The Czech Republic has a traditional Ball (Ples) Season from January through mid-April. They are usually themed; Cuban, decades, flower, traditional; you name it, they have it. There are shops that rent dresses for the events, with everything from Cinderella dresses to costumes.
Martin invited me to a '30s Ball this year. It was held inside Lucerna, one of the more popular venues for the Balls to be held at. I wasn't sure what to expect because Lucerna is one of the best '80s-'90s dance clubs in Prague. Little did I know that Lucerna is not just the name of a dance club, but the WHOLE building. There is a cafe, a theater and a proper Ball Room that has three stories of seating.
I had no idea what to wear so Chloe helped me out with some accessories to add to my new long black dress. We tried a finger wave in my hair but I looked like I had something growing off my forehead so we changed tactics. Finally, after a poodle-do and copious amounts of gel, I was able to wrestle my hair into place. 
It was pretty great, I spent the first hour just watching the other people dance around the room. They all knew the Lindy Hop and all the other dances and looked like professionals on the dance floor. I was a bit intimidated by them, so Martin and I walked around a little, talked to his cousin, and drank some wine. Finally I was ready to go onto the dance floor. The band was a big band style group, with female singers and a crazy male lead. We danced for a bit, took part in the lessons that the professional instructors gave, drank more wine and danced more.
I was torn between being glad it was over (my feet hurt!) and sad there wasn't more music (the music was very lively and entertaining), but we managed to get the band to play for a few more songs, and then we all headed out into the cool April night air.
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