A surprisingly pleasant peak in stagnant ticket sales will mean approximately 800 people shuffling in the halls of the Hyatt Regency tonight as Stanford hosts the 29th Viennese Ball.

Although organizers of the event initially experienced difficulties selling tickets, numbers surged toward the end of the week.

“Ticket sales have really picked up in the past few days so we’re at around 380 pairs of tickets,” said senior Louise Nutt, co-chair of the Viennese Ball steering committee. “Including our honored guests, we have roughly 800 people who are showing up.”

“The publicity push over the weekend has made a difference,” added senior Alison Brooks, steering committee co-chair. “We sold over 100 pairs Tuesday and Wednesday.”

While financial strife had originally cast doubt on the potential success of the ball, both co-chairs now expressed relief.

“My co-chair Alison and I are confident that the ball will at least break even,” Nutt said. “We won’t know the exact figures for the ball until tomorrow night, though, because we sell t-shirts, DVDs and wine glasses the night of the ball.”

Since 1978, the Viennese Ball has been a Stanford community tradition. This year, the ball will host guests from the Viennese Waltz Society of San Francisco, as well as the Austrian Consul General.

“When the Ball was held in Toyon, people used to camp out in White Plaza in order to be able to get tickets,” Brooks said. “It’s become more of a big deal since then. All of the important stuff, like the bands and the location, is the same this year, but we’re adding little things, like a silent auction for Viennese Ball memorabilia and other items.”

The night will open with a Strauss polka and a Strauss waltz performed by the Opening Committee of dancers, a performance by the Cardinal Ballet and the Honored Guests procession.

The elaborate nature of the ceremony has developed through extensive work both by the coordinating committees and the students involved. The organizers host Austria Week, which features a variety of dance lessons students can attend to develop the skills they will need to participate.

“The lessons assume that the people taking them don’t know anything about dance,” said recent graduate Diana Lam, opening committee co-chair. “So for anyone who is starting out, it’s a good way to be introduced to the dance and learn the basic step. It makes it easier for them to enjoy the ball and participate. We’ve gotten really good feedback from the dorms. Most of the residents really enjoyed the lesson, and some dorms even asked for another.”

Students noted that attending the ball took a great deal of preparation, including attending events like the Bon Bon Ball in January, for a taste of the atmosphere of the Viennese Ball.

“I have tried every year to go, but it seemed like it snuck up on me and I was never prepared,” said senior Teena Redhorse. “Even though my date doesn’t go to Stanford, we have been practicing every weekend for the past month. We both attended the Bon Bon dance a few weeks ago and it was great. It gave us an idea of what to expect, both on the dance floor and about the fun we’ll have at Viennese Ball.”

Senior Kat Snyder, who plans to attend the ball, also cited knowledge of social dance as helpful preparation while also listing off a number of other criteria.

“I’ve been doing social dance since I was a freshman and this is one of the social dance community’s largest and best traditions,” she said. “As for preparations, first I had to find myself a date, then I had to get my dress altered and find accessories, and then there was the dramatic rush at the end to make sure that all of my friends had dates as well. Then I had to order a boutonniere and make dinner arrangements. This year, the preparations went swimmingly.”

Junior Renata Sanchez agreed that deliberating over clothing choice was a big part of the event for the ladies.

“I bought a dress long before I even had a date,” she said. “Now if I could just find some cute shoes I can dance in, that would be great.”

Sanchez felt that getting to be part of the ball experience was worth such extensive planning.

“I chose to go to the ball because I love finding opportunities to dress up and be sophisticated,” she said. “At Stanford, those opportunities don’t come very often. I’m really glad the tradition of the Viennese Ball is continuing. I really do believe it’s an integral part of Stanford tradition.”