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The fairytale prince is a taxi dancer: Blick editor Katja Richard with Philipp Böck, student and enthusiastic ballroom dancer.
Katja RichardEditor society
I’ve long since passed the age limit for a debutante – but you’re never too old to be a princess for a night at a Viennese ball. The ball of the Philharmoniker in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein offers the classic backdrop for this. All you need is – in addition to one of the coveted tickets – a long evening dress. You can rent that. The fairy tale prince too: Philipp Böck (21) is a taxi dancer.
Dance night in the golden hall of the Musikverein of the Vienna Philharmonic.
Skillfully, but carefully, he leads me across the floor. He doesn’t want to step on my dress, the green tulle reaches down to the floor, I long ago exchanged the heels for comfortable ballerinas. The economics student dances his way through the ball season in this way – a little extra income, and admission is free. More than 400 balls take place in Vienna every year, with the highlight being in January and February at carnival time. Thanks to young dancers like Böck, the tradition lives on. Waltz, for Austrians it’s like Jassen for us Swiss, somehow everyone can do it, even if not everyone goes to dance school these days. “You should at least be able to waltz to the right,” says the student.
The ball capital of the world
Nowhere else in the world is the carnival ball tradition as alive as in Vienna. The origin lies in the 18th century, at that time wearing masks and costumes was reserved for the nobility. To compensate, Emperor Joseph II opened the dance events in the Vienna Hofburg to everyone. There they copied the courtly ceremonial, and the following still applies today: strict dress code, opening fanfare, the entrance of the debutantes, the exclamation “Everything waltzes!” and the quadrille as a midnight interlude. The Congress of Vienna, which met in Vienna in 1814/1815 to reorganize Europe after Napoleon’s campaigns, was accompanied by many balls and made the waltz famous throughout Europe.
The highlight of the ball season: the Kaffeesiederball in the Vienna Hofburg.
imago images/K.Piles
Nowhere else in the world is the carnival ball tradition as alive as in Vienna. The origin lies in the 18th century, at that time wearing masks and costumes was reserved for the nobility. To compensate, Emperor Joseph II opened the dance events in the Vienna Hofburg to everyone. There they copied the courtly ceremonial, and the following still applies today: strict dress code, opening fanfare, the entrance of the debutantes, the exclamation “Everything waltzes!” and the quadrille as a midnight interlude. The Congress of Vienna, which met in Vienna in 1814/1815 to reorganize Europe after Napoleon’s campaigns, was accompanied by many balls and made the waltz famous throughout Europe.
Crash course with corsage
I practiced it in a crash course at the venerable Elmayer dance school – a ball night needs to be well prepared. The dress is borrowed from Flossmann, the selection for festive fashion is huge: like ripe candy, the ball gowns are arranged in the colors of the rainbow to choose from. I choose an elastic dress – because it’s so comfortable. Until I realize that a corsage should be underneath: I’ve never worn anything like that. Constricted and with the artfully pinned up hairstyle, I feel a bit stiff like Sissi. The Empress of Austria (1837-1898) is omnipresent in the Hotel Imperial, where the gala dinner before the ball takes place.
Which ball gown should it be: spoiled for choice at Flossmann for festive fashion.
However, Sissi did not stay here. “She met with other royals and received guests,” says Michael Moser (70), who, as a former chief concierge at the Imperial, met the world’s high nobility. “All the queens, kings and emperors have already climbed the princely staircase that leads from the lobby to the piano nobile,” he says. That’s why the steps are low so that the ladies in long dresses don’t stumble. The lobby originally served as an entrance for the carriages – the magnificent hall where we dine used to house the horses. The dinner is a tradition with a practical benefit: from the back exit of the hotel, you can go straight across the street to the Musikverein.
Crowd like at a rock concert
The ball starts at 10 p.m. sharp, there is a crowd like at a rock concert, except that the ladies in evening dresses and the gentlemen in tails are standing in boxes decorated with flowers. Nobody wants to miss the choreography of the debutantes. Until it says afterwards: “Everything waltzes!” and the dance floor is open to all. Beginners like me observe the synchronized activity from a safe distance. I learned on the crash course: If you turn fast, you dance on the outside – it’s calmer in the eye of the dance storm.
Waiting for the opening: at 10 p.m. sharp, the honorary committee moves in to the fanfare.
I don’t stay alone for long: It’s less than five minutes before an older gentleman asks me, his tails seem a bit dusty, but his dancing skills don’t. I’m soon floating around the hall with him in leisurely circles and I understand why twirling dances were once considered scandalous. Until the Viennese waltz became socially acceptable in the late 18th century, they were considered lewd because of the close physical contact. But that’s not the only reason why the dance was decried as the stuff of the devil: the constant turning is as intoxicating as three glasses of champagne at once.
The most beautiful balls of the season
More than 400 balls with a total of 2000 dance lessons are celebrated in Vienna – these are the most beautiful events in February:
Jägerball, January 30th
The ball visitors go in Dirndl and traditional costume in the Vienna Hofburg and the Spanish Riding School on the prowl, this year the 100th edition is celebrated. 180 euros.
Kaffeesiederball, February 3rd
The imperial ambience of the Hofburg offers the magnificent setting for one of the most traditional balls. 180 euros.
Opera Ball, February 16
The ball of balls in the Vienna State Opera is considered the meeting place for international celebrities. 350 Euro.
Lawyers’ Ball, February 18
The motto “La Dolce Vita” is celebrated with Italian flair in the Hofburg. 170 euros.
Elmayer-Kränzchen, February 21st
The Elmayer Dance School celebrates the end of the ball season: more than 300 debutant couples open the evening in the Hofburg at 6 p.m. 60 euro.
More than 400 balls with a total of 2000 dance lessons are celebrated in Vienna – these are the most beautiful events in February:
Jägerball, January 30th
The ball visitors go in Dirndl and traditional costume in the Vienna Hofburg and the Spanish Riding School on the prowl, this year the 100th edition is celebrated. 180 euros.
Kaffeesiederball, February 3rd
The imperial ambience of the Hofburg offers the magnificent setting for one of the most traditional balls. 180 euros.
Opera Ball, February 16
The ball of balls in the Vienna State Opera is considered the meeting place for international celebrities. 350 Euro.
Lawyers’ Ball, February 18
The motto “La Dolce Vita” is celebrated with Italian flair in the Hofburg. 170 euros.
Elmayer-Kränzchen, February 21st
The Elmayer Dance School celebrates the end of the ball season: more than 300 debutant couples open the evening in the Hofburg at 6 p.m. 60 euro.
With 2,500 guests, it’s not the biggest or most famous ball in Vienna, but it’s considered the most elegant. The special thing about it: Normally, about a third of the guests come from outside, with the Philharmonic, Viennese society tends to keep to itself. This includes political celebrities and top-class guests, this year the 80th edition is being celebrated, with opera stars Anna Netrebko (51) and Placido Domingo (82) present. People often queue to get a ticket at short notice, because for 195 euros there is not only a ball, many want to hear the world-famous Philharmonic Orchestra play. “It’s a celebration for the guests, but also for us artists,” says organizer Paul Halwax. “We usually go home after the concert, here we continue to dance.”
All in the name of Sissi: The Austrian Empress in the Hotel Imperial.
Breathe easy after the pandemic
Halwax plays the tuba in the orchestra, but it is not used at the opening ceremony. The brass players play the fanfare, which Richard Strauss composed especially for this occasion in 1924. “And I can enjoy the music,” he says and laughs. When the honorary committee steps into the hall, it is always a “goosebump moment” for him. You had to wait for him in Vienna for three years, the pandemic shut down the ball season. In addition, the requirements in Austria were particularly strict – to this day, an FFP2 mask must be worn on public transport in Vienna.
The highlight of the ball night: After the quadrille, you can gallop through the hall.
All that seems forgotten when the ball with the quadrille reaches its first climax at midnight: For the Contre-Dance, the couples line up in long rows in the hall and wait for the commands of Thomas Elmayer (76), the owner of the most famous dance school in Vienna. «Chaîne anglaise!», «tour de main!», «promenade!» it sounds in French. What is known from Sissi films as a courtly dance is accompanied by many missteps and even more laughter across the dance floor. Luckily, the taxi dancer Böck stands by my side – he knows the sequence perfectly. With him I dare to gallop through the dance rows. In doing so, all stiffness is discarded, one couple actually stumbles over the skirt, both fall. While we overtake others, they get up and keep dancing – it’s almost like skiing.
You don’t go home until the early hours of the morning.
Young and old alike take part, and that until the wee hours. As I am making my way out at around four o’clock, I meet an older couple in the elevator – they laugh at me: “To bed already? We’re only halfway through it!” In fact, at 5 o’clock the hall is still filled with dancing couples, and it’s not over yet. Then we go straight to the sausage stand or to the nearby Café Schwarzenberg for a goulash – the evening dresses of the ladies glitter like stars on the dark asphalt – each one is a princess for one night.
*The report was supported by Vienna Tourism.
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