Back to Music & Dance

Waltz Example

A good example of recently popular slow waltz is "Nocturne" from Songs from a Secret Garden. You can listen to a sample by clicking on the above link. You can also order the CD online.

Private Dance Lessons -- Phil Seyer teaches waltz, vals, as well as many other dances including Argentine tango, nightclub two step, salsa, and cha-cha. Give him a call if you'd like some lessons. 916-772-7755. Or send him a note via email.

Waltz

Waltz is a sweet, romantic delicate, dance with a feminine flavor. No wonder that many ladies like it. Today it is popular at some weddings and in ballrooms, and tango dance parties, but rarely at other dance clubs. If you want to learn a delicate dance to use at a ballroom, then waltz is for you. If you want to learn a sexy partner dance (fast or slow) that you might do at a nightclub or private dance party, waltz is probably not the best choice. It's just not that popular. In fact, very few popular songs, ethese days are waltz -- even the slow romantic tunes are not waltzes.

To understand waltz it is helps to understand these important terms: beat, waltz, and meter.

Beat. A beat in music is what you tap your foot to. It is also the musical accent indicated by a conductor who waves a baton. Jazz musicians may indicate the beat by nodding their head or tapping their feet.

Meter. Meter indicates how beats are grouped together. If three beats are grouped together (one strong and two weak), the meter is called triple meter.

When beats are grouped into even grouppings -- like 2 or 4 beats, we tend to clap our hands on every other beat -- but sometimes on every beat.

Pulse. A pulse (as I defined it here) is a light musical accent -- a subdivision of the beat. You might count pulses, but you wouldn't tap your foot to them -- at least not for very long.

OK, now, I'm ready to talk about waltz. [NOTE: If you want to explore these musical concepts in more detail, please see my music theory lesson on beats per measure]

Basically, there are two kinds of waltzes: slow waltz and quick waltz. Quick waltz is often referred to as Vienese waltz. Argentine tango dancers often refer to quick waltz as "vals."

Slow Waltz is a partner dance in triple meter, meaning the beats are grouped into threes. The first group of three beats is accented. Waltz is done mainly in closed position, which means you and your partner continue to hold each other and do not separate.

According to some sources, waltz first became popular the in Vienna in the 1780's, but there is no agreement about this. Needless to say, waltz has been around for centuries, unlike dances like Foxtrot, salsa, cha-cha, and nightclub twostep.

Quick Walz -- or Viennese waltz has 3 very quick pulses per measure of music, but only one beat per measure. This is a common point of confusion. Many incorrectly think that all waltzes has 3 beats per measure. Not so! Quick ballroom walz as it is typically taught requires a lot of quick turns and it is rather difficult. For now, I'll return my discussion to slow waltz.

Slow Waltz. When dancing walz in ballroom waltz figure (from the leader's perspective), you start by bending your knees slightly ("lowered into the knees') and and travelling forward with a strong heel lead. That means you step forward letting your heel strike the floor first. Then you roll onto the rest of your foot.

On count 2 you rises and and step onto the ball of your foot.

On count 3, start high on the ball of the foot, but then lower as you allow the heel to stroke the floor on the second part of the third beat. Notice that there is a rise and fall action. A smooth rise-and-fall action is a primary characteristic of slow ballroom waltz.

Vals.

At Argentine tango dance parties, a dance very similar to tango is done to quick waltz music. They call it "vals" -- probably reflecting the German pronunication of "waltz." (There is no "w" sound in German.) Many of the steps in tango can be done to in vals. The dancers do not try to take three steps every measure as most ballroom dancers do, but often they take only one step per measure -- that's because there is only one true beat per measure. To learn how to do valz, you may want to get a valz instructional video by Cariolina & Diego that will introduce you to the Argentine way of "valsing."