for over a thousand years the russians have known the look good party needs done sing down the centuries rich and poor alike have learned the steps put on their costumes and set off to find love patronage or simply good time. in this suitably graham building almost two hundred people have gathered to perform the classics from the polonaise to the polka all in front of a live orchestra. you can't help but notice the effort that's gone into their appearance and although i wasn't the only one in my dress i did feel a little out of place. though i don't feel much in the way of the sensory plating but i do know one lady exactly how to get the right heel for a period of review by irina. so we all look so beautiful costumes here. of

course this ball here was first dedicated to the war of eighteen twelve it wasn't so much about russia as they but it was the first such event that was held after the war a certain degree of courage was required to hold the ball at that time and this stance is where it all began. and with several events every year they're becoming very popular even if you're not experienced you are encouraged to join in and there are plenty of helpful partners waiting to show you the ropes. movement in music have always stood the russian soul but now in the twenty first century more and more people seem to be learning these traditional courtly dances that hop back to a bygone age i wanted to find out what makes them so appealing to

a modern nor dns and how long it might take to get an absolute beginner to the book but. there's a school in moscow which claims it can teach anybody how to dance so i am going to put that theory to the test and apparently there are always sorts of men so hopefully this should be a place for me. the richer good evening everyone today we will learn the viennese waltz which you can dance at the ball roll. up it was time to start learning the basics twiddling round by myself everything seemed pretty easy but a solo waltz wasn't exactly going to cut it take the lady's right hand good. the gentleman's right hand says from the ladies left shoulder blade a little closer. to. the time.

while the. the. to stare at my feet and count out loud we made a few circuits of the room with only minimal damage to obvious toast. there is to be. good enough to actually not look like a total idiot to the board. ok there you just heard the u.k. yeah find. a story that's not his have to give a traffic jam. are instructed demon has been teaching for the best part of twenty years and says he's never seen dancing more popular. though she wasn't the most because of it is important because whenever you go to any public place like a restaurant there's always room for dancing to the so you get a feeling of confidence when you know that you can invite

a lady to the dance floor. raise your hand. and then whispered you know i think that the first true taste for dancing only comes after three months of practice. and. unfortunately for me i didn't have quite that long if i was going to make it to another daunts i was going to need some serious help do you have a question there's a pool coming up and i really need a partner. would you come with. a pink or wonderful. myself or great of a heart but clearly i was going to have to get myself properly prepared for culture isn't just about dancing and i was going to have to brush up on my fashion and my etiquette. most here we see the most authentic russian romanticism of this is

a picnic dress it's accentuated with the light shawl and hat only single women were allowed to have uncovered head but it was pushed they had highly decorated hairstyles to married women whether at the ball or at home were required to wear half the summer they dance in the stress of balls but it would be worn only at a local summer gatherings so some school if we look at the male costume we see the dress code was colorful and return to the fashion scene in color courses the shirts of model mostly course. this is the costume for the middle of the nineteenth century. that's the sort of thing up and look for. by this time they are wearing black coats and black trousers in comparison with very elaborate gowns for the ladies men look like exclamation points bringing attention to female beauty. and want to remind you that you could make a costume like that for me the core question of course brilliant or. excuse me for

a moment on this. is how the first mystery. accordions both on the one hand the boardroom is the most democratic place. almost on the whole you can invite anyone you like your board so just but if you want to invite a lady who is standing next to a gentleman you should ask his permission first ball yet the ballroom is also a very patriarchal place in the past and russia were forbidden but there is one exception if someone stood on your partner's dress up like that you were obliged to challenge him to do it only in that instance did the emperor permit it that's just

the way. that the cooperation women were able to communicate with fans with the man you what was being directed at them was was this the final why right arm to the heart without little means i love you. other movements had other meanings this one means i have no interest in that when a lady does this it means she likes. you when the lady flaps her family like this that's your signal to invite her to dance. stand facing one another the gentleman takes a step to the right. that is gentleman embrace your partner.

already. off the. bus. excellent off. the rock you have wonderful shoes train is the new put me on that bus to boast or. ok just try it in front of front and back and plastering yeah and crying yep that little in a couple. it wasn't perfect but it was as good as it was going to get and the next day i headed to remus to pick up my cost you. know what nothing here

we have the drive from the middle of the nineteenth century. you know this hoop skirt around this is made of silk taffeta there's about nine leaders here at that time flowers were very fashionable just because now i'll show you my pride and joy just because it's a carnival gown from the sixteenth century. i'm not saying it's all sun by hand. all silk and silk and bordered fabric such a beauty. of the ball all of this beauty was exempted by the seriousness rigor and restraint in male attire. that's the kind of out that we've got for you. so this is going to make me hopefully a fresh little gent of the ac and fifty's now just to see if everything fits and it seems the trend of the day was for very small clothing. if you look at those

messages the best needs to be tight even in paintings you'll see that the male figure it's the females. and waist and the small chunks of big kids here ladies for most we can't put the cakes james well for the next week. like that. there we go i finally feel authentic james the dandy you schol go to the ball. shows. the women of the time spent about six hours in hair ration for the head dress i had to have a high level of professionalism in order to make such a hairstyle unless they used a shim to greek statues as models to the pyre style uses lots of walks and curls

consumed during these hairpiece holds these hair out of fashion we have spirals at the temples we use crowd it's a very romantic style and very playful. especially in dance when a girl dances and flips her curls it's amazing. and. it's super wonderful thank you but you know you're ready for the ball from the cold. and. we were dancing in the more of your apostle museum a building that's over two hundred years old and that's recently undergone a long restoration by descendants of its former owners and amazingly everything seemed to go off without a hitch. and

. as we take a little break i say now that we finally got the waltz out of the way without too many cups is that what's made you stick with it what you think you cross out here is that the feeling down during the meeting new people you're done in these ads. dear music everything together all together is like a donkey day you get used to it and you get addicted to or i would like to get the big think that. the house used to play host to the aristocracy i mean intelligentsia and it's certainly true that in such all centered surroundings and among beautifully dressed people it's easy to lose yourself. and it's possible i

may have got slightly carried away. stuff. i did moan satisfaction. i begin. to. choose your language. calling me killer though in a financial planner there is still some honest. truth to the concerns you.

choose to get the news that immigrate to. choose the stories that impact the life choose the access to your office.

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dollar had been satisfied and as i rode back towards the twenty first century it was finally time to read a message i've been cast at the darts. james i'd like to invite you to join me at the first russian viennese ball in montrose switzerland it should be a memorable event if you like to attend please join me at the imperial tailoring company in moscow next monday at noon if you'll need to pick out something elegant hope to see you there victor. there was no way i could pass up a chance like this viennese ball is renowned as the best event of the season and i

knew that victor was one of the men in charge. now it might be a traditional ball but i don't think the eight hundred fifty look is going to cut it in switzerland so i'm here to meet up with victor and hopefully pick up something a little bit more. picture hi james stuff this is yeah well now we know that she was a huge for you i've already chosen the one for me this one please ok. certainly had good taste it brought me to moscow's imperial tailoring company where they make some of the best clothes in the business. runs. well well james in general you look really very good i think fits you perfectly but maybe some small items for example your trousers are

longer right thing and maybe a bad fake some more buttons all. this was just yeah yeah but in general it's perfect and of course there's always a place or something we could always do best ok right so of course i work ok. q. this is your theory that you look really perfect thank you very much well i don't think that daniel craig has anything to worry about but you can't help but feel a bit special it's something like this so what's up switzerland because we're coming to get you. a few days in around two and a half thousand kilometers later i'd arrived in the small swiss municipality of montrose and it certainly didn't disappoint. when you used the wrong yes to be very welcome to the film from on top of the earth so your room is ready this is a room with nicky thank you well this is a bit special isn't it

a five star hotel for a five star event a comic. viennese ball has taken place in moscow under around europe since two thousand and three it's the brainchild of organizer alexander smuggler and i caught up with him to see why he decided to hold this one in montreaux. first of all we never did a ball in the like ok. we decided to do it and when we're choosing the place we consulted with some. partners from through the salon so they said that. look at montreal this is beautiful small town on the lake so i came here spatially to check the place i was impressed so we decided to make both here. more than twenty thousand people have attended

alexander's dumpsters and each one is planned down to the last detail how much preparation goes into. it wasn't my kids you know it seems. that it is very easy but it is not so definitely. to make it a real ball you have several levels of it but you have to bring distress to august first at least one thing for nick one jess all just seemed others to care about catering to don's flaw in order people have to submit it to the dogs because and this is all. i can already tell it was going to be a member of kazan and according to conduct a alfred a very multicultural one. this evening is really very special because we have different problems to solve and we have singers from russia and we have a belly from russia and it will fester from it tell italy and i'm from austria so

it's an international event absolutely well we'll let you get back oh so you need a script thank you very much take it away maestro thank you very much. and. was. busy with district continue the practice i headed back to my room with just an hour to go i had to get ready but there's always time to enjoy if you like this.

passed. i think i can say without a shadow of a doubt that i could get used to this. to. the guests were beginning to arrive but i couldn't resist one last trip to the hotel's engine room. while my nose has led me to probably the most important place in the hotel this evening the kitchen whether carrying all of these things for the ball i'm going to be a little bit careful because i don't want to get ten angry sets around me that could be dangerous. they're making four courses to feed four hundred guests so there's not much time to hike around admired their work then with lobster and white growled the menu so to say i was looking forward to dinner. taking my mouth water.

time getting close. while more and more guests began the night with a glass of champagne i went to meet victor and it turned out he had a rather unexpected surprise in store. i. told him this is and this is my own thanks because we're having one big problem we're liking the debutante at the moment i would like to feel and maybe there are never enough men out there always so many beautiful women and never enough men my pleasure if you would if you will have a. great. buy i had planned to hang back and take part in some of the big group dances this time and i was suddenly very nervous if this was the same years debutante ball it was more important than ever that i didn't mess up still at least i didn't have long to think about it.

with dozens of couples performing the figure walks we did have a few problems with traffic but with a few well timed walls we made it to b.n. and then we could really enjoy ourselves. you're loving life here you know it might seem like you have a really pretty it's like in my case to be made so maybe i'll do. it. i think i. think they. could because it.

is but it certainly leaves you out of breath and it gave me a chance to chat with samia about why she had decided to become a debutante a met so many different younger people who seem to be taking to this what is it that appeals to this as opposed to you know the traditional kind of going out on a friday night is that you know culture and that you know. sauce unleashes the fish and it comes from this question of the stuff we start to live east also very interesting here because of all of last night you know these tend to get a little bodies in silence. as the evening wore on the orchestra was replaced by a jazz band and the music became a little less classical but unsurprisingly no one seemed keen to go home. i think the most revealing thing that i can say is i don't want this whole experience to

end and maybe that's why people love da. so that is just pure my physical escapism a long way that i can see. you. i didn't expect my journey into bowl culture to bring me this far but it had been a fantastic invention i'm to my surprise i actually don't think i'll be hanging up my dancing shoes anytime soon. we might be two hundred years on from the days of war and peace and there is still pools being held both here and the broads you can imagine even the tops of a stove like to attend. a russian dawns tradition is alive and thriving my think. is to tolstoy would have been.

deadly rivals the decades. if you had fifteen thousand people killing each other in any other country there would be diplomats there would be mediators. self-imposed out costs from society i will contact myself chemical attack my brother understand my one time my own immediate. going to leave basically attack the cause of my anger and my frustration the. judge well into the dome.

two of the most violent gangs in u.s. history. a stall model kill or be killed with colors matching the national flag. but this country uses violence when it reaches its and then it legitimizes the violence they are made in america on the odyssey.

it. keeps. me. up.