Waltz

Waltz is one of the five dances in the Standard (or Modern) category of the International Style ballroom dances. It was previously referred to as slow waltz or English waltz. It is danced exclusively in the closed position, unlike its American Style counterpart.

History.
The Waltz originated as a folk dance from Austria.The French dance, “Walt”, and the Austrian Ländler are the most similar to the waltz among its predecessors.

The “king of dances” acquired different national traits in different countries. Thus there appeared the English waltz, the Hungarian waltz, and the waltz-mazurka. The word “waltz” is derived from the old German word “walzen” meaning “to roll, turn”, or “to glide”. Waltz has been danced competitively since 1923 or 1924.

Character.
Like all Standard category dances, waltz is a progressive dance, meaning that dancers travel along a path known as the line of dance, that is counter-clockwise around the floor. It is characterized by pendulum swing movements and incorporates general elements of ballroom technique such as foot parallelism, rise and fall, contra body movement and sway.