Waltz

Waltz (German walzen,”to revolve”), graceful couple dance in µ time, and the name of the music for this dance. The first of the three beats of waltz rhythm (both in music and in dance) has a strong, propulsive impulse; it is followed by two lighter beats (or steps), the second of these an upbeat “pushing” into the new first beat (... three ONE two three ONE two ...). Developed in central Europe from the Austrian couple dance known as the ländler, the waltz, with its fast whirling of partners held as if in an embrace, shocked polite society when it was first introduced about 1800. It became the outstanding ballroom dance of the 19th century and maintained a prominent position even after the 20th-century introduction of jazz-dance styles. Many variations were developed, among them the elegant, rapidly turning Viennese waltz, popularized in the mid-19th century through the influence of the Viennese composers Johann Strauss the elder and Strauss the younger, known as the Waltz Kings; the Boston, with its dipping, gliding motion and step, the hesitation step that rests on the third beat; and the related Creole waltz of South America, often danced with a stamping step, and extra heel clicks. Waltzes in the 19th century were danced much faster than 20th-century waltzes, which vary from medium speed to very slow. Waltzes were composed by many concert music composers, such as Johannes Brahms, Frédéric Chopin, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who incorporated them into his ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker.