The Waltz

Waltz: a ballroom dance in triple time with a strong accent on the first beat. 
Waltz: a ballroom dance, in moderately fast triple meter, in which the  
               dancers revolve in perpetual circles, taking one step to each beat.   
Waltz: a romantic dance in moderate triple time. 

The waltz is one of the easier to learn ballroom dances and one of the most popular and well-known as well.

The waltz was first noticed in the homes of Austria and Germany in the early 16th century, but was then seen as vulgar and unrefined due to it's close hold and rapid turns around the dance floor. It wasn't accepted into high society until the late 1700's, and even then, in England, it was only accepted by the younger generation because of the strong opposition to it by the older generation. It was accepted into North American society in the 1830's and as the older generation in England died out, it quickly became wildly popular all over Western Europe and North America, and was introduced in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, Oceania and South and Western Asia.

Unfortunately, as time went on the waltz lost popularity and gave way to sexier, faster and more modern ballroom dances such as the salsa, the foxtrot and the polka. Though faded into the background, the waltz survives still and is featured in popular dance competitions such as So You Think You Can Dance, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and Dancing with the Stars. It is also a popular first dance at weddings.

Costumes in the waltz are very simple and elegant. The woman would wear a long, flowing dress with ballroom heels and the man would wear a tuxedo with men's ballroom shoes. However, as time goes on, the woman's waltz costume has become more glittery and flashy, with strategic cutouts, piles of sequins and sparkles and shorter hemlines.

There are many different styles of the waltz, but the two major styles are the modern waltz and the faster Viennese waltz. The dance steps shown here are for both.

Men's (leader's) basic box step: 

1. Step forward with the left foot
2. Right foot step sideways to the right
3. Bring your left foot next to your right foot
4. Step back with the right foot
5. Step back sideways with the left foot
6. Bring your right foot next to your left foot

 Woman's (follower's) basic box step:

1. Step back with the right foot
2. Left foot step sideways to the left
3. Bring your right foot next to your left foot
4. Step forward with the left foot
5. Step forward sideways with the right foot
6. Bring your left foot next to your right foot

 When you have mastered these dance steps, simply begin rotating them to the leader's left. Keep practicing until you have mastered that as well.


If the waltz is still difficult to understand, you can take a look at this how-to video for the modern waltz as a visual aid below:

For more information on the waltz, please look at these links:

History: http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/waltz.htm
                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz
                http://www.dancelovers.com/waltz_history.html
How-to: http://www.ehow.com/how_4302_waltz.html
                 http://www.dancing4beginners.com/learn-how-to-dance-waltz.htm