Support The Moscow Times!

Expat Women Get Ready for Glamorous Ball

If someone asks you for directions to Paris while you're strolling around downtown Moscow in the coming week, don't immediately assume that they've just escaped from an institution. To be helpful, point them in the direction of Tverskaya Ulitsa.

The International Women's Club is hosting a ball at the Intercontinental Moscow Tverskaya Hotel on March 23, complete with a Paris-themed concert and dance. This year marks the 17th anniversary of the club's annual Embassies of the World Dinner and Ball, which is sure to be a glamourous night filled with live music, complimentary wine, champagne and canapes. The evening will also be topped off with a special gift bag and will culminate in a prize raffle.

Acting as an umbrella organization for all the national factions, the club encompasses about 650 members and is headed by Izabella Zajaczkowska, the Polish ambassador's spouse.

"There are many balls held by all the different women's clubs, so we have to do something unique," Zajaczkowska said. "Our ball is designed in exceptional form and consists of two parts."

The first is a dinner at one of the cooperating embassies. The second part is more traditional, a  glittering, black-tie ball. But dancing is not all that the guests are going to do.

"Ninety percent of our revenue goes directly to the charity causes we support. All our work is voluntarily," Zajaczkowska said.

The International Women's Club covers a great spectrum of charity causes, all based in Russia. For example, the club provides funds to buy food and necessities for more than eight orphanages and homes for disabled children. Club members also raise money to assist burn victims and to support the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy in providing 200 meals, five days a week, for pensioners and the needy.

The club's other aim is to unify women from the expat community and help them find a place for themselves in Moscow. To do so, the club holds coffee mornings where fresh expats can meet the long-timers. In return for the annual fee of 2,200 rubles ($70), expats can also sign up for the club's interest groups, which include lessons in yoga, icon painting, languages, ballet and flamenco.

The Embassies of the World Dinner and Ball starts at 7 p.m. on March 23 at the Hotel Intercontinental Moscow Tverskaya Hotel, located at 22 Tverskaya Ulitsa. www.iwcmoscow.ru.

Contact the author at artsreporter@imedia.ru

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more