Waltz

Waltz was born in the suburbs of Vienna and Alpine region of Austria in 17th century as a folk dance. Introduced in ballrooms in early 1800's, waltz was denounced for its immorality... It was the first time society saw a dance where man was holding the lady so close to his body. But what brought such antagonism also made it appealing, so the Waltz was here to stay!

In 1830's Waltz was given a tremendous boost by two great composers Franz Lanner and Johann Strauss who wrote some of the most notorious Waltzes of the era. These Waltzes were quite fast, setting the stage for a dance we now call Viennese Waltz.

Later, slower dance developed called English-style Waltz - a dance in 3/4 time with a strong accent on the first beat, characterized primarily by its rise and fall action, accompanied by leg and body swing.