’t know how to dance.”
However, participants don’t need to know how to dance to attend.
The ISI provided everything from cheesecake to creme brulee and chocolate mousse, as well as a crepe station, where you could order toppings and have a fresh crepe made for you, Hamilton said.
“If you weren’t a dancer, you could just eat your way through the dance if you wanted to,” Hamilton said. “It was literally dessert heaven.”
