New Year's Ball



We (my husband and I) ran a New Year's Ball in Milwaukee for the first time.

Some observations, so perhaps I'll remember next year:

  • The ball was a great deal of fun! We really enjoyed it! The group went through a great deal of time and effort to make the event special for everyone - and the food was great.
  • People get more tired as the evening progresses, so the sets can actually be shorter. Our planned program of 20 dances was FAR too ambitious. At times 3 dances in a set would have been sufficient.
  • 4 hours is an awfully long time for a ball (we didn't set the time) - and I got emotionally dragged out as it went on. I worried less and less about the dancers keeping exact time as it got later. I need to keep that in mind next year. Pacing is everything.
  • Perhaps some more waltzes? I don't want to overload on waltzes, but they are slower....
  • People are so willing to put up with your little glitches if you are open with them and you can laugh. Most reenactors are very gracious and generous people!
  • Children matter. Definitely.
  • This was our first time using our new sound system and it worked wonderfully! Since we needed to provide our own music for this, I will need to practice more with the Ipod. Somehow or the other you must be able to restart a song without losing lots of time. Some of the songs need to be just a touch slower. Some need to be longer!
  • I got my hair to roll under and stay (good hair!) for the first time EVER!
  • I think staying over next year is a must - the drive back home (arriving at 3am on New Year's Day) was brutal, although the roads were good. We were blessed with good weather too!
  • I didn't lose my voice for the first time I can remember - and I don't know what we did differently. Perhaps the voice volume was adjusted louder for us. I think there was less chatter in the dance room - there were tables in the next room, so most of the chatter occurred there. I didn't have to try to cut through the buzz of noise.





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