100 Years and 1 night

100 Years and 1 night

Under this motto, the officers of the Austrian Armed Forces invited to the 93rd Officers’ Ball in the Vienna Hofburg on 18 January 2019.

And it was a terrific night – over 3,400 visitors from more than 23 nations accepted the invitation. The most varied uniforms, colorful ball robes and magnificent flower arrangements made the 23 ballrooms celebrate the 100th anniversary of “Alt-Neustadt”, the Alumni Association of the Theresian Military Academy.
In the opening, the founding history of “ALT-NEUSTADT” – a new beginning for the formerly imperial officers after a lost world war in a better future – represented artistically. Singer Ildiko Raimondi accompanied by the Austrian Guards Music Band under Colonel Professor Bernhard Heher sounded the song “Singing, sounding calls you the happiness”.
With their enchanting ladies at hand encouraged the cadets of the Federal Army and the armed forces of the Republic of Croatia with the opening dance “Courageous” to take charge of their own future.
Following the charity purpose of ALT-NEUSTADT, General Robert Brieger symbolically handed over a check for € 10,000 to “Licht ins Dunkel”.
With the opening waltz “Mein Lebenslauf ist Lieb und Lust” of the Young Ladies and Gentlemen’s Committee, the starting signal was given in a lively ball night, accompanied by the presenter Alfons Haider.
“One Thousand and One Nights” then hit midnight: In a joint The Royal Air Force of the Oman Music Band and the Military Band of the Armed Forces Guard built a bridge between the Orient and the Occident.
Traditional sounds and dances from different cultures thrilled the international audience.
The obligatory public quadrille rounded this midnight performance ab.
Then there was the opportunity to participate in the folk dance performance “So dances Austria”.
Drowsiness that might occur too early in the morning was blamed as part of the “Late Night Show” by the “Blues Bros. Corporation” referenced with Rock, Soul and Funk of the hall.
With the decay of the horn signal “Zapfenstreich , blown by the solo trumpeter of the Gardemusik, it was unfortunately too early for the visitors: “Move away!”
So you were a visitor of the ball, we hope you could have a wonderful ball night with a lot of dance and one or the other exchange of ideas with friends, friends, comrades from home and abroad.
Photos and videos of this year’s ball can be found online in the gallery at www.facebook.com/ballderofficers , on the Flickr page of the Army and on the Military News page

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Markus Matzhold