CARNIVAL BALLS
The Carnival ball is a formal
party given by a krewe for its members and their guests. It consists of a royal
court with king and queen, dukes and duchesses and the like, who are presented
in lavish costumes to an audience of invited guests. The more traditional balls
present tableaux, which are staged pageants that depict stories, usually from
mythology or history. A queen's supper, which might be a dinner dance or
informal party, often is held after the ball. Sometimes balls are also
cotillions. The Original Illinois Club, for example, has an annual ball and
debutante cotillion. That's because Carnival courts often are made up of
debutantes.
The first ball:
According to Arthur Burton LaCour's "New Orleans Masquerade", it was
held in 1857 by Comus at the Gaiety Theatre (later called the Varieties Theatre)
on Gravier Street between Baronne and Carondelet. There's a parking garage there
today.
After that:
Comus held its ball at the Gaiety/Varieties until 1868, when the celebration was
moved to the new Varieties Theatre (later called the Grand Opera House) on Canal
Street next to the present Maison Blanche building. The Russian Grand Duke
Alexis Romanov Aleksan-Drovich attended the Comus ball there in 1872 after
having watched the first Rex parade that day from City (Gallier) Hall.
Speaking of Rex:
The first Rex balls, from 1873 to 1906, were held in Exposition Hall (later
called the Washington Artillery) on St. Charles Avenue. From 1907 to 1929, Rex
held its ball at The Athenaeum on St. Charles , where legendary tenor Enrico
Caruso made his only New Orleans appearance in June 1920.
Historic meeting:
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Comus held its balls at the French
Opera House on Bourbon and Toulouse streets. In 1882, Rex and his court paid a
visit near midnight to Comus, a custom that has prevailed to this day.
Who has balls now?
An informal count a couple of years ago turned up 137 local Carnival balls. The
first is always the Twelfth Night Ball, held on Jan. 6, or Kings' Day, by the
Twelfth Night Revelers. This signals the start of the Carnival season.
Traditional balls are still by far the most popular, with 87 organizations
favoring them. Another 23 groups present tableaux, followed by balls or supper
dances. Eighteen krewes have changed to supper dances alone, while seven stage
balls followed by dances.
Where to find them:
Anywhere from high-school auditoriums to grand ballrooms. Some of the more
popular sites include the Theatre of the Performing Arts, the Pontchartrain
Center, St. Bernard Cultural Center, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Slidell
Municipal Auditorium and hotel ballrooms.
Can I go, too?
Most balls are private, but a very few sell tickets.
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