The Waltz - A Brief History

Waltz:

 From the old German word walzen to roll, turn, or to glide,
a ballroom dance in 3/4 time with strong accent
on the first beat and a basic pattern of 
step-step-close, to move or glide in a lively or 
conspicuous manner.

A dance born in the suburbs of Vienna and in the alpine
region of Austria. As early as the seventeenth century, 
waltzes were played in the ballrooms of the Hapsburg
court. The weller, or turning dances, were danced by
peasants in Austria and Bavaria even before that time.
Many of the familiar waltz tunes can be traced back to
simple peasant yodeling melodies. During the middle of
the eighteenth century, the allemande form of the waltz
was very popular in France. Originally danced as one of the figures
in the contredanse, with arms intertwining at shoulder level, 
it soon became an independent dance and the close-hold was 
introduced. By the end of the eighteenth century, this old 
Austrian peasant dance had been accepted by high society, and 
three-quarter rhythm was here to stay. However popular the 
waltz, opposition was not lacking. Dancing masters saw the waltz
as a threat to the profession. The basic steps of the waltz could
be learned in relatively short time, whereas, the minuet and other
court dances required considerable practice, not only to learn the
many complex figures, but also to develop suitable postures and 
deportment.The waltz was also criticized on moral grounds by
those opposed to its closer hold and rapid turning movements.
Religious leaders almost unanimously regarded it as vulgar and
sinful. Continental court circles held out obstinately against the
waltz. In England, the waltz was accepted even more slowly. In July
of 1816, the waltz was included in a ball given in London by the
Prince Regent. 
A blistering editorial in The Times a few days later stated:  
  "We remarked with pain that the indecent foreign dance called
  the Waltz was introduced (we believe for the first time) at
  the English court on Friday last. It is quite sufficient to
  cast one's eyes on the voluptuous intertwining of the limbs
  and close compressure on the bodies in their dance, to see that
  it is indeed far removed from the modest reserve which has
  hitherto been considered distinctive of English females. So 
  long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and
  adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now
  that it is attempted to be forced on the respectable classes
  of society by the civil examples of their superiors, we feel
  it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter
  to so fatal a contagion."
Even as late as 1866 an article in the English magazine Belgravia
stated:
 "We who go forth of nights and see without the slightest
  discomposure our sister and our wife seized on by a strange man
  and subjected to violent embraces and canterings round a small-
  sized apartment - the only apparent excuse for such treatment
  being that is done to the sound of music - can scarcely realize
  the horror which greeted the introduction of this wicked dance."
A lot of the disapproval was voiced by the older generation, but
seldom mentioned is the fact the reigning Queen (Victoria) was a
keen and expert ballroom dancer with a special love of the waltz!
But as history repeats itself over, the antagonism only served
to increase the popularity of the waltz. The bourgeoisie took it
up immediately after the French revolution. Paris alone had nearly
seven hundred dance halls. 
Reportedly, the first time the waltz was danced in the United
States was in Boston in 1834. Lorenzo Papanti, a Boston master,
gave an exhibition in Mrs. Otis' Beacon Hill mansion. Social leaders
were aghast at the "an indecorous exhibition." By the middle of 
the nineteenth century, the waltz was firmly established in United
States society. Music plays an important role in dance, and every
dance is dependent upon the availability of the appropriate music.
The waltz was given a tremendous boost around 1830 by two great
Austrian composers - Franz Lanner and Johann Strauss. These two
composers were by far the most popular during that century: 
they set the standard for the Viennese waltz, (a fast version of
the waltz). 

By 1900, a typical dance program was three quarter waltzes and
one quarter all other dances combined. Around the close of the
nineteenth century, two modifications of the waltz were developed.
The first was the Boston, a slower waltz with long gliding steps.
Although the Boston Waltz disappeared with the first world war, 
it did stimulate development of the English or International style
which continues today. The second was the hesitation, which
involves taking one step to three beats of the measure. Hesitation
steps are still widely used in today's waltz. The waltz has emerged
today in two accepted forms:
The Modern Waltz and the Viennese (Quick) Waltz. Both reflecting
the main characteristics of the dance.