Ballroom dancing: The Waltz History

History of the Waltz

When many people think of the waltz they conjure up images in their minds of beautiful socially prominent women of centuries past, dancing in their fancy, full skirted period ball gowns with handsome men decked out in their dress coats, knickers, three-pointed hats, and perhaps even powdered wigs.

The waltz was thought to be vulgar and immoral by both the church and state when it was first introduced into the English ballrooms during the early 1800's. Since the man holds the lady close to his body while dancing the waltz, society viewed this form as a shocking and disgraceful dance position. However, that very position is what made the waltz so appealing to many people, especially when the man and woman were in love. The dancers view it as a form of expression of love between the two of them, and they certainly weren't scantily clad while gliding across the floor in time to the music. Both men and women were very well covered in their layers of elegant clothing.

The waltz has undergone many changes throughout its history. The waltz actually started in the seventeenth century as a country folk dance in suburban Austria and Bavaria. Then it made its want into society as a form of ballroom dance. During the mid-eighteenth century the waltz had become very popular and made its way through the European countries.

During the mid-1800's the waltz was introduced in the United States. When it first started in the US the tempo of the waltz was quite fast and the average dancer found it to be too demanding. However, composers started writing music that was much slower which made it easier to dance the waltz. A certain style of waltz called the Boston was born in the northeastern part of the US. This waltz had slower turns and longer, gliding movements. The Boston soon subsided and gave way to what we now know of as the Slow Waltz. This lead to the development of the slow waltz throughout Europe where the technique was later transformed into the International style Slow Waltz. This new dance became popular in dance competitions throughout Europe and the US, and for society events as well.

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