‘A Kind of Frenzy’

Maria Theresa, her ladies-in-waiting, her dressmaker and probably even the latter’s maidservant all had something in common: their love of dancing. The Empress diverted herself at Court balls in the Redoutensälen, and the Court’s routine was punctuated by Church ceremonies and feast days. The lower social orders took their pleasures at the ‘Hetz’ amphitheatre, where animal-baiting took place, but they also shared the Empress’s predilection for dancing. In the heyday of the waltz in Vienna this passion seemingly broke all social boundaries. With an increase in leisure time and the weakening of traditional structures a new culture of pleasure arose for a broad spectrum of the populace, taking over from the courtly festivities of the Baroque era. Large numbers of people went to dances, coffee houses and visited the attractions in the Prater.