HOW THEY DANCE IN IN VIENNA.

Evening Star, Issue 12762, 15 March 1906, Page 3

HOW THEY DANCE IN IN VIENNA.

The Fasching is now in full and orthodox swing, and balls take place every evening in the dozen or so of big and small halls available for societias\ and charities. The favorite hall is the Sofiensenaal, which is a swimming bath in summer. For' the occasion it is floored with parquet, and decked with palms. There are always two when not three bands, and as soon as one leavyoff the other tabes up the waltz. If does not th© public wants to knew li reason why, and immediately begins to n monstrate with hand and voice. Th chaperons sit round in solemn state, and t i men congregate in the middle of the flotn forming technically called the He, ren Insel, or Men's Island. From this i>m \ tion of vantage they swoop down on an partner who weakens for a moment, an carry her off. There is no such thing a being engaged for a dance; indeed, thei. is scarcely_ such a thing as a dance, tin whole evening being one long dance, excep for the supper break. At the charity bail. or " Pranenhemj" for instance, there wii be about 2,000 present, and as the men art in the majority and the maidens are in gooa training, none of them axe long without a spin. —Hard Knocks.— The crush is tremendous, of course, but the Vienna dancer, male or other, caret little for liard knocks, and, being determined to get round the room, manages to do it, somehow or other, though to a stranger the task looks impossible. There is not much ceremony about introductions. Two strange men will come up, and with grave politeness introduce each other to a lady whom neither of them knows. The lady may please herself, of course, as to whether she dances with them or not. In any case, the acquaintance begins, and often ends, with a turn. . One dancer sometimes makes bold to approach, and with a deep bow he says that Ids name is Norval, and that he is a lawyer, or something else, and may he have the honor of'.a waltz? Since the idea is simply to have a partner, and nothing is further from his thoughts than to be uncivil, he generally gets his way. —Damage to Dresses.— In a ball kke this there is little favor, and th© prettiest and smartest girls are not much better off than their less attractive sisters. Whilst the dowagers are in splendid robes, the dancing contingent are, as a rule, rather simply dressed and shortskirted, or else they have an arrangement whereby they gather up all their drapery in ono hand, so that they may succeed in keeping it on their persons. Nevertheless, towards the small hours th© damage 1b mnV versal. The Vienna belle mav not go to as many balls, perhaps, as "her English

sister, but die certainly dances a good" many more kflometres in the course of her season. The Vienna balls begin, as a rule, pretty sharply at nine, and with an hour or eo for supper the waltzing-goes on till three. The most enthusiastic will not go away much before five, but the officers cannot often stay to the end, and when the lieutenants depart the glory departs with them. Six hours, almost without a pause is a very respectable athletic performance, and many of the ladies will, nevertheless', be seen on the ice next afternoon still waltzing!— [ Sk James's Gazette.'