Vienese Waltz

The Waltz was first introduced to the world of ballroom dancing in the early 1800's. It was the first time on the dance floor where a man held the woman with his hand wrapped around the lady's waist, so intimately close. This new hold was considered immoral and was met with strong criticism. In fact, in parts of Germany and Switzerland the Waltz was banned.

  Before its arrival onto the ballroom dance scene, the Waltz has its roots as a
  country folk dance originating in Bavaria. It was Napoleon's soldiers that spread
  the Waltz from Germany to Paris. From there, it migrated over the "channel" and
  was then properly introduced to society in English ballrooms.

  It was in Vienna, during the 1830's, that two remarkable composers wrote such
  inspiring melodies that would further promote the popularity of the Waltz. They
  were Franz Lanner and Johann Strauss. These faster melodies were quite
  demanding, as the man would Waltz his partner from one end of the hall to the
  other with great speed. It was the fashion in Vienna to be a "dashing dancer".

  This fast style of dancing came to be known as the Viennese Waltz.
 
The Waltz finally made its way to the United States around the 1850's. During the latter part of the 19th Century, composers began writing Waltzes to a much slower tempo as a counterpart to the demands of the Viennese Waltz style. An even slower tempo came into prominence in the early 1920's, with the result that today we have three distinctive tempo with varied accented beats and dance styles (The fast tempo for Viennese Waltz, the medium tempo for the beginning Waltz, and the slower tempo for advanced Waltz)

The Waltz music is written in 3/4 time and should be played at a tempo at 28-32 measures per minute. The following rhythm is used: Q,Q,Q (1,2,3 - 1,2,3...)

The Waltz is a traveling and turning dance moving along the Line of Dance.

It's movement is characterized by the use of Sway, Rise and Fall, accompanied by leg and body swing. The progressive style figures of the Waltz are designed for larger dance floors.