How to Dance the Waltz for Beginners
Waltz is an Austria-German folk dance and is also known as the Landler. It was the music of Johann Strauss that made this dance move very popular and today, it is considered as the most popular ballroom dances and the mother of all such dances. It is a smooth dance that never breaks its line and is characterised by the rise and fall movement. It is a truly romantic dance and is made up of soft, round and flowing movements which is the reason why this dance needs to be perfected before a couple starts doing it in front of an audience.
Instructions
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1
The most unique movements and techniques associated with Waltz are those of rise and fall and body sway. In rise and fall, the body is elevated and then lowered. In these moves, the dancers first move onto the toes and then relax through their knees and ankles and end the movement flat footed.
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The aforementioned movement gives the dancing pair an up and down appearance as they glide effortlessly all over the ballroom.
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When the body sways, it gives the dancers a pendulum like look as their bodies are swinging and swaying towards the direction they are moving to. However, these actions have to be very smooth and done confidently.
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If these initial steps are done the right way, the Waltz will look very elegant and beautiful.
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A three- step sequence which consists of one step forward and one step backward, a step to the side and a step in which feet a closed down is the basic movement of this dance. Quick, Quick, Quick or simply 1,2,3 is the timing of the steps.
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There are eight steps in Waltz; Hover Corte, Whist, Natural Spin Turn, Hover Telemark, Open Telemark Group, Hairpin, Oversway and the Swing.
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However, before you start Waltzing around, you also need to have an idea about the relationship between this beautiful dance and the music associated with it. The music of Waltz is written in ¾ time and is counted as 1,2,3 and 1,2,3. As the rhythmic pattern of this dance is very distinctive, Waltz is easy to recognise and even more simple to learn. As long as you are able to relate the music with the dance, it is a guarantee that you will do the dance perfectly and will avoid any embarrassment in front of the audience.
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It is also advisable to listen to the music for a few minutes in order to memorise the 1-2-3 beat.
