St George’s Hall Dance Spectacular where everyone had a ball

Apr 14 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

Viennese Ball

IT COULD have been turn-of-the-century Vienna, or Paris, or St Petersburg – but it was Liverpool. St George’s Hall came alive this weekend for two lavish balls so immense in ambition and auth-enticity they could compete with any of the world’s major cities.

Without doubt to become a resounding event of 2008, Satur-day’s splendidly formal dance attracted guests of all ages to enjoy the free event.

And they took to the brief to dress to impress with gusto, looking all the more splendid for the opulent surroundings.

The reception area, with its ice bar replete with 08 logo and Liver Birds was a stunning set piece to be met with; the small court room was transformed into perhaps the grandest cloakroom of all time.

But nothing could prepare guests for the breathtaking splen-dour of St George’s Hall in all its night-time glory.

Beautifully lit for a perfect evening atmosphere, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orches-tra (RLPO) took their seats on the small stage under the stained-glass window of St George.

Jazz orchestra Kings of Swing, who took over musical duties for an hour in between, were tucked under the great organ, where compere Claire Sweeney stood above the crowd introducing each dance, and jazz singers crooned to the likes of Fly Me To the Moon and New York, New York – without which no Scouse knees-up is ever truly complete.

The evening began with the formal promenade before the entrance of star dancers Anton du Beke and Erin Boag.

They were truly captivating to watch, even more so in the flesh than on the small screen in Strictly Come Dancing.

They thrilled the crowd, taking to the floor on four separate occasions through the night as onlookers circled around them – beginning with the classic waltz Blue Danube, a quickstep jazz number during the interlude with Kings of Swing, and a foxtrot to Wine, Women and Song when the RLPO returned.

Du Beke described the night as “enormous fun” and “a wonderful venue and a wonderful audience”. Ms Boag, a regular visitor to the city to visit the family of her fiance, said it had been “absolute-ly brilliant”, and added: “The atmosphere is just incredible.”

By the end of the night, princi-pal conductor Vasily Petrenko was conducting to the audience as much as the orchestra, for a gen-uinely inclusive experience that will have proved so successful it would be a crime not to repeat it.

vickyanderson