Dancing Through the Streets of Vienna
It’s ball season in stately Vienna, and MiNDFOOD’s Editor-in-Chief Michael McHugh has been invited to attend one of the city’s most elegant and prestigious balls of the season. Time to get his dancing shoes on.
Ileft my dancing shoes in Vienna. It was a sad farewell to a loyal pair of shoes that had seen me twirl around dance floors – I even wore them to a funeral once – but it was time to retire them. Both heels had come away from the upper leather part of the shoe and I was sounding more like a tap dancer when I walked. People would turn and stare and try to figure out what the noise was. In the cobbled streets of Vienna, I sounded more like a horse- drawn carriage – clippity clop, clippity clop. You get the picture, it was a little embarrassing.
I like Vienna as a city – it’s majestic. The Austrian Empire was once the centre of everything, and so the large avenues, buildings and architecture is on a scale that is vast. It’s my kinda city, good food and drink, lots of art galleries and history, like a well-kept secret Paris alternative. And they make a great hot chocolate, well, great chocolate anything really. The Sachertorte, originally created in 1832 by 16-year- old apprentice chef Franz Sacher, is the most famous chocolate cake in the world. The tightly-guarded recipe was originally made for Prince Metternich and you can enjoy a slice at the Hotel Sacher, which is opposite the Opera House. Even if there is a queue, you must try it.
COFFEE & CULTURE
In 2011, Viennese Coffee House Culture was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage under UNESCO. Austrian writer Stefan Zweig describes the Viennese Coffee House as an institution of a special kind – “actually a sort of democratic club, open to everyone for the price of a cheap cup of coffee – where every guest can sit for hours with this little offering, to talk, write, play cards, receive post, and above all consume an unlimited number of newspapers and journals”.
Head into any hotel café or coffee house and you will not be disappointed by their unique cakes and pastries and range of coffees. A meeting place for artists, writers and ‘intellectuals’, the Demel is popular, and just one of many famous pastry and chocolate shops. Established in 1786, its bears the title of ‘Purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court’ and is great for people watching. At Café Landtmann I discover my new drink of choice – a pink gin spritz, with a giant floating ice cube and raspberries. Make it immediately. You will not be
disappointed. This heritage-protected Viennese Coffee House dates back to 1873. Its interior boasts Thonet chairs from the imperial age, along with snug traditional booths surrounded by historical inlay work on the walls and mirrors from the 1920s. Again, great for people watching – and with some past patrons including Sigmund Freud, Marlene Dietrich and Paul McCartney, you can see why this historical café is not only popular but significant.
Heritage buildings across the city are being renovated – like the location of the luxury hotel, Park Hyatt Vienna. All pillars, marble, beautiful windows and herringbone wooden floors, it was once the headquarters of a local bank where tellers would dispense cash, and gold bars were stored. The impressive room that housed the cash- dispensing tellers is now The Bank Brasserie with The Bar alongside it, and the Arany Spa (‘arany’ being the Hungarian word for gold) is located in the former bank vault, with spa suites embedded with gold, copper and mother- of-pearl mosaics.
The original building was built between 1913 and 1915 and sits on the oldest square in Vienna, the ‘Am Hof’, proudly looking out over the city. The building is owned by entrepreneur René Benko (who Forbes classifies as the third wealthiest Austrian). He is the founder and chairman of Signa group, one of Austria’s largest privately owned real estate conglomerates, which also bought and renovated the nearby shopping area into the luxurious ‘Goldenes Quartier’, housing designer brands like Prada and Louis Vuitton.
With its Upper and Lower Belvedere and surrounding gardens, the baroque Belvedere Palace, which was established as the ceremonial and residential buildings for Prince Eugene of Savoy, now houses a museum for both historical and contemporary art. Works by Monet, Van Gogh and Rodin are well represented, and sit alongside Austria’s most famous artist – Gustav Klimt. Housing the world’s largest Klimt collection and featuring legendary pieces from his golden period such as ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Judith’, the museum also carries key works from Egon Schiele.
In the Lower Belvedere was the exhibition City of Women: Female Artists in Vienna from 1900 to 1938. At the beginning of the 20th century, women were very firmly anchored in Vienna’s art scene, exhibiting on equal footing with Klimt and Schiele and making notable contributions to the era of Viennese Modernism. But with Germany’s annexation of Austria in 1938, they were banished and forgotten, as the Nazi regime and the Second World War meant their work virtually disappeared from art history, as many were of Jewish decent and forced to flee. This exhibition takes an important step in bringing these artists back into focus, and it pays tribute to their incredibly impressive achievements. Helene Funke’s works were a nod to the Fauvist movement and were full of colour and joy.
BRING ON THE BALL
There is nothing like a gaggle of ball-goers, or in my case the ‘ball posse’ I was running with the night of the second greatest ball I have ever attended. I say second greatest, as it was pointed out to me I met my wifeto-be at a ball, so that takes first prize on the ‘balls I have attended’ list. You don’t just rock up to a Viennese ball, it’s not that straightforward. There’s preparation involved – styling, clothing hire, dance classes and basic etiquette you need to be aware of. Vienna is the world’s ball capital, with around 450 balls taking place during the ball season of November to March. There is the Chimney Sweeper Ball, which sounds all very Dick van Dyke Mary Poppinsey, the Medical Ball, a Vegan Ball … you name it, there is a ball.
With over half a million ball guests attending each year, three-quarters are based in Vienna, about 60,000 come from the Austrian provinces and over 50,000 travel from abroad. The 2017/18 ball season brought in 139 million Euros to the economy, and a single ball can attract anything up to 6,000 guests.
Balls experienced their first flush of widespread popularity at the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15. Numerous royals and politicians from the length and breadth of Europe flocked to the capital of the Habsburg monarchy to redefine the continent’s borders in the wake of Napoleon’s defeat. The Viennese hosts made every effort to ensure that their venerable guests were entertained during their extended
“The Sachertorte, created in 1832, is the most famous chocolate cake in the world.”
stays in the city. One distraction followed the next, but whatever they were, the proceedings were always heavily influenced by 18th century court ceremony. Various aspects of this have survived – often with few changes – at the traditional balls that take place in the city to this day.
The capital’s ball season gets underway on November 11, which is the traditional start of Fasching – or carnival season. On this day, crowds of dancers flock to the Graben shopping street in the old town to dance the waltz in a spectacle led by the city’s top dance schools. Ash Wednesday, which once marked the end of the ball season, is no longer taken as a strict cut- off date, with the ball schedule now continuing long into the spring and even into the summer.
One of the most immediately obvious things about a genuine Viennese ball is the strict adherence to the dress code. Women are expected to wear full-length gowns or traditional Austrian costume, while the gentlemen must wear tails or a tuxedo – giving them the opportunity to display their Orders and badges of honour.
I have been invited to the prestigious Coffeehouse Owners’ Ball, which is one of the most popular balls in Vienna. It is held at the Hofburg
Palace, the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty rulers and today the official residence of the President of Austria. It is the epicentre of Vienna, and was built in the 13th Century and added to and expanded over the centuries.
CARE TO DANCE?
The Elmayer Dance School was founded in 1919 by ex- Calvary Officer Willy Elmayer von Vestenbrugg. It is now run by his grandson Thomas Schäfer-Elmayer, who once worked around the world as an executive in a chemical company.
He says, “coming home and working in the family business is not what he thought he would be doing – but it is a unique experience, and he enjoys growing the cultural life special to Vienna.” For 10 years, Schäfer-Elmayer has been a judge on the popular Dancing Stars television show in Austria. He will also be ‘the caller’ at the Coffeehouse Owners’ Ball tonight, where he has done the honours for 25 years.
A man about town, he is a tall, elegant, silver fox of a man, with one of those grins that suggests he knows something you don’t. And with one raised eyebrow I get it – I’m light years away from being waltz-ready with my
Clydesdale-horse-like approach to dancing. The sad thing is, in my head, I actually thought I could dance.
Elmayer has its own ball during the season, and has published books on etiquette. Apparently it’s all about being respectful, polite and friendly. Located opposite the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, you can turn up on the day of the ball without a booking to learn the Viennese Waltz. This crash course sees me constantly turning either clockwise or anti-clockwise, and just when I think I have mastered it, my brain loses all connection with my two left feet and I appear to just be going around in circles while the rest of the group sweeps past me in regimented fashion.
“All you have to learn is six steps … it’s that easy,” says Schäfer-Elmayer. “Step forward to the side, back and together.” Is he still speaking English? I might have been better to have registered with the horseriding school next door, as one of my dance class buddies points out that my shoes are coming apart. Clippity clop, clippity clop, I have also somehow added a repeating tap step to the Viennese Waltz due to my problem footwear.
There are many rules for white tie dressing. No watch is allowed – only a fob watch. No black tie, as I would be mistaken for a waiter. The waistcoat has to cover the distance from the bottom of the bib to the top of the pants. Elastic cords hook the bib and waistcoat into the pants, and you also wear suspenders (braces). Black shoes must be shiny – patent leather shiny. If you were attending the Opera Ball in Vienna and you were only wearing a tuxedo and not white tie, you would be turned away. Tough crowd. But there are expectations and etiquette, and tonight the transformation will be complete with a little help from my dresser – Jean-Paul from Flossman, a family enterprise where you can hire white tie and ball gowns.
THE NIGHT OF NIGHTS
Once the dressing is complete (and it did take some time), I meet my ‘ ball posse’ in the lobby of the Park Hyatt Hotel. We have dinner together in a private dining room, starting with carpaccio with truffle vinaigrette, grilled veal loin and a delicious slice of chocolate crisp gâteau. As we walk with full tummies through The Bank restaurant, the place is jam-packed with ball-ready revellers. I get the sense it’s going to be a big night.
No ball in Vienna would be complete without a horse- drawn carriage as the vehicle of choice for transport to the main event. Like something out of a fairytale, I climb aboard, feeling like I’m in Pride and Prejudice or perhaps a scene from Cinderella. Giggling as we travel through the cobblestone streets, we arrive at the Hofburg Palace – and as I disembark, unfortunately one of the pins on my white shirt pings off and rolls under the carriage. In a split second of panic and without glasses on, I try to find the silver button, only to pick it up once the carriage wheel has rolled over it, squashing it so it can never be worn again. Not a great start – already I’m falling apart.
This year’s theme at the Coffeehouse Owners’ Ball is ‘The Coffee Games – Fortune Lives in the Coffee House’. As soon as you walk in, there are ‘candy girls’ handing out chocolate, long tables of colourful iced cakes, decorations of giant chess pieces and a sweeping staircase leading you to the main ballroom. The women are handed a fan and we all receive a map – as there are more than 30 different rooms to explore. We have a table on the edge of the dance floor and there are almost 4,000 people in attendance. The ball begins with a woman with a white Marie Antoinette- styled wig carrying a giant gold chess piece, who walks slowly up the length of the ballroom floor. The music starts and Mr Schäfer-Elmayer appears, and then 180 debutantes in white gowns with their partners in black tie sweep into the room in perfect line formations.
Dignitaries and coffee house owners arrive, more dignitaries and a special guest, a jam maker walks the length of the room. The national anthem is played, there are opera singers and an ensemble of ballerinas. A mad hatter character runs around the debutantes and dancers – there is so much to look at, this sure beats Netflix on a Friday night.
Mr Schäfer-Elmayer leads the opening ceremony, and at the end of that, declares, “Alles Walzer!” – which means ‘The public can now join in to dance the waltz and enter the dance floor’. Until that ‘command’, the parquet only belongs to those who have a role in the opening ceremony – be it debutantes or guests of honour. The waltzing starts and this is where I suddenly release that my serious lack of Viennese waltzing ability is not really going to cut it. It is impressive watching everyone, line after line dancing as it seems every Austrian has been born with those perfect ‘six steps’ that Schäfer-Elmayer said were easy and all you needed for the waltz.
I explore the Palace rooms and floors, each with a different theme – disco, jazz, etc. There are lots of traditional Würstl sausages and plenty of champagne on offer.
At midnight, the quadrille dance is announced and Schäfer-Elmayer is back on stage, calling the dance so people know what to do. It looks like lots of fun. Seasoned ball-goers can go until 4am, and then kick on to a coffee house and reminisce about the night that was. But for this buttonless Prince Charming, it’s home time, with lots of fun memories to cherish.