A Brief History Of Waltz

Waltz is a beautiful, romantic dance characterized by its rise & fall motion and long, flowing movements. Great for weddings, or any other special occasion. Today, waltz is widely popular all around the world. Was it always like that? In this article we will take a peek into the history of waltz.

Waltzing is all about turning, that’s how it got its name. The word waltz originates from the German word “walzen”, which means – to turn, to roll, to revolve.

Waltz was danced in the ballrooms of the Hapsburg court from the 17th century on. It originated from a folk dance, danced in Austria and Bavaria. At first, because of the close physical contact with members of the opposite sex, religious leaders and conservative aristocracy considered it exceedingly immoral and obscene. In many areas it was banned. Even in Vienna.

The popularity, as it often happens, in due course overcame all the protests. By the end of the 18th century, waltz was generally accepted by all layers of society and widely spread across Europe.

Great Austrian composers of the nineteenth Century, such as Franz Lanner, Johann Strauss Senior and Junior helped enormously to popularize waltz. Johann Strauss Jr. was known as “The Waltz King”. The Blue Danube is his best known work.

In the 19th century, when waltz was introduced to the United States, a different style emerged. Boston Waltz, also known as American Waltz, was a slower version of the traditional Viennese Waltz. Later on, the slow waltz, as we know it today, evolved from the Boston waltz. Viennese waltz is three times faster than the slow or English waltz.

In this time and age, waltz is danced all around the world by people of all walks of life. Both styles, the faster Viennese and slower English, are widely popular. A truly elegant and ageless dance.