Waltzes

Waltz is a ballroom dance and the corresponding musical form in 3/4 time. It features a closed embrace, smooth gliding movement, and a rotating pattern around the floor, with music that emphasizes the first beat of each measure.

Originating in Central Europe in the early 18th century, the waltz grew from folk dances such as the Ländler. The name derives from the German walzen, meaning to roll or revolve. It gained prominence in Vienna and spread across Europe in the 19th century, aided by composers like Lanner and the Strauss family.

Musically, waltzes are composed in 3/4 time, with melodies organized in regular phrases and a steady, dance-friendly tempo. The form appears as standalone pieces and as movements in larger works, with famous examples including Johann Strauss II’s waltzes and Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers.

In ballroom practice, dancers use a triple-step pattern within a closed hold, often featuring rise and fall and a sequence of turns that creates a continuous, flowing motion. The Viennese waltz is the fast, spinning variant, while the English or Romantic waltz is slower and more expansive.

Beyond concert repertoires, waltzes appear in folk traditions and modern dance, and remain common in competitive ballroom dancing. The form has influenced many genres and remains a representative symbol of 19th-century European social culture.