In the city of the waltz, palace parties are a 'must'
There is no dance more stately and sparkling , although long ago, long before reggaeton, it was considered obscene and provocative: couples, grasped less than a foot apart! , they went round and round and round… and the hem of the dress flew… and you could see the ankles of the ladies! An authority like Oxford Dictionary called it " riotous and indecent "; even Lord Byron cursed the dance as libertine and demonic –He, who boasted of having slept with 250 girls in a single year!–. The most likely thing is that the poet was frustrated because his limp did not let him follow the prestíssimo three by four –and that the English waltz is much slower than the Viennese… -.
So much turning, turning and turning - that's what it means waltz – It made him dizzy, the doctors discouraged it, and although at the time the pro-minuet prohibited it – in Berlin it was illegal until 1918 –, the fever of the waltz spread unchecked from the Holy Empire. "It's as common and contagious as a cold" , it was read in a newspaper from the end of the 18th century. By then, this dance born among the German populace had already invaded the palaces; in this way, he saved a French revolution to the Habsburg family. It is said that everyone was the same on the dance floor, that a commoner without pedigree could be, for one night, a prince's mate . Nothing was more fashionable, especially since goethe included a waltz scene in The Misadventures of Young Werther , his bestseller.
The waltz was considered indecency
But e he real boom came in 1814 , when the heads of half of Europe met at the Congress of Vienna; It was a matter of fixing the mess that Napoleon had made with his wars and that each one renegotiate the borders to their liking. The agreements were closed in opulent celebrations – to finance them, the Austrians raised their taxes by 50% –; Waltzing was essential to reach an understanding, so foreign sovereigns and diplomats had no choice but to put aside their chaste misgivings and learn it. There was the British Foreign Secretary, lord castlereagh , taking private lessons; applied student, when he did not practice with his wife Emily, elegy from dancer to a chair –As a result, he did not do badly in the treaties: Britain kept Malta, Ceylon and the Cape Colony –. At the opposite pole was the Spanish representative, who failed to return the Italian territories or the revolted American colonies to the Bourbons. Already then there were austerity plans in Spain, and the Marquis of Labrador could not participate in the decisive banquets and galas; for his part, the man did not make an effort to agree under the skirts either. "Congress does not march -it was said- , dance!"
More than 200 years have passed and Vienna is still dancing in more than 450 events throughout the year. The most mediatic is that of the Opera: Hollywood stars and reality show meteors, pop stars, vedettes, playboy bunnies, multimillionaires who pay tens of thousands of euros to go Rachel Welch or Paris Hilton … are some of the five thousand guests who dance in the patio without seats and who, by force, they also get drunk , because champagne rolls, rolls and rolls… They touch six bottles per person. This year the opening ceremony was in charge of Placido Domingo , but the party doesn't start until the trumpets are blown and the top leadership of the Austrian government walks through the gates. Tickets for 2017 cost between a glamorous 290 and 20,500 euros.
You can also emulate a Viennese in front of his opera...
For refined but modest budgets, there is the philharmonic ball –in the concert hall where the New Year is clapped–, or the many that take place in the Hofburg Palace , in the same rooms where the Kaiser and the Kaiserin carried out their duties as hosts. Although the truth is that Elizabeth of Bavaria she evaded this responsibility at the slightest opportunity: she claimed a severe headache and left the brown to her consort, Franz-Joseph . She, meanwhile, immersed her migraine in oil and steam baths –the Sisí Museum exhibits the accomplice: a copper bathtub–. But it's not that she didn't like her dances – she rather liked to be contrary… –: one night, when her servants thought she was asleep, the empress dressed up in a long yellow brocade cape and blonde wig to attend a masquerade ball incognito . Hidden behind a mask, no one suspected that this Gabriele was actually his Majesty. It must have been a dance similar to the one in the Rudolfina Redoute : takes place on Carnival Monday in one of the wings of the imperial palace, the Redoutensäle , and it is the only one where they are the ones who ask the gentlemen to dance; yes, with the mask on!
Kaffee Sieder Dance
DRESS CODE
In Vienna almost all dances are governed by a strict dress code. For gentlemen, note down: on the most distinguished evenings, the tailcoat with a white bow tie is essential; forget the ties; the black bow tie of the tuxedo has to match the cummerbund; slip-on shoes and white shirt. To finish rounding off, white gloves and a linen handkerchief on the frock coat. It is strictly forbidden to wear a wristwatch with such elegant clothing ; the correct one is a pocket with a chain. If this is the case, you can parade in full military uniform, and it is time to show off all the distinctions and medals you have at home on your lapel.
At **Lamberthofer** you can rent a tailcoat or a tuxedo for the weekend, and at **Flossmann** a dress for the ladies. It has to be a long evening gown, in any color except white – this one is reserved for debutantes, girls aged 16-24 who debut in society with their first dance –.
for footwear It is recommended to leave the high heels in the closet, because until five in the morning you will be dancing. In the era of Franz-Joseph The parties did not end so late, since the emperor got up early the next day. Normally, the valet woke him up at half past three in the morning; it was just one more hour lazy after a big party the night before.
Here the violin of Johann Strauss continues to play
** THE DANCE BEGINS (AND HIS LESSONS OF HIM) **
The orchestra does not stop playing since the master of ceremonies pronounces the magic words: " Alles Walzer! " ("All to the waltz!", in German). Although the different halls of the palace sound tango, swing, foxtrot, rock & roll, pop music... it is Strauss's hits that continue to sweep. For the layman, in Vienna there are more than thirty schools where you can sign up for an express waltz class , like Thomas Elmayer's: every Saturday from four to five in the afternoon. The teacher perjures that it is easy, that anyone can learn, that you only have to repeat six steps, faster and faster, over and over and over again, that if you get dizzy, turn upside down , that the important thing is the gestures: back straight, nose up and a smile, always a smile. Those who do not have a partner for the dance can rent a Taxi Dancer, there are of all levels and ages. " Darfich bitten? " ("Do you dance?"). Protocol mandates that the gentleman offer his right arm to the lady . If she doesn't feel like the waltz, he should give her pumpkins kindly: "Later, maybe".
You have to keep your composure even devouring sausages . They are served with a bun and horseradish; the chic touch is given by the glass of champagne and the seven twenty euros that they nail you for this dish at the dance. Outside the royal house, in a würstelstand, it costs 3.90. The most exquisite of these street stalls is located next to the Albertine Museum , and is on call 24 hours a day to attend to waltz hangovers with frankfurters and potatoes. For extreme cases, goulash.
Dancing also involves... SNACKING
OUR FAVORITE DANCES
Opera Ball , because the stage and stalls of the Wiener Staatoper it becomes a dance floor and its red carpet is like that of the Oscars.
Philharmonic Ball , because with the excuse we dance in the room where the New Year's concert is played.
new years eve dance , because some end of the year we will have to take the grapes in an imperial palace, right?
The dance of the coffee growers . It is organized by this guild; Try any cake from Café Landtmann, Schwarzenberg or Sperl and you will understand why.
The Rudolfina-Redoute dance , because it is a masquerade ball like the ones Empress Sisí liked so much.
The dance of the hunters , because here the etiquette is to dress in the traditional alpine costume: dirndl for the ladies and lederhosen for the gentlemen.
The Fête Impériale dance , because it is held at the Spanish Riding School and the collection is for the upbringing and conservation of the oldest European breed of horses: the Lipizzans.
hip hop dance , because it is much more comfortable to dance a waltz with a cap and sneakers.
the dance of life , because here the only rule is to go as outlandish as you can; in addition, funds are collected to fight against AIDS and committed celebrities always attend.
** The rainbow dance ** and the dance of the roses , because they are the favorites of the LGBT community.
The flower dance , because that night dancing in the Vienna City Hall and dancing in a garden are the same.
The Bombon Dance , because if they choose us Miss Bonbon they give us our weight in wafers.
The dance of Johann Strauss , because it includes a gala dinner with three courses and a waltz workshop for beginners. In addition, it is celebrated in the Kursalon, famous for all the concerts that the Strauss brothers gave.
The Concord Dance , because it is our dance, that of the journalists.
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