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The First Openly Queer Couple in 200 Years Accepted to Dance at the Vienna Opera Ball


As many around the world know, once a year, Wiener Staatsoper transforms its ballroom for the Vienna Opera Ball to create a gala of “unique splendor and allure, the ball of all balls.” For a single night, opera and ballet performances glamor the audience—celebrities from around the world from culture, business, politics, academia and sports alike flock to the Vienna Opera Ball.

While the ballet performances are traditionally done by a male and female, this year there will be a performance by two individuals who identify as non-binary, shattering the 200-year history by being the first openly queer dance couple to dance together. The two have been dancing together for six years ever since they met at school in Germany. Now they join together to make history.

According to PinkNews, when asked about whether they wanted to set an example for increasing diversity, Grau said, “We didn’t sign up for that. But we noticed: ‘Oh, we’re the first’.”

“Then we thought: ‘it’s a shame that we’re the first.’ And then: ‘Someone has to be the first’.”

“Now we face that. Standard dance is still very binary, divided into men and women. Not everyone is as open as the dance school in Ludwigsburg, where Iris and I learned to dance.”

It might be so that not everyone is as open, but with the world changing rapidly, maybe it’s time some folks get opened?

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