Preparations for the 5th Viennese ball to be held in Moscow in June are already underway. About 18 pairs of debutants supposed to open the ball will be chosen by the organisers.

Most participants will have to pay considerable amounts for tickets, but the debutants – girls, dressed in white, with sparkling tiaras on their heads – will be dancing for free for the first time.

The casting is held months before the event. To get an opportunity to find herself in the middle of a fairy-tale, a girl has to be prepared for some tests. According to the rules, single girls from 17 to 23 can take part in the ball.

At the casting, the ball's organisers talk to girls, asking them simple questions – about their preferences in literature, music and, of course, their motivation to attend the ball.

The potential debutants don't have to be able to dance at this stage. The 160 luckiest, picked out at the casting, will be given special classes by famous Russian dancing teachers.

It is not a pretty face that is the main criteria of choice, as the ball is first of all a cultural event. It is attended by people from artistic circles and the jet-setters, who pay $US 1,000 to attend the event.