1. Start With the Basics
The waltz originated in Austria and comes from a German word "walzen," which means to glide, turn or roll. Unlike some other ballroom dances, the ealtz has been around for a long time and has a long history. The international standard waltz is the ballroom waltz recognized in Europe and other countries, whereas the American smooth is recognized in the U.S with ballroom tempo between 84 to 96 beats per minute. Begin by dancing the waltz in 3/4 time. The basic count is one, two, three; one, two, three with an emphasis on count one. Do the basic box step to dance the waltz. Using the one-two-three count, move the left foot the back, then the right foot to the side. Next, bring the left foot in to meet the right foot. The right foot then moves forward, and the left foot goes to the side and is then brought in to meet the left foot. Dance the waltz with an up and down motion, using the toes and heels to raise and lower your body. Count down, up, up to the one, two, three count.
2. Jazzing Up a Waltz
With the same down, up, up count, begin to rotate the basic box step to dance the waltz. Glide around in four directions to turn the waltz box step to add dimension to the dance. Next add the under arm turn to dance the waltz with more complex movement. Follow the same rotating box step pattern, but this time count one, two, three; two, two, three and on the three, two, three, the follower turns under the arm of the leader. On four, two, three, she returns to face him.
3. Be Assertive With Progressive Steps
To dance the waltz in a forward or backward movement as a unit, add in the progressive forward and back step. From the basic box step, simply begin to move forward/backward with front, side, together or back, side, together pattern. Begin and end the series of progressive steps with a basic box step to dance the waltz. Spice up the progressive forward and back move with the twinkle move. From the progressive step, begin to glide as a unit from side to side in a zigzag or diagonal pattern using the one-two-three count.
4. Mix It Up
Combine steps to make an interesting routine when you dance the waltz. Keep an upright posture at all times, and couples should flow up and down and across the dance floor as a unit. Movement should be exactly synchronized.
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