“Simply Being Human”: Vienna’s Ball of Inclusion

Women in suits and ties, men in dresses, people with visual or hearing impairments, wheelchair users, women wearing headscarves, and people with and without intellectual disabilities filled Vienna City Hall for the 18th Diversity Ball. What united them, the event’s atmosphere suggested, was a shared appetite for life, self-acceptance and dancing.

The party continued until early Sunday morning across five dance floors. Some guests danced alone, others in company. Some wore headphones, others did not. For one night, the ball placed the beauty and elegance of diversity at the centre of the city’s grandest setting, with tolerance, acceptance and solidarity expressed through participation rather than slogans.

More than 100 artists performed, including ballet dancer Rebecca Horner, drag artist Tamara Mascara and the Vienna Gay Men’s Chorus. The programme also featured inclusive acts by the “Ich bin O.K.” dance collective, queer performances and music from different genres. About 3,000 guests attended, including musicians Julian Le Play, PÄM and Lucas Fendrich, professional dancer Herby Stanonik, radio presenter Philip Hansa and model Lou-Anne Gleissenebner. Vienna Deputy Mayor Bettina Emmerling represented the city government.

Organiser Monika Haider launched the “Ball of Diversity” 19 years ago, although the event was cancelled once during the pandemic. She attended in a dress designed for the night by Marcos Valenzuela and brightly coloured by street artist Luis Morales de la Cruz. Humana Fashion Österreich dressed some prominent guests to show that second-hand ballwear can also look stylish and elegant.

Blind singer Sofia Reyna, from Burgenland, provided one of the night’s musical highlights. She performed her new single “Tell Them” at the Diversity Award gala before the ball, then returned for the opening show with “Unity” and later performed more of her own songs on DJ Mel Merio’s “Lovemore Floor.”