What is the Waltz?
Q: What is the Waltz?
A: The Waltz is one of the five international ballroom dances in the Modern or Standard style.
Q: Where did the Waltz originate?
A: The Waltz originated in Vienna.
Q: How was the Waltz modified?
A: The Waltz was greatly modified by English dance teachers in the 1920s, which is why it is sometimes called the English waltz.
Q: What are some other names for the Waltz?
A: Some other names for the Waltz are the diagonal waltz, the international waltz, and the slow waltz.
Q: What kind of music should be used for the Waltz?
A: Music for the Waltz should be in 3/4 time, and played at 29 to 34 bars per minute with the accent on the first beat of each bar.
Q: Is the Waltz a simple dance for beginners?
A: Yes, for beginners it is a simple dance compared to some others.
Q: What are some of the features of the Waltz?
A: The Waltz features whisks, chassés, spins, hesitations, drags, and split-beat steps, many of which have been copied in other dances. The first 'advanced' figure to be invented was the double reverse spin, by Maxwell Stewart in the 1924 World Championship. Nowadays it is taught at the silver medal stage.
