The Waltz

“La Sauteuse,” a waltz caricature from Le Bon Genre (Paris, 1806)

From the word Wälzen

Around the middle of the eighteenth century, the word wälzen, which meant to revolve, to turn, to roll, or to wander, was brought into general use to reference peasant spinning dances. The word soon began to be used to describe the whirling and revolving movement itself, and later to describe the dance as we know as the waltz. The waltz as a dance movement is older that the period in which it gained its name. Just like we have seen in the lander, the spinning and waltz step was present in the dance, but it was not until later that the waltz became a dance of its own.

What Dances Influenced the Waltz?

Although it is not exactly clear if their was a certain dance that influenced the waltz, historians believe that it was probably evolved from the sixteenth-century court dance called the volta, or the Australian folk dance called the landler. The volta was part of a group dance which was called the galliards. It was to be danced after the pavanes and in a familiar triple meter. It was the only court dance at the time that was danced with a couple in “close” embrace. However, the volta was soon replaced with the minuet in the seventeenth century. We can see the influence of the volta in the waltz in many ways. The waltz contains many courtly aspects and still contains the etiquette style in the ballroom. The landler was a folk dance that was popular in Germany, Bavaria, Austria, and Bohemia. The couples, similar to the volta, danced in a close embrace while rotating. It was performed in a ¾ timing, and it is said that the couple moved together in a slow waltz step. The rotating was a big part of the waltz and really helped define the dance when it was first established. Both the lander and the volta were considered an outrage during their time.

Volta

Landler

Gaining Popularity

It actually became so popular in March 1792, the Journal des Luxas und der Moden wrote, 

“waltzes and nothing but waltzes are now so much in fashion that at dances nothing else is looked at; one need only be able to waltz, and all is well.” 

Also, in 1797, a journalist commented, 

“that the waltz was as common and contagious as a cold in the head.” 

Anyone could learn the basic steps of the waltz since it did not require hours of study under the guidance of a trained dance master. The waltz also had the freedom for the dancer to interpret the dance how they saw fit. The waltz opened up a new way for anyone to dance in the ballroom. It was simple, yet satisfying to dance and did not require the precision that was seen in the earlier court dances. Since the waltz gained a broad appeal, dancing venues and assemble halls were soon converted into ballrooms. The waltz really became a dance that was considered “revolutionary” since it provided all different classes an opportunity to show their worth based on skill rather than their rank in society.

Detail from frontispiece to Thomas Wilson's Correct Method of German and French Waltzing (1816), showing nine positions of the Waltz, clockwise from the left (the musicians are at far left). History of Dance, by Mary Clarke and Clement Crisp

Societal Views

The waltz was first introduced into England around 1790. “At first the English were extremely reticent to accept the scandalous dance.” The dance went against the traditional group dance they were used to by introducing a couple dance where the man actually clasped his arm around the ladies waist which gave the dance a dubious moral at the time. It also was opposed for its rapid movements by mostly religious leaders and elder people who considered the dance to be sinful. The opinion of many was that the waltz was pernicious and therefore the people tried to stop young men and young women from dancing it, but like any young men or women would do, they would rebel against their elders and sneak out to dance the waltz anyways. The opinions soon died out, as the majority of the people began to find the joy in the dance. This can even been seen in our society today. What we considered scandalous behavior last year soon became normal for society. We see the same effect throughout all of history.

How They Felt

In the book, The History of the Waltz, Goethe described,  

“I was no longer human. To have the most adorable creature in one’s arms and to fly around with her like the wind, till everything round one passed away.” 

For the first time after the period of the minuet, the waltz introduced sensual thrills. Ernst Moiz Arndt in his report wrote, 

“ The dancers grasped the long dress of their partners so that it would not drag and be trodden upon, and lifted it high, holding them in this cloak which brought both bodies under one cover, as closely as possible against them and in this way the whirling continued in the most indecent positions… When waltzing on the darker side of the room there were bolder embraces and kisses… I now understand very well why here and there in parts of Swabia and Switzerland the Waltz has been prohibited.”

Dances that have Developed

One type of waltz that was developed as a dance during the eighteenth century was the Waltz Quadrille. It reflected the early quadrille dance seen in England, but now only had two flowing figures rather than the several seen before. There were set steps performed in this quadrille, but it still contained the scandalous closed dance position of the waltz that was frowned upon. It was danced in a three-four timing and usually danced with four couples. The first eight bars of the dance were to address the partner and address the corners. The the head couples then walk in a waltzing step right and left, followed by the side couples waltzing right and left. Then the music breaks and everyone is in closed position waltzing in a circle. Like the Waltz Quadrille, there was also the dance called the Waltz Valeta. The Valeta can be recognized in the waltz we recognized today. It is performed with open and closed positions, but unlike the quadrille, it is only danced with one partner. Throughout both dances, all steps should be executed with a waltz step and always staying on top of the three-four timing. 

Technique

The waltz gained its true meaning when it was danced as a “Schleifer,” this meant the feet dragged along the floor rather than using a hopping motion seen in the polka. The smooth dragged revolutions in the waltz made it possible for the gliding motion that is favored by the new generation. We can see this smooth motion in the slow waltz today; the first count of the waltz uses this gliding motion by bending the knees and dragging the feet along the floor. In every ballroom dance, dragging feet it a must to make the motions seem like the are floating and smooth rather than a bouncing motion. This technique has become an essential part to the ballroom dances that followed the waltz.

wikipedia