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Waltz

A waltz is a dance performed in triple time, with partners holding each other close while turning in circles to the rhythm. The basic waltz step forms a box pattern on the floor. Originating in Austria and Bavaria in the 18th century among peasants, the waltz grew popular in ballrooms due to its catchy rhythm and intimacy between partners. It has since evolved into different styles like the Viennese waltz, International waltz, and American waltz, but remains a respectable way for partners to have close physical contact on the dance floor.

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242 views1 page

Waltz

A waltz is a dance performed in triple time, with partners holding each other close while turning in circles to the rhythm. The basic waltz step forms a box pattern on the floor. Originating in Austria and Bavaria in the 18th century among peasants, the waltz grew popular in ballrooms due to its catchy rhythm and intimacy between partners. It has since evolved into different styles like the Viennese waltz, International waltz, and American waltz, but remains a respectable way for partners to have close physical contact on the dance floor.

Uploaded by

Donna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is Waltz?

A dance in which two dancers move in triple time as they turn together in circles is called a waltz, and it's also the
name of music that's written for that sort of dance. If you aspire to be a competitive ballroom dancer, you'll need to
master the waltz.

Basic steps in Waltz.

Box step is a basic dance step named after the pattern it creates on the floor, which is that of a square or box. It is used in a
number of American Style ballroom dances: rumba, waltz, bronze-level foxtrot.

The weller, or turning dances, were danced by peasants in Austria and Bavaria even before that time. Many of the
familiar waltz tunes can be traced back to simple peasant yodeling melodies. During the middle of the eighteenth century, the
allemande form of the waltz was very popular in France.

Technically speaking, a waltz is a closed position dance to be performed in triple time. In layman's terms, this means that
the partners both hold and face each other while dancing to a rhythm of hard-soft-soft-hard-soft-soft. Originally introduced as a
ballroom dance, the catchy rhythm, combined with the fact that the partners were allowed to be so close to each other, made the
waltz popular within other styles.
As a result, numerous waltzes exist today. From the original Vienna waltz, itself having a fast tempo, other styles
emerged, namely the International waltz and the American waltz, both of which are more similar to what many in the United
States imagine when thinking of a waltz.
Despite the style, the waltz remains today what it was upon its introduction: a socially respectable way to have close
physical contact with someone of the opposite sex.

History of the Waltz


While traditional Central European dance had been incorporating much of the closeness that would make the waltz famous for
hundreds of years, the man who would eventually write some of the greatest music for these dances was Johann Strauss, an
Austrian who lived in Vienna during the very end of the 18th century.

The Waltz as portrayed by Renoir

Given the provocative nature of the dance, it is little surprise that it became very fashionable among those looking for a spouse
and that it soon spread across Europe. Young officers in the British Army introduced it to the ballrooms of London following the
Napoleonic Wars (they learned the dance in France and Austria between battles with the French). To the east, in Russia, the
great composer Tchaikovsky wrote several waltzes, many of which were introduced to the English-speaking world by none other
than the Russian ambassador's wife. As such, the waltz was not only provocative, but it was also the epitome of class.

The Waltz Since Its Introduction


The style of dancing made permissible by the waltz influenced several other dances and would be truly transformative on the
world of ballroom dancing. Large group dances became old-fashioned, as people gravitated to an option that would allow more
intimacy. This intimacy of two partners in each other's embrace can be seen today throughout ballroom dancing and any other
style that requires a partner.

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