Valse

Valse is the French term for the waltz, a ballroom dance performed in triple meter, typically in 3/4 time. The word derives from the German Walzer, via French valse, from walzen meaning to roll or revolve. In many languages, valse or waltz designates both the dance and the style of music that accompanies it.

Origins and development: The waltz emerged from Central European folk dances in the late 18th century and gained rapid popularity in Vienna during the early 19th century. It introduced a distinctive rotating, close embrace for two partners and a continuous, forward-moving motion around the dance floor, which contrasted with earlier social dances that emphasized linear steps. Over time, regional styles diversified, giving rise to the Viennese waltz, the English-style slow waltz, and other regional variants.

Form and technique: The basic rhythm is a strong first beat followed by two weaker beats, creating a characteristic one-two-three flow. Dancers typically hold each other in a closed position and progress around the floor with turning figures, often incorporating rise and fall in traditional pedagogy. The Viennese waltz is faster and involves continuous turning, while the standard or modern waltz (often called the slow waltz) emphasizes smooth, expansive movement and longer figures.

Music and repertoire: The waltz has been a central form in Romantic and later music. Notable examples include Chopin’s waltzes for piano, Tchaikovsky’s orchestral waltzes in ballets, and Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, and Ravel works that evoke or incorporate waltz rhythms, such as Ravel’s La Valse and many ballet scores, including the famous Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker.

Modern usage: In ballroom competitions, Waltz and Viennese Waltz are treated as separate standard dances. The term valse remains widely used in French-speaking contexts to denote the dance and its music across styles and periods.