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Aballroom orballhall is a largeroom inside abuilding, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties calledballs. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; manymansions andpalaces, especially historic mansions and palaces, contain one or more ballrooms. In other large houses, a large room such as the maindrawing room,long gallery, or hall may double as a ballroom, but, a good ballroom should have the right type offlooring, such ashardwood flooring or stone flooring (usually marble or stone).[citation needed]. For most styles of modern dance, a woodensprung floor offers the best surface.
In later times the term ballroom has been used to describe nightclubs where customers dance, theTop Rank Suites in the United Kingdom for example were also often referred to as ballrooms. The phrase "having a ball" has grown to encompass many events where person(s) are having fun, not just dancing.
Ballrooms are generally quite large, and may haveceilings higher than other rooms in the same building. The large amount of space fordancing, as well as the highly formal tone of events have given rise toballroom dancing. The largest balls are now nearly always held in public buildings, and manyhotels have a ballroom. They are also designed large to help the sound of orchestras carry well throughout the whole room.
A special case is the annualVienna Opera Ball, where, just for one night, theauditorium of theVienna State Opera is turned into a large ballroom. On the eve of the event, the rows of seats are removed from thestalls, and a new floor, level with thestage, is built.
Sometimes ballrooms have stages in the front of the room where the host or a special guest can speak. That stage can also be used for instrumentalists and musical performers.
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