The Slow Waltz, also known as the Modern Waltz, is a beautiful and elegant dance filled with soft, curvilinear shapes created by the couple as they dance. You may never have thought about how this dance came about, but there’s a fascinating history behind the evolution of the Modern Waltz.
Although today it is often associated with sophisticated society, this dance originated among farming communities in Germany in the 1700s. Prior to the development of modern ballroom, dancing was performed primarily as folk dances. People would move to music, passing from one person to another mostly side by side, without any intimacy involved in the actions. This all changed with the Waltz, itself evolving from a dance known as the Landler. For the first time, a man and woman would actually face each other as they danced. It was controversial and shocking to many. To make things even more scandalous, the man and woman would remain in this hold, facing each other, for the entire dance. Many people felt that this was too far removed from traditional, accepted ways of dancing.
Enter the Romantic Era
Fortunately, another cultural change was underway that helped push the Waltz into mainstream society. The Romantic movement, fostered by the egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution, created an emphasis on curved lines and rotational actions, while rebelling against principles of tradition and authority. This allowed ideas that came from lower society to be accepted by higher society as a form of demonstration against established rules and ideals. Upper class noblemen would even attend the events organized by commoners just to have the opportunity to dance this new way.
The Waltz provided an opportunity for people from all walks of life to be measured based on their skill, not their lot in life. Learn a few steps, and you could mix and mingle with people from all classes of society. Even a relatively poor commoner, if she danced well, could be in a position to dance with a prince.
International expansion
The Vienna Congress, held for nearly a year from the fall of 1814 to the summer of 1815, brought together more than one hundred thousand representatives from many nations. The Congress involved many lavish balls leading to competitions between diplomats to see who could hold the most sophisticated event. The Waltz was a vital part of these events, and the dance spread throughout the world through the influence of these political representatives learning to dance and then returning to their nations. Dance palaces sprung up across Europe. In Vienna alone, the halls would be so large that you could hardly see the opposite wall. They included palm trees and parks inside the building!
If you’ve ever heard the Viennese Waltz called the Tivoli Slide Waltz, you might be interested to know that it was originally written by Johann Strauss I to commemorate a roller coaster style ride that allowed 16 carriage cars on sledges to slide through the Tivoli Pleasure Gardens, one of the largest of these dance halls. Another venue, the Apollo Hall, could hold 5,000 patrons dancing in five large ballrooms.
Queen Victoria had taken dance lessons as a child and attended her first public dance at age 14. Her coronation parties included three state balls with Johann Strauss providing the music. Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, was known as an expert dancer. She loved waltzing with him. Her love of dancing further encouraged people in the social elite circles to support and learn the Waltz. The illustration above reflects the Polonaise Ball in Berlin held to celebrate her marriage.
Slowing down the Waltz
Then, just as today, young people applied their unique levels of energy to social activities, and it was no different with dancing. They challenged one another to complete an entire length of the dance floor in eight rotations, representing one full phrase in the Waltz music. This involved more linear body flight which required the couple to dance much closer together. This was, naturally, frowned upon by many in these sophisticated circles. Such energetic movement, combined with the rapid rotational energy of the dance, became an increasingly complex issue as the dance halls included older participants who didn’t move quite as athletically. In addition, young leads would grasp the lady under her thigh and throw her up into a spinning turn. As you can imagine, such behavior was seen as not only inappropriate, but vulgar.
One way to combat these challenges was by using music that had a slower tempo than the traditional Viennese Waltz compositions that had been applied to that time. By the end of the 18th Century, slower waltzes became commonplace, allowing more elegant and flowing shapes to be used in the dance. This change was also influenced by clothing styles that included narrower skirts and more rigid bustles. These dresses would not flow as richly even in the Viennese style, so there was no visual benefit to the faster rotation. In addition, the slower rotation took away the incentive to have bodies positioned so close to one another.
As the Waltz slowed down, it separated into the two variations we know today: the original high-speed Viennese Waltz and the Slow Waltz, also referred to as the “Modern” Waltz because it was a recent development in the tempo of the dance.
The Modern Waltz continues to slow down. Not that long ago, standard tempi could range from 30-32 bars per minute. This was fine when couples moved very little, and when the dance didn’t include the dynamic 3D shaping we expect today. When applying these technical details, it becomes rushed and uncomfortable to dance at 30bpm. Speeds are now generally 29 and even 28bpm. I suspect as the dance evolves further, the Waltz may even see 27bpm as a common and acceptable tempo.
Voices of opposition
Even in Europe, which had much more liberal attitudes towards physical contact, the Waltz was viewed negatively by many. Author Sophie von La Roche wrote in 1771, “But when he put his arm around her, pressed her to his breast, cavorted with her in the shameless, indecent whirling-dance of the Germans and engaged in a familiarity that broke all the bounds of good breeding—then my silent misery turned into burning rage.” This kind of opposition expanded as the dance reached the shores of North America.
Following the French Revolution, many dancing masters who had fled to America brought the Waltz to the United States. Here it merged with other forms of dance, and other ideas about dancing in general. Despite all this popularity the Waltz had gained, there were many who decried the dance as a promiscuous activity not suitable for polite society.
Despite strong acceptance overseas, the Waltz began to clash with other aspects of North American society. The issue was that in North America, there was a much stronger sentiment of what was considered “proper” and acceptable in terms of how men and women interacted. The idea of a couple who were not married actually in an embrace while moving together was not viewed here with the same attitude that was accepted in Europe. Opponents said dancing was “injurious to the soundness of the mind and body.” It was thought that the rotational motion scrambled the brain. They thought women in particular were in great danger because of their “delicate constitution.” Even physicians warned of the impact of over-exertion caused by dancing. Dr. R.A. Adams stated that according to his research, the longevity of a habitual dancer was limited to as little as 25 years!
In 1898, responding to the growing criticism of waltzing and the modern dance hold, the American Society of Professors of Dancing issued a decree that banned anything that might appear to be hugging during a dance. Gloves were required to avoid skin contact. If the gentleman didn’t have gloves with him, he needed to place a handkerchief in his hand to avoid direct contact with his partner’s hand. Women were urged to avoid learning this kind of dancing. Mme. Celnart wrote, “The Waltz is a dance of quite too loose a character, and unmarried ladies should refrain from it altogether…”
Fortunately, the evolution of the Modern Waltz survived such critical opposition. It came through these challenges much more easily than did the Tango.
In today’s world, especially in Europe, people are much more mature in their understanding of personal boundaries and able to respect physical contact as a practical requirement in dance. What was once considered scandalous doesn’t even raise an eyebrow anymore. Most of the time, anyway. I still run across people who, when they see a couple dancing the Waltz, assume they must be in an intimate relationship.
If you don’t yet know how to Waltz, make your way to a nearby dance studio and take up this beautiful and iconic dance. It will help shape your enjoyment of life, improve your social life, provide numerous physical health benefits, and could even extend your lifespan.
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