6. THE WALTZ

The Waltz has changed little since the middle of the sixteenth century when it first originated. It was the first dance to employ the closed position now commonly used in all round dances. It originated in France and eventually spread over all of Europe. The Volte, grandfather of our present-day Waltz, was the favorite dance of Queen Elizabeth I, of England.

Though the Waltz is now regarded as a conservative dance, it was slow to gain in popularity because it was considered to be "too shocking." To dance so close to one's partner was considered to be not quite proper. Prior to the Waltz, with its closed position, the gentleman danced at a distance from his lady partner. In most of the dances the couples performed the same steps at the same time. There was much bowing and elegant posturing as exemplified by the Minuet, a dance very popular in all the courts of Europe. Thus, when the Waltz first came into being, the gentleman dancing with his arm around the lady and each couple dancing entirely independent of the other couples, an entirely new trend in dancing was started which is still with us today.

The Germans took the Waltz to heart in the 1700's and increased the tempo of the music, making the Waltz a lively and carefree dance. This eventually became known as the Viennese Waltz. The Viennese Waltz is characterized by constant turns which carry the dancers around the floor at great speed.

When the Waltz first came to this country it was the Viennese Waltz. Now the Viennese Waltz with its constant turning is seldom used. The Turning Waltz should be used now whenever the music is fast-tempoed. Here is an important point to remember: When Waltz music is played very fast, it will not tire you nearly so much if you turn. In fact, it is very difficult to dance a fast waltz without turning. Why is this so? Because the Waltz Basic Time Step has a side step which follows a forward step in every measure of the music. Therefore, when the dancers travel without turning there is a constant change of direction from one side to the other. One is actually fighting his own momentum with every step. However, when the dancers are turning, the side step follows the same line of direction as the forward step. In fact, all the steps in the fast Turning Waltz follow along one line of direction. Thus, in turning, one does not fight the momentum of his own body weight, but instead he gives in to the momentum and rides with it around the room.

The Waltz time is three quarter beats for each measure of music. The first beat is accented. Due to the odd count of three, the Waltz does not easily lend itself to syncopation. As danced today, the Waltz steps most in use may be briefly described as follows:

Pendulum Illustrated

1. The Waltz Box Step.
2. The Waltz Turning Box.
3. The Hesitation Waltz
4. The Traveling Waltz Time Step (Forward and Backward).
5. The Weaving Waltz (Sometimes called Spiral or Manhattan).
6. The Viennese Waltz—turning left.
7. The Viennese Waltz—turning right.
8. Grape Vine Breaks.
9. Running Steps—Breaks in Parallel position.
10. Pendulum Swing.

THE WALTZ BOX STEP

BOY'S PART:

Forward—L	Side—R	Together—L
1	2	3
Back—R	Side—L	Together—R
4	5	6

GIRL'S PART:

Back—R	Side—L	Together—R
1	2	3
Forward—L	Side—R	Together—L
4	5	6

Practice the footwork of this step smoothly, until it is thoroughly mastered. Then practice giving a lilt to your Waltz. Step forward with bent knee, then rise on your toes as you step to the side on Count 2. Then on Count 3, as you step back, let your weight shift back to the ball of your foot. Bend your knee on the Together step and letyour entire body move slightly downward. Thus your body rises and falls slightly on each measure of the music—as you go up on your toes on Count 2, then down again on Count 3.

THE WALTZ TURNING BOX

BOY'S PART:

Diag Forward—L	Side—R	Together—L
Toe Out
1	2	3
Diag. Back—R	Side—L	Together—R
Toe In
4	5	6
Diag. Forward—L	Side—R	Together—L
Toe Out
1	2	3
Diag. Back—R	Side—L	Together—R
Toe In
4	5	6

You have now made one complete turn and are back to your original position. (See diagram of box turns.)

GIRL'S PART:

Diag. Back—R	Side—L	Together—R
Toe In
1	2	3
Diag.  Forward—L	Side—R	Together—L
Toe Out
4	5	6
Diag. Back—R	Side—L	Together—R
Toe In
1	2	3
Diag. Forward—L	Side—R	Together—L
Toe Out
4	5	6

THE HESITATION WALTZ

In the Hesitation Waltz step there is no shift of weight on the Together step which always comes on Count 2. Then on Count 3, there is no movement, no step at all. The boy should hold his partner so that she does not step on Count 3. The Hesitation Waltz is used for the following reasons:

1. To give variety to your dance.
2. To give you a chance to rest, if you have been dancing vigorously.
3. To suddenly stop your movement to keep from bumping into another couple.

The Hesitation step can be danced forward, backward, to the side, or turning, as in the box turn, thus:

BOY'S PART:

Forward—L	Together—R	Pause
No Body Weight
1	2	3
Forward—R	Together—L	Pause
No Body Weight
4	5	6

THE HESITATION STEP SHOULD BE DONE AN EVEN NUMBER OF TIMES.

Side—L	Together—R	Pause
No Body Weight
1	2	3
Side—R	Together—L	Pause
No  Body Weight
4	5	6
Diag.  Forward—L	Together—R	Pause
Toe Out	No Body Weight
1	2	3
Diag. Back—R	Together—L	Pause
Toe In
4	5	6

After you have practiced this a few times you will notice that there is some pivot­ing on the ball of the foot on Count 2. There is much more of a pivot on the Hesita­tion Turning Box than there is on the conventional Turning Box. The turn is about half step turn and half pivot turn. This is a wonderful step. It's fun doing it, too, once you have developed your sense of balance to the point where you can do it easily and gracefully.

TRAVELING WALTZ TIME STEP

BOY'S PART:

Forward—L	Side—R	Together—L
1	2	3
Forward—R	Side—L	Together—R
4	5	6

GIRL'S PART:

Backward—R	Side—L	Together—R
1	2	3
Backward—L	Side—R	Together—L
4	5	6

ILLUSTRATING THE DIFFERENCE IN FLOOR PATTERNS FOR THE WALTZ IN FAST TEMPO AND THE WALTZ IN SLOW TEMPO

SLOW TEMPO WALTZ                                             FAST TEMPO WALTZ

	SLOW TEMPO WALTZ When the waltz music is slow and dreamy, the Travel­ing Waltz Step should have the side step directly to the side—as shown in diagram to the left. Also, the side step should be approximately the same length as the forward step. As you will note, the floor pattern resembles the Roman Key design. By reading upward from the bot­tom of the page you can see that the forward step with the left foot is followed by the side step to the right, and the forward step on the right foot is fol­lowed by a side step to the left. The follow-through principle must be observed very carefully in dancing this pattern. FAST TEMPO WALTZ When the music is fast, the side step should progress the dancer in the same general line of direction as the forward step. The floor pattern here is a zigzag line. By follow­ing the diagram on the right you can see that the forward step with the left foot should be slightly diagonally forward so that the side step which follows will continue to move the dancer forward.
By dancing in this manner one does not have to buck the momentum by suddenly making an abrupt change in the line of direction. When the music is in slow tempo, momentum is never a problem. However, when the music is fast it can become troublesome unless the dancer learns to give with it. As the boy steps slightly diagonally for­ward on the left foot, he should turn his right shoulder forward in the line of direction. Then the side step to the right goes slightly forward following the movement of the right shoulder. After the together step, the boy steps diagonally forward on his right foot and lets his left shoulder move forward in the line of direction. Note specially that when the boy steps forward on the right foot, his foot moves in the same line of direction as the preceding side step. The slight change of direc­tion takes place only on the side step. Note also that the side step is shorter than the forward step.

SHOULDER POSITIONS—FAST TEMPO WALTZ (Traveling Waltz Step)

	Tilting the shoulders, first in one direction and then in the other, helps keep the body momentum under control when dancing the Traveling Waltz Step. Here note the boy steps diagonally forward with his left foot. He turns his right shoulder in the line of direction.  (Figure 1.)
	As his right foot steps to the side, he follows the line of direction of his right shoulder. (Figure 2.) The together step follows, and then as the right foot steps forward on the next measure, the left shoulder leads and the side step follows the left shoulder.

The important thing to remember is this: The side steps are not directly to the side, but are diagonally forward. The forward steps, likewise, are not directly forward, but are diagonally forward with toe turned out. Every step progresses the dancer in a forward motion around the room—zigzagging slightly from side to side as shown in floor pattern diagram as shown on preceding page.

Using the shoulders, as described here, makes the entire movement easy to execute. The girl need not be concerned with this shoulder movement. However, she should practice the foot work.

A COMPLETE WALTZ ROUTINE FOR BEGINNERS

THE VIENNESE WALTZ  (turning left)

Before starting the Viennese Waltz, first visualize exactly what it is. Actually, it is similar in nature to the turning box step with these differences:

1.   The  Viennese  Waltz  makes  a   one  hundred  and  eighty  degree  turn   with  each measure of the music,  whereas the turning box makes only a ninety degree turn with each measure.

2.  This extra turning enables you to take each step along one line of direction. There fore you are constantly traveling when doing the Viennese Waltz, while in the Turning Waltz Box step you do not travel about the room.

3.  The Viennese Waltz is a combination step turn and pivot turn—the Turning Box Step is primarily a step turn.

BOY'S PART:

1.   Forward-L: Turning toe out nearly ninety degrees. As the foot takes the body weight, do a slight pivot turn to the left.

2.   Side-R: This step follows along in the same line of direction as No. 1 above. As the foot takes the body weight, continue to pivot turn to the left.

3.   Together-L:  When your left foot comes together to your right foot you have made  a one hundred and eighty  degree turn.  You  are  now  facing in  the opposite direction from your starting position.

(Now you are ready to step backward in your same line of direction).

4.   Back-R: Turn toe in. This step takes you along in the same line of direction. As the right foot takes the body weight, let your weight go to the heel of the foot, and pivot turn to the left of the heel of your right foot.

5.   Side-L: This step is still along the same line of direction. When the left foot takes the body weight, pivot slightly to the left.

6.   Together-R: When your right foot comes together to your left foot, you will be facing your original direction again.

Throughout this entire step, remember that you always travel along one line of direction. At a glance, it may seem awkward to you to pivot turn on your right heel as described in Count 4 above. However, with a little practice you will see that this is really a very natural movement. When you step backward you are stepping along the same line of direction, thus your momentum will cause your body weight to move right on back to your heel, on which you can very easily pivot turn on around to your left.

The best way to learn the Viennese Waltz is to practice the Box Turn to the left in Waltz tempo until you can do it without even thinking. Then decide to yourself that you are going to do the Box step and turn just twice as much as you ordinarily do. On the first step of your Turning Box step, instead of stepping diagonally forward on your left foot, step primarily straight forward, but allow the foot to take a very slight diagonal direction. It should be noted that Step 1 of the Viennese Waltz nearly always takes a slightly diagonal direction, but it should be thought of and considered a forward step, as the diagonal direction is very, very slight.

GIRL'S PART:

The girl's first step is the same as No. 4 above. Her second step is the same as No. 5, her third step the same as No. 6. Then for steps four, five and six, the girl does Steps 1, 2, and 3 respectively of the boy's part.

For practice purposes, it is better for the girl to practice the boy's part exactly as written, beginning on Count 1. Then when you practice with your partner, you will, of course, start backward on your foot as described in Step 4, as your partner steps forward on his left foot as described in Step 1.

VIENNESE WALTZ (turning right)

Since the left turn has been described in detail, it will not be necessary to describe the turn to the right step by step. Remember that all turning steps to the left, box and Viennese included, can be executed to the right merely by starting on the right foot and reversing each and every movement. Thus:

BOY'S PART:

Forward—R	Side—L	Together—R	Back—L	Side—R	Together—L
Toe Out	Pivot—R		Toe In
Pivot—R			Pivot—R
on L heel
1	2	3	4	5	6

Quite a few years ago, turns were most frequently executed to the right. The trend has changed in the last few years, however, and in this country turns are usually executed to the left. However, as stated before, and repeated here for the sake of emphasis, the skilled dancer should be able to turn equally well in either direction.

In order to reverse your turn—that is, to turn in one direction and then immediately turn in the other direction, you should take an odd number of traveling Waltz steps, or an odd number of Hesitation steps between turns. This odd number of steps will release your other foot, making it possible for you to turn in the opposite direction. Practice this:

1.   Starting with your left foot, make a complete turn to your left. Now, when you have finished one turn, your left foot is ready to step forward again in the same line of direction.
2.

Forward—L	Together—R	Pause  (hesitate)
No body weight
Forward—R	Together—L	Pause
Forward—L	Together—R	Pause
No body weight

You have now taken three Hesitation Waltz steps and your right foot is free, so—

3.   Start with your right foot and execute a complete Viennese turn to your right.

SPIRAL WALTZ (Something called Weaving Waltz)

1. Boy diagonal Cross Front -right. Girl diagonal cross-back-left. (This automatic­ally places partners in par­allel position.) 2. Boy side-left. Girl side-right. 3. Boy together-right. Girl together-left. (Partners are now in open position.) 4. Boy diagonal Cross Front-left. Girl diagonal cross-back-right. (This automati­cally places partners in REVERSE parallel posi­tion.) 5. Boy side-right. Girl side-left. 6.  Boy   together-left.    Girl together-right.

COMPLETE WALTZ TURN TO LEFT (Using Cross Front)

The boy should practice this solo before attempting it with his partner. Every step moves the dancer along one line of direction. This is similar to the Viennese Waltz turning left, differing only on Count 3 where the Cross Front is used in place of the together step. The couple does not dance this step in a tight closed position. (Study the following page for relative body positions.)

NOTE: Pictures read from right to left in order to follow exact movement of the dancer.

No. 1—Boy steps forward with left foot turning toe well out. (This forward step may take a slight diagonal direction). As it takes the weight, pivot turn slightly to the left while next step is in progress.

No. 2.—Step to the side with the right foot traveling in the same line of direction. This step should be slightly longer than step 1. As the right foot takes the weight, pivot turn slightly to the left.

No. 3—Step left foot straight back in the same line of direction, crossing it in front of right foot. At the completion of this step boy has made a full half-turn and is now facing in the opposite direction.

No. 4—Boy steps straight back on right foot turning toe in. As the foot takes the body weight, he pivot turns to the left.

No. 5—Boy steps to side with left foot. This side step is in the same line of direction as previous step. He turns his toe out and pivot turns slightly to the left as foot takes the body weight.

No. 6—Together right. Boy brings right foot to left foot. He has now completed the turn and is facing in the same direction as when the step began. IT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT ALL OF THESE SIX STEPS ARE TAKEN ALONG ONE LINE OF DIRECTION.

The girl should practice the Viennese Waltz Turn to the Left starting backward on her right foot. When dancing this step with her partner, she DOES NOT CROSS-FRONT as does the boy. It is most important in this step for the boy to lead the girl as described on the following page.

COMPLETE WALTZ TURN TO LEFT (Using Cross Front) RELATIVE BODY POSITIONS OF PARTNERS

The important thing to note here is that the boy dances along one straight line of direction, while the girl dances around him, therefore he should vary the length of his step making it easier for her to move this extra distance.

NOTE: Pictures read from right to left.

No. 1—From open position, boy takes short step forward on his left foot, turning toe out, as girl steps diagonally backward on her right foot, turning toe in.

No. 2—Boy's side step to right in same line of direction is longer than usual. This moves him into a position slightly in front of the girl. Girl is doing pivot turn to the left on her right foot, as she steps her left foot in a line of direction toward her partner.

No. 3—Boy does Cross Front with left foot as girl does together step with right.

		6		S

NOTE: Pictures read from right to left.

No. 4—Boy steps backward with right foot, turning toe in while girl steps slightly diagonal Cross Front with her left foot. The boy's step should be shorter than usual, while the girl's step should be longer, thus enabling her to turn around him while he turns primarily in place.

No. 5—Boy's side step to the left in the same line of direction must continue to be short as girl takes a long side step to her right. Both boy and girl continue to travel in the same line of direction.

No. 6—Together. Boy brings right foot to left foot; girl brings left foot to right.

Careful analysis will show that the boy's part requires more pivoting than the girl's part, inasmuch as she describes an arc around him while he turns; her turn is more in the nature of a step turn than a pivot turn, though as previously explained there is always some degree of pivoting in all step turns.

GRAPE VINE BREAKS

Do not confuse the Grape Vine Break with the Weaving Waltz step which is slightly similar in movement. In the Grape Vine Break, both the boy and the girl Cross Front on Count 2.

BOY'S PART:

1.   Start by doing two, or any even number of Traveling Waltz steps. On the second, or the last Traveling Waltz step, let your partner take a longer step than you. This moves you into a body position that is open. Now you are ready for the Grape Vine Break:

BOY'S PART:

Diagonal Forward—L	Cross Front—R	Side—L
1	2	3
Diagonal Forward—R	Cross Front—L	Side—R
4	5	6

Now, lead your partner back into the Traveling Waltz step and gradually move in to a closed body position.

GIRL'S PART:

Diagonal Back—R	Cross Front—L	Side—R
1	2	3
Diagonal Back—L	Cross Front—R	Side—L
4	5	6

You may notice that this step is fundamentally the same step described with pic­tures in the One Step section. The difference is that the step is carried to a count of six instead of eight, in order to keep it perfectly phrased with three-quarter time music.

With a little practice you can vary your body position on this step, thus: On Counts 1, 2, and 3 use the side position as you travel to the boy's left, the girl's right.

Then, on Counts 4, 5, and 6—reverse your side position, holding your partner with your left arm around her waist as you travel in a diagonal direction to the man's right, lady's left.

WALTZ TURNOUT FROM BOX STEP

As the boy steps backward on the first beat of the second half of the box step, he takes an extra long step with his right foot. This extra long step causes him to move away from the girl into an open position as shown in Figure 1. He is now ready to turn the girl to her right. As boy steps to left on count number two, he lifts girl's right hand and pushes her under his arm into a pivot turn to her right, as shown here in Figure 2. (Girl starts her pivot turn by stepping on her right foot.) Boy brings right foot to left foot on count number three — (together)—as girl completes her pivot turn by shift­ing her weight to her left foot. (This entire movement requires one complete measure of waltz-time music— counting the step back on boy's right foot as Count 1. The girl actually completes the pivot turn on Counts 2 and 3.) Boy now joins his partner by taking a long step forward on his left foot, as the girl steps backward on her right foot. (Note that in Figure 4, the boy is moving in close to the girl, and is now ready to place his arm around her waist to make a complete closed position.)

RUNNING WALK STEP AS USED IN WALTZ

From a closed position, while doing the Traveling Waltz Step the boy shortens his step slightly thereby causing the girl to move further away from him into a partial-open position as shown in Figure 1.       On the side step, as the boy steps to his right, and the girl steps to her left, he shortens his steps slightly while her step remains normal. This begins to move her into a parallel position, as shown in Figure 2.     On the together step, the position should be completely parallel—the girl on the right side of the boy. In this position, the boy takes three straight running steps in waltz time. He moves directly forward, starting on his left foot while she moves directly backward, starting on her right foot. (Note the parallel position as shown in Figure 3.)   Boy then leads girl back into a position in front of him and resumes the Traveling Waltz Step as he steps forward on his left foot while she steps backward on her right. (Figure 4.)

THE PENDULUM WALTZ

This step is effective only when the music is in slow tempo and the dancers have excellent balance.

Boy steps forward on left foot as girl steps backward on right on the first count of the measure, then the boy holds the girl so she will not travel and gradually swings his right leg forward. His knee brushes against hers and she swings her right leg backward from the hip. This pendulum swing takes place on Counts 2-3 of the music.   Then the boy steps backward on his right foot as it comes out of the pendulum as the girl steps forward on her left. He now swings his left leg backward from the hip as she swings her right leg forward. The shift of weight always takes place on Count 1 of the music, while the pendulum takes place always on Counts 2-3.   This pendulum step may be used in a turn. To do this the boy steps diagonally forward on his left foot, turn­ing his toe out, while the girl steps diagonally back­ward on her right foot, turning the toe in.     After the step is in progress the girl should follow the pendulum until her partner leads her into another step. On the very first pendulum, however, the only way the girl can distinguish this from an ordinary hesitation step is for the boy to gently push her leg backward as his leg swings forward

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