Waltz is one of the five dances in the Standard (or Modern) category of the International Style ballroom dances. It was previously referred to as Slow Waltz or English Waltz.
It is a waltz dance and danced to slow, preferably 28-30 bars per minute (84-90 beats per minute),[1] [2] waltz music. Preferably, the 1st beat of a measure to be accented. Waltz music is in 3/4 time.
Most of the basic figures have 1 step per 1 beat, i.e. 3 steps per measure. Advanced figures may have 4-6 steps per measure, and this, coupled with various turns, makes the dance very dynamic despite the relatively slow tempo. At the same time, advanced dancers often use slow steps and elegant poses to create contrast (sometimes referred to as "light and shade").
Waltz is usually the first dance in the Dancesport competitions in the "Standard" category.
The dance is danced exclusively in the closed position, unlike its American Style counterpart.
Like all dances of Standard category, it is a progressive dance.
Waltz is characterized by the pendulum swing body action. Other general elements of ballroom technique important for Waltz are foot parallelism, rise and fall, contra body movement and sway.
Timing: 3/4; Beat: 28-30 measures per minute; Count: "1 - 2 - 3" (with an accent on "1"); Danced competitively since: 1923-1924.
It originated from the dances of several different peoples in Europe but its main predecessors were the "Matenick" and a variation called the "Furiant" that were performed during rural festivals in the Czech Republic. The French dance, the "Walt", and the Austrian "Lindler" are the most similar to the waltz among its predecessors.
The king of dances acquired different national traits in different countries. Thus there appeared the English Waltz, the Hungarian Waltz, and the Waltz-Mazurka.
The "Waltz" is derived from the old German word "walzen" meaning "to roll, turn", or "to glide". Nowadays the dance has three main forms:
The Ballroom waltz - a slow dance with measured steps that moves around the room in a controlled fashion with lots of figures
The Viennese Waltz - a fast dance with lots of turning, the feet positions are based on ballet though for a correct Viennese Waltz
The Folk Waltz - what most people know as waltz, and can be done to various speeds of music
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