Waltz/Ballroom
DanceTV.com
If you have always wanted to learn how to ballroom dance but never knew where to start, this is the right place for you. You can start learning the Waltz, Fox Trot and Swing by looking at the Learn-Online sections, or you can browse through the Dance Tips section. Either way, you will be out on the floor and ballroom dancing in no time!
If you have always wanted to learn how to ballroom dance but never knew where to start, this is the right place for you. You can start learning the Waltz, Fox Trot and Swing by looking at the Learn-Online sections, or you can browse through the Dance Tips section. Either way, you will be out on the floor and ballroom dancing in no time!
BallroomDancers.com
Extensive information about all the different types of ballroom dances, the basics of ballroom dancing, dance lessons and the music to accompany each dance.
Extensive information about all the different types of ballroom dances, the basics of ballroom dancing, dance lessons and the music to accompany each dance.
The Waltz
The WALTZ was a smash hit from the very start, mesmerizing its listeners into non-stop revelry. The waltz swept out of Germany in the middle of the eighteenth century to conquer all of Europe, inspiring an old German verse: “Whosoever the dance did discover/Had in mind each maid and lover/With all their burning ardor.”
The WALTZ was a smash hit from the very start, mesmerizing its listeners into non-stop revelry. The waltz swept out of Germany in the middle of the eighteenth century to conquer all of Europe, inspiring an old German verse: “Whosoever the dance did discover/Had in mind each maid and lover/With all their burning ardor.”
Waltz Steps
When people say “I can't waltz”, they're probably thinking back to their ballroom dancing days. But a ballroom waltz is quite a different animal from a country dance waltz. For one thing, it's a lot slower. For another, you spend almost the whole time in ballroom position. But the crucial difference is that a ballroom waltz is made up of three steps. The man steps forward, putting his right leg between his partner's legs, then he takes his left leg forward and to the side, then he closes right to left. In the next bar he steps backward on his left, and it's the lady's turn to step forward on the right.
When people say “I can't waltz”, they're probably thinking back to their ballroom dancing days. But a ballroom waltz is quite a different animal from a country dance waltz. For one thing, it's a lot slower. For another, you spend almost the whole time in ballroom position. But the crucial difference is that a ballroom waltz is made up of three steps. The man steps forward, putting his right leg between his partner's legs, then he takes his left leg forward and to the side, then he closes right to left. In the next bar he steps backward on his left, and it's the lady's turn to step forward on the right.
Waltz History
During the middle of the eighteenth century, the allemande form of the waltz was very popular in France. Originally danced as one of the figures in the contredanse, with arms intertwining at shoulder level, it soon became an independent dance and the close-hold was introduced. By the end of the eighteenth century, this old Austrian peasant dance had been accepted by high society, and three-quarter rhythm was here to stay.
During the middle of the eighteenth century, the allemande form of the waltz was very popular in France. Originally danced as one of the figures in the contredanse, with arms intertwining at shoulder level, it soon became an independent dance and the close-hold was introduced. By the end of the eighteenth century, this old Austrian peasant dance had been accepted by high society, and three-quarter rhythm was here to stay.