History
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in ¾ time, performed primarily in closed position.It originated in southern and central Europe in the 16th century. The peasants of Bavaria and other areas of Europe later began dancing a dance called Walzer, a dance for couples, around 1750. A similar dance was popular in Bohemia, Austria, and Bavaria and eventually spread to the cities. The upper classes were continuing to dance the minuet, but the noblemen would slip away to join the servants at their dances.
The waltz became popular in Britain during the first half of the 19th century. It became, with its closed position, the example for the creation of many other ballroom dances. Subsequently, new types of waltz have developed, including Country/Western that is mostly progressive and features a relaxed frame, the Spanish Waltz (so named because the mission fathers banned the original waltz due to its closed position), the Viennese Waltz (the faster version of the ballroom waltz), Cross step Waltz, the Scandinavian Waltz, Peruvian Waltz, Mexican Waltz, Cajun Waltz, the Venezuelan Waltz, and the Contra Waltz.
Songs You May Recognize
There are a large variety of songs that are waltzes and many that you will recognize. Some popular songs are listed below. At practices and dances we use a mixture of traditional music as well as modern music.
- Moon River — Henry Mancini
- Sunrise, Sunset — Secret Garden
- It is You — From Shrek