Stanford community members have come to associate many activities with breezy, laid-back midsummer evenings on The Farm: running campus drive, Frisbee in the Oval, a warm cup of coffee at the newly reopened CoHo. But as the sun set gracefully over campus last Saturday, students, staff and friends alike joined in on a new scene: social dance.

The Viennese Ball Opening Committee, which organizes the opening dances of the Viennese Ball, held its first-ever summer event last weekend, the Midsummer’s Dance. Featuring an evening of social dance, the event kicked off with an introductory lesson in the committee’s specialty, the Viennese Waltz.

“There isn’t a lot of dance in the summer,” said Brendon Wells ‘08, Viennese Ball treasurer and one of the event organizers. “We wanted to have a dance . . . have some fun. There is a huge social dance community at Stanford.”

Aspiring dancers of all experience levels flocked to the Havana Room of the Graduate Community Center for an evening of good dancing and good fun. Dancers donned everything from heels and cocktail dresses to casual cargo shirts and goofy socks. The cool music and energetic dance steps kept everyone happy — the committee managed to keep even the shiest laughing and the most experienced occupied throughout the entire night.

Aside from hosting a unique social event, though, organizers saw the Midsummer’s Dance as an opportunity to spread the word about their main event — the annual ball.

“We wanted to let people know early that [the ball] is coming, and it’s big and a lot of fun,” said Elyse Hope ‘10, an Opening Committee member and one of the choreographers of this year’s performance.

“This lesson was a way to get people excited about dance,” said Jessie Humphreys ‘08, who has previously performed at the ball.

The Viennese Ball Opening Committee performs only one event during the academic year, but they keep busy throughout. Auditions are usually held during the second week of school, and from then until February dancers can expect to be practicing about four to five hours a week.

“What’s great about the opening group is that to be chosen, you don’t have to be the best dancer,” Humphreys added. “You can have a great performance style, learn quickly and just really love to waltz.”

Though the Midsummer’s Dance is new to the Stanford social scene, the annual ball is not. The ball was started in 1977 by Stanford students who studied abroad in Austria. During their travels, they were exposed to the Viennese tradition of a Mardi Gras-esque celebration preceding Lent.

At the Stanford version of the Viennese Ball, live social dance performance is the main entertainment, kicked off by a group of dancers from the Viennese Ball Opening Committee. Every year they perform both a waltz as well as a polka number to start off the festivities. Nowadays, the event is a well-loved Stanford tradition; the Viennese Ball usually attracts from 800 to 1000 students and members of the general public. This coming year’s 32nd annual ball will be held in February.

After last weekend’s successful turnout, the choreographers and organizers are looking into planning more opportunities for social dance during the summer. Come fall, dancers of all experience levels are encouraged to consider auditioning for the Opening Committee.