Lane von Herzen: The Viennese Ball

My Third Novel's Conclusion, My Heartbreak

My heart begins to break when I think about completing this particular book -- because this narrative has sustained me like no other story I've known. It's both more personal and more universal than my other works. But beyond memory and archetype, it's a cri-de-coeur about needing to become the person one is destined to be. And in the writing, I have met my own life's work, my own fated journey -- having the sense all the while that the pages are suffused with a resonance, an energy, an electrified field that defies explanation. Writers hope and pray to be overtaken by a work in this way -- to be conscripted into passionate service of a profound story. To experience it even once in a lifetime seems a great privilege. I still have several months before this novel is complete, and this constitutes my reprieve. Because I'm not ready for the beauty to end.

Friday, January 12, 2018

The Viennese Ball

"Great dancers aren't great because of their technique; they're great because of their passion." -- Martha Graham

Ordinarily, I'm dancing to rock, EDM, rap, retro, etc. But on Friday, February 9th, I'll be attending Stanford's Viennese Ball -- an extraordinarily beautiful event -- one that feels like stepping through a portal in time to an elegant, transportive, fairy-tale-made-real. Martha Graham describes dance as "a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening." And what I know is that, when I'm spinning to the Viennese Waltz, the sense of speed, freedom, beauty, and exhilaration is indescribable. It's simply a magical flight. My feet no longer make contact with the floor, and I seem to fly in the arms of my partner -- weightless, spellbound.

All of which is to say, if you live in the Bay Area, please come join in on February 9th. vienneseball.stanford.edu Tickets always sell out -- but you can still purchase them at this moment. If you haven't waltzed before -- or you need a refresher -- attend Friday Night Waltz in Palo Alto. http://fridaynightwaltz.com/ Waltzing is very, very easy to learn. In one evening of practice, (quite a bit less if you're athletically inclined) you will be ready for the main event!

Does anyone remember the waltz between Natasha and Andrei in War and Peace or the dance between Anna and Vronsky in Anna Karenina? Because the beauty of this evening is on a par with the romantic elevation of these masterpieces. Say hello to me if you attend -- and save a waltz for me among the many. It multiplies the joy to dance among friends.