Editing Vienna Opera Ball

{{short description|Austrian debutante ball}}
[[File:Wiener Staatsoper.jpg|thumb|Vienna Opera House]]
[[File:3 Mira Sorvino Vienna 2013.jpg|thumb|The actress [[Mira Sorvino]] at the opera ball (2013)]]
The '''Vienna Opera Ball''' ([[German language|German]]: ''Wiener Opernball'') is an annual [[Austria]]n [[upper class|society]] event which takes place in the building of the [[Vienna State Opera]] in Vienna, Austria on the Thursday preceding [[Ash Wednesday]] (a religious holiday). Together with the [[Vienna New Year's Concert|New Year Concert]], the [[Ball (dance)|ball]] is one of the highlights of the Viennese [[carnival|carnival season]].

== History ==
The tradition of the ball goes back to 1814 during the time when the crowned heads of Europe and the aristocracy searched for entertainment after the [[Napoleonic wars]]. The first ball in the opera house took place in 1877 as a ''[[Party#Soirées|soirée]]''. The following balls were ''redoute'', a French term for [[masquerade ball]]s or costume parties, where the ladies wore their masks until midnight. From 1878 until 1899, such ''redoute'' balls took place around two to three times a year.

The first ''redoute'' after [[World War I]] took place in 1921, with proceeds going to the pension fund of the two state theaters. These events were called also called ''Opernredoute''.

The first ball to be named "Opera Ball" was held in 1935 under the honorary patronage of the [[Federal Chancellor of Austria|Federal Chancellor]], but was suspended during [[World War II]]. It was revived after the war; it has been held annually ever since, with the exception of 1991, when it was cancelled due to the [[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]], and 2021 and 2022, both due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Since 2008, Desirée Treichl-Stürgkh has been the chairman (supervising organizer) of the Vienna Opera Ball. It is the highlight of the season, with the heads of state and government, the political and industrial elite, members of the high society, and their guests attending. The price for the entry tickets is the highest of all the Viennese balls.

Starting in 1987, the ''Opernballdemo'' [[:de:Opernballdemo|[de]]], a [[left-wing politics|left-wing]] [[Demonstration (people)|demonstration]] along the [[Ringstraße]] against the kind of [[capitalism]] represented by, as the protesters see it, many of the elite attending the ball, has regularly taken place on the same night. There have been occasional outbreaks of violence. This has almost disappeared since 2011, with protests focusing on the nationalist ''Akademikerball'' instead.

In February 2020 the first same-sex couple were presented as debutante and escort at the ball.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/02/05/vienna-opera-ball-debutantes-same-sex-couple-dance-partners-austria-richard-lugner/ |title=The first openly queer couple in 200 years has been accepted to dance at the Vienna Opera Ball |date=5 February 2020 |website=[[PinkNews]] |first=Lily |last=Wakefield}}</ref> The two debutantes, Iris Klopfer and Sophie Grau, were from Germany.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tatler.com/article/first-same-sex-couple-dance-at-vienna-opera-ball |title=The first same-sex couple will dance at this year's Vienna Opera Ball |first=Annabelle |last=Spranklen |magazine=[[Tatler]] |date=5 February 2020}}</ref> Klopfer wore the traditional white dress, [[evening glove|long white gloves]], and tiara typical for female debutantes while Grau, who is [[non-binary]], wore the traditional black suit and tailcoats typical for male escorts.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/04/we-just-want-to-dance-together-say-vienna-balls-first-same-sex-couple |title='We just want to dance together,' say Vienna ball's first same-sex couple |date=4 February 2020 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=[[London]] |first=Philip |last=Oltermann}}</ref>

== Organization ==
[[File:Vienna Opera Ball 27 February 2014 03.jpg|thumb|Opera singer [[Margarita Gritskova]] singing an aria during the opening ceremony (2014)]]
[[File:Vienna Opera Ball 27 February 2014 05.JPG|thumb|Debutantes' entry during the opening of the ball (2014)]]
Each year, almost overnight, the [[auditorium]] of the Vienna State Opera is turned into a large [[ballroom]]. On the eve of the event, the rows of seats are removed from the [[stalls (theatre)|stalls]], and a new floor, level with the [[Stage (theatre)|stage]], is built.

The dress code is [[White tie|evening dress]]: white tie and tails for men; strictly floor-length [[gown]]s for women.
White [[opera gloves]] are still mandatory for female [[debutante]]s at the Vienna Opera Ball.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/en/staatsoper/vienna-opera-ball/make-your-debut/ |title=Make Your Debut At The Vienna Opera Ball-Dresscode |website=Vienna State Opera |language=en |access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>

The ball does not start until around 10 pm when the [[Austrian president]] and his guests enter the imperial balcony. Their arrival is heralded by trumpets. The [[Austrian national anthem]] is played followed by the [[European anthem]]. There are performances of the state opera ballet company and classical arias sung by the opera stars. These are normally a small selection of Italian opera and famous Austrian pieces. The highlight of the opening ceremony is the introduction of 180 [[debutante]] couples. These are carefully selected young women and men who have successfully completed an audition in the opera, selected according to their Vienna Waltzing skills. The debutante dance is choreographed and supervised by a professional dance school (Santner Dance School). The debutantes are led into the opera house to the sounds of [[Carl Michael Ziehrer]]'s ''Fächer[[polonaise (dance)|polonaise]]''. Dances are then, for example, the [[Polonaise (dance)|Polonaise]] in A-Dur, Op. 40 by [[Frédéric Chopin]] and Johann Strauss' ''Warschauer-[[Polka]]''. The last dance of the debutantes is always the ''Blue Danube'' [[Viennese Waltz]] by [[Johann Strauss II]], after which the floor is opened to all guests.

The ball runs until 5 am. The opera house offers all access to the guests, with various other rooms and lounges open with different types of music and dance. There is catering on all floors offered by Café Gerstner and various other caterers, as well as a [[hairdressing service]], a make-up service and an in-house [[tailor]], and medical teams on standby. <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jane-fonda-attends-opera-tycoon-after-admitting-offered-pay-money |title=Jane Fonda attends opera with tycoon after admitting he 'offered to pay me quite a bit of money' |website=[[Fox News]] |date=17 February 2023 |first=Elizabeth |last=Stanton}}</ref>

Various dances moderated by the head of the dance school take place every two hours, such as the popular [[cotillion]]. 

In a joint venture, [[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]] and [[Bayerischer Rundfunk|BR]] broadcast live from the ball for several hours each year.

== In media ==
In [[1995 in literature|1995]] Austrian writer [[Josef Haslinger]] published a [[novel]] entitled ''[[Opernball (novel)|Opernball]]'' in which thousands of people are killed in a [[Neo-Nazism|Neo-Nazi]] [[terrorist attack]] taking place during that society event. The novel was the basis of a [[1998 in film|1998]] [[Opernball (made-for-TV movie)|made-for-TV movie]] by [[Urs Egger]] with the same title.

The ball was featured in the postcard for San Marino in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2015]]. In it, San Marinese participants [[Michele Perniola]] and [[Anita Simoncini]] attend an evening at the ball.

==Outside of Austria==
"Viennese balls" outside of Austria are held in [[Paris]], [[Viennese Opera Ball in New York|New York]], [[Moscow]], [[Stockholm]], [[Dubai]], [[Timișoara]], etc.

==See also==
* [[Opernball (disambiguation)]]
* [[List of balls in Vienna]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/en/opera-ball/ Viennese Opera Ball Vienna]
* [http://www.vienneseoperaball.us Viennese Opera Ball New York - Friday February 6, 2009]
* [http://www.humaninstitut.at/humaninstitut/newsartikel.php?spr_id=1&chat_seite=1&news_id=703&seite=4 Study about the Vienna Opera Ball by the Humaninstitut]

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[[Category:1936 establishments in Austria]]
[[Category:Ballet in Austria]]
[[Category:Balls in Austria]]
[[Category:Debutante balls]]
[[Category:Music festivals established in 1936]]
[[Category:Spring (season) in Austria]]