Waltz? Current and Poppin or Just Too Old?

The Waltz is a type of dance style that is not normally seen unless of course you are watching ballroom dance competitions. The Waltz is a type of dance style that is very graceful, elegant, and on the slower side. The Waltz evolved from folk dances in Austria and Germany in the mid 18th century.

The German "Lander", a folk dance, is supposed to be the beginning point of the Waltz. During this time period a dance developed which was called the "Walzer", a word owing its origin to the Latin word Volvere, which means a rotating motion. Napoleon's invading soldiers spread the waltz from Germany to Paris; then the dance began the spread across the channel to England and finally to the United States. When the Waltz was first introduced into the ballrooms of the world in the early years of the Nineteenth Century, it was met with outraged indignation, because it was the first dance where couples danced in a modified Closed Position - with the man's hand around the ladies waist. At the beginning of the 1830s, the waltz was given huge support by two Austrian composers Lanner and Strauss. They set the standard for the Viennese Waltz, a very fast version at about 55 - 60 measures per minute. The fast tempo did created problems leading to the enjoyment of the new dance to disperse because keeping up with the music was a struggle. It is unknown when the waltz was introduced to the United States. It was probably brought to New York and Philadelphia at about the same time, and by the middle of the Nineteenth Century was firmly established in United States society. During the later part of the Nineteenth Century, Waltzes were being written to a slower tempo than the original Viennese rhythm. Around the close of the Nineteenth Century, two modifications of the waltz developed in the United States. The first was the "Boston", a slower waltz with long gliding steps; there were fewer and slower turns and more forward and backward movement than in the Viennese Waltz. This version eventually stimulated the development of the English or International Style which continues today. The American Style Waltz is similar to the International Style except the American Style has open dance positions and the dancers legs pass instead of close. The second modification was the "Hesitation Waltz", which involves taking one step to three beats of the measure. Although the "Hesitation Waltz" is no longer danced, some of it's step patterns are still in use today. In Germany,with Ballroom dances having long traditions, the Waltz is still seen. They relax to Classical Music so for them, they would much rather go to a Ballroom dancing place than go to the club. In America Ballroom dancing has defiantly drawn away for the younger generations eye. For all this information I looked at multiple websites and I can't even count on my fingers for how many I looked at. The website that was the most reliable and that helped me the most was "WALTZ HISTORY | Dancelovers Dance History." Waltz is too slow and too "old" as they say. Teens are leaning towards jazz, hip hop, and even ballet. The only time I truly see the Waltz is on TV with Ballroom Dance competitions, but even these competitions are ever so gradually leaning away from traditional Waltz and modernizing it with pop music and fusion steps. The Waltz will never be the same as it used to be. 


Traditional Waltz:

Modern Waltz: 

Links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/music_dance/paired_dance1.shtml

"WALTZ HISTORY | Dancelovers Dance History." Waltz_history. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2016.

http://www.dancelovers.com/waltz_history.html

"Why You Should (and Can) Learn to Waltz | Lifestyle | DW.COM | 13.01.2016." DW.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2016.

http://www.dw.com/en/why-you-should-and-can-learn-to-waltz/a-18975242

"Departments." Ballroom Dancing Makes a Comeback « Northwest Quarterly. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2016.

http://oldnorthwestterritory.northwestquarterly.com/2014/12/ballroom-dancing-makes-a-comeback/