'Let the waltz begin!' Vienna's ball season has 18th century roots, but teens now go online to dance

VIENNA (AP) — The aristocrats of the Habsburg royal court who danced in the first of Vienna ’s famed balls in the 18th century could never have imagined how the hallmark of the Austrian capital’s social and cultural scene would evolve.

Today, teenagers learn to waltz by watching YouTube videos while ladies shed their elbow-length gloves to better swipe on smartphones.

More than 450 balls occur annually in Vienna, starting Nov. 11 to mark the opening of the carnival season to Ash Wednesday before Lent begins. Professional guilds throughout the city host their own events, like the Ball of the Viennese Chimney Sweeps that marks the opening of the season.

The sparkling balls are deeply rooted in Viennese culture, blending history with modern glamour, and the waltz remains an essential part. While the average ticket costs 395 euros ($427) — though VIP boxes at the Opera Ball can go for 25,500 euros ($27,539) — other events have lowered their prices to 40 euros ($43) to attract a wider audience.

“To be a part of this for me, as an Austrian person, is like taking part in Viennese culture," Leander Selmani, 19, said. "I was watching all these ball openings on YouTube and I said ‘I want to be part of that.’”

Besides YouTube, teens must learn the carefully choreographed dances for each ball's opening ceremony from places like the Elmayer Dance School, which has been training dancers since 1919. In order to participate in an opening ceremony, dancers must first qualify through a strict regimen. Then they attend multiple lessons at a dance school and receive a stamped certificate of completion after each session.

The opening ceremonies can last two to three hours, featuring opera performances, speeches and the traditional debutantes grand opening dance. Guests gather shoulder to shoulder, eager to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.

Only once “Alles Walzer!” ("Let the waltz begin!") has been declared can the rest of the crowd join in the dancing. This year, many balls honored the 200th anniversary of the birth of Viennese composer and violinist Johann Strauss II, known as the “waltz king.”

While the waltz, the quadrille and other traditional dances are the heart of the Viennese balls, modern events now offer a diverse range of music and entertainment. Most venues feature multiple halls where guests can dance to various styles, including disco and contemporary beats.

Still, not everyone is a fan of updating the music to the 21st century.

“I’m an old-fashioned guy who doesn’t like the change of the balls,” Selmani said. “With a lot of change you might lose the cultural meaning behind it.”

Dress codes, however, have remained strictly enforced for centuries: gentlemen are required to wear tailcoats or tuxedos, and ladies must don evening gowns. Many attendees rent their attire from Lambert Hofer, a renowned costume workshop founded in 1862 that rents out hundreds of gowns each year.

For many Austrians, a ball ends not on the dance floor but on the street at one of Vienna's famous sausage stands. Once again, those elbow-length gloves must come off — this time, to eat.

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Associated Press journalist Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed to this report.

Young people dance waltz during the opening ceremony of the Elmayer-Kränzchen, a Traditional Ball of the Elmayer Dance School in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Around 700 young people opened the Elmayer-Kränzchen this year, a Traditional Ball of the Elmayer Dance School in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A young couple dance during opening ceremony of the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

People watch and take pictures during the opening ceremony of the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Young people dance waltz during the opening ceremony of the Elmayer-Kränzchen, a Traditional Ball of the Elmayer Dance School in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Young people participate in the opening ceremony of the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Cornelia Gadermayr, left, and her partner Leander Selmani, right, pose for a photo before the opening ceremony of the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

People dance after the opening ceremony of the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Young people look their phones while waiting to attend the opening ceremony of the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Women adjust each others hair during the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A hairdresser straightens a man's hair during the opening ceremony of the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Young people learn to dance waltz during a rehearsal in the Elmayer Dance School in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Febr 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Young people learn the opening choreography for the Lawyers' Ball during a rehearsal in the Elmayer Dance School in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Febr 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Young people learn to dance waltz during a rehearsal in the Elmayer Dance School in Vienna, Austria, Sunday, Febr 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A young couple dance in the fitting room of Lambert Hofer, a renowned costume workshop in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Febr 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A man's clothes lie in one of the fitting rooms of Lambert Hofer, a renowned costume workshop in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Febr 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A young couple watch themselves in the mirror during their fitting in Lambert Hofer, a renowned costume workshop in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Febr 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Prepared tailcoats and tuxedos wait to be rented in Lambert Hofer, a renowned costume workshop in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Febr 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Paper boxes are full of buttons in the workshop of Lambert Hofer, a renowned costume workshop in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Febr 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A man tries on his tailcoat before renting from Lambert Hofer, a renowned costume workshop in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Febr 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

An employee holds bow ties in Lambert Hofer, a renowned costume workshop in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Febr 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Around 700 young people opened the Elmayer-Kränzchen this year, a Traditional Ball of the Elmayer Dance School in Vienna, Austria, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Young people participate in the opening ceremony of the Lawyers' Ball in Vienna, Austria, Saturday, March 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)