Debutantes Perform the Iconic ‘Texas Dip’ At Dallas Symphony Orchestra League’s Largest Fundraiser

Sitting in the terrace (stage left) at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center provided a direct sightline to The Mothers, who were perfectly coiffed and smartly seated on the aisle of each row. The annual Dallas Symphony Orchestra League fundraiser is for the debutantes, but, from my vantage point, I couldn’t help but identify the best dressed guest in attendance. With her hair in an elegant French twist and wearing a black and white, off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera gown with voluminous bows that cascaded down her shoulders, one mother stood out. I didn’t know her name, so I decided to play a game. Could I determine her identity by how widely she smiled when it was her daughter’s turn to take a bow?

My game proved to be impossibly easy. When one young lady graced the stage, her mother lit up. She didn’t raise her iPhone to snap photos; her only tell was the pride she radiated. Similarly, each debutante’s entourage revealed itself, one by one. Parents and grandparents applauded from the orchestra seats while college-age friends shouted their support from the rafters.

For the 39th annual Presentation Ball, 44 young women made their debut. Emcee Stan Gardner introduced each debutante, who performed the iconic “Texas Dip,” — a move perfected under the guidance of Densil Adams and Mia Davis. Though presumably practiced hundreds of times, the Texas Dip looks easy, but it isn’t (Google it and try. Stay humble.) Each debutante’s voluminous white ballgown largely hides the full-court bow’s intricacies. Shaking arms revealed the nerves underneath, though.

Both a father (or father figure) and Honor Guard escort accompanied each leading lady, adding yet another layer of old-world pomp and circumstance to one of the most formal affairs in Dallas’ spring social season. I particularly enjoyed the music choices, hand-picked by each debutante. Selections ranged from an instrumental version of Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” (à la Bridgerton) to daddy-daughter classics like “Brown Eyed Girl.”

After all 44 ladies made their debut, the mothers left their aisle seats first in order to obtain a front-row view for “a moment of elegance and sentiment” and the highlight of the evening — the father/daughter dance. Per tradition, the debutantes and their fathers performed a Grand Waltz to “Moon River.” It was, undoubtedly, a memory the families will cherish forever.

“A grand celebration of culture, family, and philanthropy,” the Presentation Ball, which Tincy Miller established in 1987, shines as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra League’s (DSOL) largest fundraiser. Since the DSOL’s founding in 1946, the organization has contributed more than $23 million to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s education and outreach programs.

Ginger Sager and Barbara Averitt co-chaired the 2025 ball, with longtime supporters Shirley & Bill McIntyre serving as honorary chairs. Other notable guests in attendance included DSOL President Dixey Arterburn, Michelle Miller Burns, who is the new Ross Perot President and CEO of the DSO, with husband Gary Burns, as well as Marena and Roger Gault, who is the new Chairman of the Board of the Dallas Symphony Association Board of Governors.

The 2025 Dallas Symphony Orchestra League’s Debutantes: Olivia Reese Chambers Barber, Brooke Lucille Barcus, Brooke Makenna Barnes, Lauren Elizabeth Brown, Abigail Claire Carlisle, Sara Grace Cashion, Sara Elizabeth Cavey, Elle Terese Chavis, Rebecca Lauren Ciarochi, Olivia Katherine Coker, Isabelle Catherine Eggart, Annabel Dianne Everitt, Finley Paige Galvin, Eliana Lourdes Garcia, Sophie Michelle Goelzer, Elizabeth Rose Goelzer, Alexa Christine Grabow, Camille LaClaire Gravel, Katherine Blaine Hess, Grace Alexandra Hoverman, Sydney Sherrill Hoyl, Madeleine Sutton Hubach, Katherine Anne Hudnall, Hannah Elizabeth Jackson, Harper Leigh Knight, Ella-Rose Marcus Levy, Lily Bauchet Lynch, Ivy Ann Mazzucchi, Julia Holliman Montgomery, Grace Cathryn Morrison, Natalie Brooke Newton, Anne Blanche Peacock, Ava Francis Perpall, Caroline Elizabeth Petrikas, Lauren Elizabeth Porray, Vivian Grace Potter, Alexandra Elise Sargis, Grace Isabelle Schlafer, Madelyn Grace Sporl, Mary Nash Stone, Ava Marie Tribolet, Natalie Elaine Van Arsdale, Samantha Renee Ward, and Annabeth Gracelyn Winn.

Want to support the DSO? The organization recently partnered with The RealReal. From February 28 through March 3, patrons can consign designer goods and benefit the DSO’s mission to inspire and change lives through music. During these drop-off dates at the Dallas store (3120 Knox Street), proceeds earned from all donated items will directly benefit the DSO.