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The Viennese Waltz is the classic, old, original waltz. A waltzing couple rotate around each other as they fly gracefully around the room. This article discusses the origin and nature of the Viennese Waltz, also known as the Vienna Waltz, the rotary waltz, and in Vienna as the Wiener Walzer. Some people mistakenly call it the Vietnamese waltz, which does not exist. This article lists formal balls around the United States. There are appendices on options for learning to dance, how to do the Viennese Waltz including step diagrams, clothes, etiquette, what makes a good ball, recorded music, dance floor friction and debutante functions.
The Viennese waltz is both a competition ballroom dance and a social ballroom dance.
The age of the Viennese waltz is uncertain, but from Goethe's comments one might infer it to date from the mid 1700's. It should be noted that before the first World War, "waltz" meant a fast waltz, unless specified otherwise. The fast waltz was the original waltz. By the 1930's, among competition ballroom dancers, "waltz" came to mean the slow waltz, which evolved from the "Boston", and the fast waltz was renamed the Viennese Waltz, with reference to the city that originally made it famous. For more on this change in the meaning of the word see Appendix H . The Boston originated in the 1870's, but did not achieve any popularity until the early 1900's. The competition slow waltz has many complicated maneuvers that work only at slow tempo. Among country and western dancers, the word waltz retains its original meaning as the international style Viennese waltz, though some country-western dancers do onestep to waltz music instead. Another thing that some people call a waltz is the box step. Even though the name Viennese makes it sound foreign, Viennese Waltz was the most popular dance at balls in the USAbefore 1910.
Why did the slow waltz gain popularity? The slow waltz has never shown much potential as a social dance; balls based primarily on slow waltz have never been, and never will be, popular. Some powerful forces outside the world of dancing are opposed to balls; they would naturally prefer that if any waltz be taught, it be the slow waltz. The best customers of dance teachers are amateur competition dancers, who want to master the endless intricacies of competition ballroom dancing. Dance teachers prefer dances with more figures to teach so they can teach more lessons. The original waltz had few figures. The international competition slow waltz has many figures, and it is a true ballroom dance. The American style competition "Viennese" waltz also has many figures, but the only ones that are true ballroom dance figures are the few borrowed from the original Viennese waltz. The rest would mostly best be described as show dance figures, though in a strict technical, not cultural, sense they are latin figures.
Many of the most knowledgeable and proficient ballroom dance teachers are enamored with ballroom dance as an art form, like ballet, and have little regard for its simpler forms and its historical use for social interaction. Since ballet has been mentioned, it should be pointed out that ballet and ballroom are entirely different disciplines; it makes as little sense to hire a ballet teacher to teach ballroom as to hire a biology teacher to teach physics, unless the ballet teacher is willing to seriously study the best books about ballroom dancing.
There were many more balls in the USA before 1910 than there are now. Emily Holt's 1901 "Encyclopaedia of Etiquette" had 56 pages devoted to balls; now they would receive little or no mention. On p. 160 of her book she says "So few are the cities, towns, or even small villages where dancing classes are not held that there seems hardly any excuse for a man to attend a ball and refuse to dance...". When balls were popular in America, the adversaries of dance argued that ballroom dancing could cause divorce and illegitimacy. Now few know how to dance, we have few balls, but we have much higher rates of divorce and illegitimacy.
Popular music serves to further illustrate changes in American culture. In 1969 450,000 people attended the Woodstock rock concert in New York state. The behavior of some was very different from what it would have been in church on Sunday morning. In 1872 100,000 people attended a World Peace Jubilee concert in Boston where the waltz king Johann Strauss Jr. conducting his music was one of the star attractions. It seems unlikely that their behavior was much different from what it would have been in church on Sunday morning. Music of both Strauss and Stephen Foster were popular at the time of the wild west. Little country and western music comes to us from that period. "Home on the Range", written in the 1870's celebrates life and nature. By contrast most country and western music of the 1900's is considerably more pessimistic. Perhaps a change back to the less pessimistic cultural tone of the 1800's would be a good thing. This change is probably most needed by those who are most disadvantaged, inner city youth. Popular culture can influence self image and self confidence. Accordingly, this article also discusses low cost balls which can put this recreation within the means of any group.
Those interested in waltz history will want to see the following: this preface, the first two paragraphs of the next section, the latter part of Appendix A, the paragraph about ladies period costumes in Appendix D , Appendix H, the paragraph about the box step in the article about social ballroom dancing at this website, the history paragraph in the article about balls in Vienna at this website, and the entire article about American balls in the 1800's at this website. For history of the tango see the section by that name in the social dancing article.
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Music in 3/4 time goes back at least as far as "Das Lied vom lieben Augustin", written in 1679. The Viennese Waltz dates from the 1700's. It got to England after the War of 1812. In 1814 the Viennese Waltz was credited with helping to put the ambassadors to the Congress of Vienna in the frame of mind to amicably settle the mess left after Napoleon's first retirement. It is still popular in Vienna. They have about 150 public balls listed in the ball calendar in the first three months of each year, with some balls having attendance up to 5000, in a city of only 1.5 million. There are more than 300 balls if you include ones not listed in the published calendar. These are not predominantly Viennese Waltz balls, but most have a fair amount of Viennese Waltz. See the separate article at this web site about the balls in Vienna.
What is it like to do the Viennese Waltz? In 1774 Goethe wrote a possibly autobiographical novel, "The Sorrows of Young Werther", which describes a dance attended by country folk at a lodge in the country side. The dance was in fact popular with such common folk before it was taken up by high society. At the dance young Werther dances with a beautiful young lady who is an exceptionally good dancer. The Encyclopedia Britannica's article on dance history quotes the description he gives of what it is like to do the Viennese Waltz: "Never have I moved so lightly. I was no longer a human being. To hold the most adorable creature in one's arms and fly around with her like the wind, so that everything around us fades away." Everything around you and your partner fades away because the rest of the world is whirling relative to you, but your partner is not. You no longer feel like a human being because of the wonderful sensation of flight that can occur in a well executed Viennese Waltz. Werther made the point that this particular young lady was an exceptionally good dancer, which explains why this particular dance was so remarkable. And in young Werther's case, being a romantically inclined young man with a beautiful young lady in his arms no doubt helped, too.
The Viennese Waltz can be beautiful to watch, but it is even more beautiful to dance. Different kinds of dance evoke different feelings in the dancer just like different kinds of music evoke different feelings in the listener. The famous Viennese Waltz music such as the Blue Danube was written after the dance became popular, and the music expresses the feeling of the dance as experienced by the dancers themselves. Attending a Viennese Waltz Ball can be as clean, wholesome and uplifting an experience for the dancer as attending a beautiful church on Sunday morning is for the devout. A really good Viennese Waltz ball has a magical air about it, a magic that shows in many of the ladies' faces. No other social dance that is within the reach of ordinary people makes one feel so good about oneself and one's partner as the Viennese Waltz. Perhaps that is why it seems so appropriate to dress up for the event.
When danced athletically with large steps the Viennese Waltz has been compared with downhill skiing. Because the world is whirling around you as you dance, it seems like you are going 50 miles per hour, even though you are moving at the speed of a brisk walk. When danced gently with small steps it feels like a pelican looks when he glides through the air low above the water. Sadly, both skiers and pelicans have to do their thing alone; dancing is a shared experience, much more so than sitting side by side in a roller coaster ride. The steps of the Viennese Waltz can be done alone or with a partner; it is incomparably more enjoyable to do with a partner, and does not take on the quality of flight without a partner. It is the best social dance ever invented, and probably the hardest to learn to do well. Merely swinging a club does not make you a real golfer; the fine points make all the difference. The Viennese Waltz is like this too.
The Viennese Waltz as danced in Vienna and most of Europe has almost no variety. Only the natural turn, rotating to the right, the reverse turn, rotating to the left, and the change figures to change the direction of rotation. Partisans of other forms of dance are totally mystified about how so many people could like a dance with so little variety. People ski for thrills, and play golf apparently to scratch an itch for perfection. Neither has a lot of variety. The attraction of the Viennese Waltz is based on both thrills and perfection. A golf pro might give a beginner a score of 5% on his swing when he first learns to hit the ball. It is so difficult to learn to do the steps of the Viennese Waltz in time to the music that most beginners assume they know the dance when they achieve this milestone. In fact, just barely dancing with a partner in time to the music rates one a score of about 5% in the Viennese Waltz. The instructions given later in an appendix tell you how to be much better than a 5% dancer.
It is easy to illustrate the importance of the fine points of hold and footwork taught in instructional tapes and books. If a couple is doing everything right then the dance will have a nimble maneuverability and effortless flying quality. Maneuvering deftly through the crowd on a dance floor is essential to the fun. Being more familiar with the man's point of view, I will now describe that in more detail. Psychologically, the man feels that the lady accepts him as her champion in the heroic enterprise of weaving at high speed through a milling crowd without bumping into or tripping over anyone while taking three steps every second and revolving thirty revolutions per minute. If his wonderful lady partner were to suddenly insist on dancing at arms length instead of using the proper hold, then to him maneuvering through the crowd would feel ungainly and clumsy. Also, his right arm is likely to tire from the centrifugal force of holding the lady. Our crestfallen hero presses on clumsily feeling somewhat rejected by his lady. In Vienna, most couples dance with body contact between the partners. This is not necessary, but very close proximity is. The lady needs to do her part to overcome the centrifugal force and maintain the proper proximity to the man. If she were to do this by clinging with her hands he would feel strained and unbalanced. She can remain balanced over her own feet in spite of the centrifugal force if her feet are slightly behind her. If she were to use the proper hold and proximity but suddenly start to dance flat footed rather than using the proper toe-heel footwork, then he would feel deadening resistance and perhaps roughness, rather than the smooth effortless glide he likes so well. I suspect it is even more noticeable to the lady when the man does not dance correctly. (And I shudder to think what her descriptions would be).
Finally, there is the matter of dance floor friction, sliding of the feet. In the waltz, one is perpetually pivoting on the toe or on the heel of one foot or the other. Everyone knows that friction is critical in skiing. If the skier wore snow shoes instead of skis, he could not ski down the slope, the friction would be too great. If freezing rain covered the slope with solid glassy ice, he could only slide out of control down the slope, the friction would be too small. It makes no sense to wear snow shoes to ski; similarly, it makes no sense to wear rubber soled shoes to dance. It makes no sense to ski on an icy slope; similarly, it makes no sense to dance on slippery powder on a dance floor. The waltz was invented centuries ago when shoe soles and heels were leather, and floors were mostly bare, well worn, unfinished hardwood, and the dance floor friction was perfect for dancing. Artificial floor surfaces and shoe soles can provide the right dance floor friction, but only with careful selection. The appendix on clothes tells where to buy leather soled shoes, and the appendix on dance floor friction tells how to glue leather soles on the bottom of rubber soled shoes.
Following is a list of annual social dances, not competitions, that I have attended in America. Balls in Vienna are discussed in a separate article.The dates given are in the past, when I last attended. You will need to contact the ball organizers to have an invitation mailed to you. You should do this as early as possible because these balls are not always the same month from year to year. Also, notice that some of the balls occur at two times during the year. This is not official information about each event, just my recollections. This list is by no means complete. There is no systematic way to learn of these events; the only way I have found is to ask people at these events if they know of any others. To my knowledge none of these balls discriminate on the basis of race, religion or national origin.
The name of this web site is www.waltzballs.org. This does not mean that the balls listed below are part of any organization. I chose .org rather than .com because I provide this page as a public service, and do not receive any money from it. I have to pay for my ball tickets just like you do. The organization consists entirely of myself. The balls have kindly permitted me to list them in this web page. I do not list any ball that does not wish to be listed. Any ball certainly has permission to give the web address of this article in their announcement or program. My e-mail address is given in the article about the author at this website. All e-mail addresses in this article are given with "at" spelled out, rather than using the "@" sign, to avoid programs that automatically scan the internet for e-mail addresses to send junk mail to.
You do not need to know how to dance to attend these events. Many of the attendees just sit, watch the dancing and listen to the music.
These balls all had enough floor space to be adequate for dancing. I have attended other balls that do not have enough floor space for the dancing to be enjoyable. To estimate how much floor space will be adequate for dancing see Appendix E.
Milwaukee, WI: "A Night in Old Vienna", 6:00 to Midnight, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2003 at the Hotel Sheraton Milwaukee Airport. Telephone: 262-677-2381 or 414-347-1165. E-mail address rkalupa at execpc.com. Event started in 1986. Dress: Ladies-ball gown; Gentlemen-black tie or period costume. Price $60 per person. This event sells out two weeks after the announcement is sent out; request an announcement well in advance, and get your check in as soon as the announcement arrives. Unlike the more expensive dinner events, this one is not a fund raiser for something else, and shows how inexpensively an elegant dinner and ball can be produced. Net proceeds from a raffle do go to charity; raffle tickets cost extra. Tables with informational handouts were in the lobby outside the ballroom, and nice pictures were posted on the lobby walls. The ballroom was decorated with Austrian provincial flags. Cocktails in lobby 6:00, ballroom opened 6:30, dinner 7:15, dancing to midnight. Dinner served at circular tables surrounding dance floor consisted of salad, soup, croissant, sorbet, main course, dessert and coffee. Dance music by the 42 piece Concord Chamber Orchestra. The program listed 12 waltzes, 6 polkas, one each march, quadrille and galop. The waltzes were very danceable. The dance shows were ballet, show waltz, and Polish dances. The group www.syrenadancers.com did a fascinating polonaise, and other dances. There was a Viennese waltz mixer: couples who wanted to participate were told to change partners about five times during a waltz. The waltzing was interrupted for a quadrille lesson at one point. There was a raffle drawing. After the last orchestra session, the dancing ended with recorded ballroom music. 370 attended, floor 30 by 90 feet (9.1 by 27.4 m.). There was 7.3 square feet (0.678 sq.m.) of dance floor space per attendee, which provided adequate space for dancing.
Washington, D.C.: "Evening of Viennese Waltzing", Saturday Feb 16, 2008 in the Organization of American States Building, which is on the mall between the White House and the Washington monument, and a bit to the west. Event started in 1983. 9PM to 1AM. White tie optional. Probably 70% were in black tie. Contact Mr. Robert A. Schadler 202-338-3239. Email cwestciv at yahoo.com. Ticket price $175. The building was built for diplomatic receptions and balls. This is the one ball every year that is open to the public. The lobby is a large indoor garden with plants, fountain and benches. Upstairs at the end of a very long staircase is a small but elegant ballroom colored white, with fluted columns supporting Roman arched ceiling, and circular tables. An elevator is also avialable. The 18 piece Con Brio orchestra provided the music, which was mostly Viennese Waltz, with the remainder two tangos, two polkas, a march and a foxtrot. The waltzes were very danceable. The useable portion of the dance floor was 43 by 72 feet (13.1 by 21.9 m.). 288 attended. This ball copes with a small ballroom in an original manner. They could provide seating for everyone by covering more of the dance floor with tables and chairs. Instead, if they sell more tickets than seats they assign more people to a table than there are seats, and expect people to timeshare the seats since some of them will be dancing at any given time. This is possible because dinner is not served at the ball, only a dessert buffet outside the ballroom on a balcony overlooking the indoor garden. There was 10.75 square feet (1.0 sq.m.)of dance floor space per attendee.
San Diego, CA. "Viennese Ball", Saturday, April 21, 2007. One night only, 7:30 PM to 11 PM at the Clubhouse in Balboa Park. A 65 piece orchestra, the San Diego Young Artists Symphony Orchestra, hosts the event. Their telephone number is 619-235-8067. Their website is http://www.sdyas.org. Their email is info at sdyas.org. $40/person or $70/couple in advance, $45/person or $75/couple at the door. Event started in 1996. Formal or period attire optional. People wear anything from sport coats to tail-coats and a few unusual costumes. Waltzes, polkas and marches. The waltzes were very danceable. The floor was approximately 47 ft.(14.3 m.) by 138 ft. (42.0 m.). There were about 400 present, 16.2 sq.ft. (1.50 sq.m.) per person present. Seating was at circular tables.
San Francisco, CA. Saturday, Nov 11, 2006, the "Autumn Waltz Ball" put on by the Waltzing Society. Event started in 1956. Web page www.sfwaltzingsociety.org, email gail at sfwaltzingsociety.org. Ticket $135. Location, the Regency Building at Sutter and Van Ness in San Francisco. White tie, black tie optional. Coctails 7:00, grand march 8:00, waltzing and a few polkas until 12:30. A ballet show midway through the event. Dessert Buffet at 10:00 in another room. Very grand ballroom. Dance floor space 45 by 80 feet. About 170 present. 21 sq.ft. (1.96 sq.m.) per attendee, way more than enough space to dance. The Saratoga Symphony Orchestra provided the music. This event is not at the same location every year; you might have to wait until you get your announcement to find where they will be the next time. This event has pioneered a novel solution to the problem of very long Strauss waltzes. They sometimes cut them in half to get more, shorter dances. It works fine. The waltzes were very danceable.
Ft. Collins CO: "Wild Asparagus Ball", Saturday, May 7, 2005. They have a similar event, the "Wild Goose Masquerade Ball" in October. Both are held at the Lory Student Center ballroom on the university campus. Music by the 50 piece "Mostly Strauss Orchestra". Event started in 1984. Box office 970-491-4849. For info call 970-493-8277. Web page at fotd.org. E-mail fotd at fotd.org. About 50% Viennese waltzes, the rest mostly polka, a few tangos, swing, etc. Danceable area of floor 49 by 103 feet (14.9 by 31.4 m.). Seating at rectangular tables. Elaborately choreographed opening march, and audience sings "Oh How Lovely is the Evening" to close the event. Price $20, hors d'oeuvres, no dinner, couples and lots of singles, with an unusually young crowd. In May the dress is about evenly divided between coat and tie and black tie, with some merely wearing dress shirt and tie. The air conditioning for the ballroom is not adjustable separately from the rest of the building, so the event is a bit warm for dancing; most coats come off after about an hour. Most ladies wore long dresses. The ball in October is a costume ball with everything from sport-coats to tail-coats and many unusual costumes. About 275 attended. Tables with informational handouts were available in the lobby. There was 18.3 square feet (1.7 sq.m.) of dance floor space per attendee. Even though this ball is on campus, it was never a student ball. Even though it is advertised on campus, the attendees are only about 20% students. The conductor varied the tempo of the waltzes much more than is customary at balls in Vienna or balls in America, making it difficult to dance to them.
Detroit, MI: "Viennese Strauss Ball", Saturday Feb 3 2001, 6:00 PM, Riverview Ballroom, Cobo Center. Contact Frank or Edda Sinz, 248-650-0889 e-mail edda.sinz at sinz.org. Web page www.austriansociety.org . Event started in 1937. It was interrupted by the war, so this was only the 54th ball. Admission $65 (will be $70.00 in 2002). Black tie. 6:30 dinner, 8:00 welcome speeches, 8:15 debutante show, 9:00 dancing, 10:30 performance by Pleasant Moments Vintage Dancers, dancing until 1:00. On alternate years the show is provided by a ballroom dance team. Dance music provided by 22 piece Johann Strauss Ball Orchestra alternating at 30 minute intervals with Eric Neubauer Ensemble, a 7 piece brass band. The orchestra played Viennese waltz, polka and tango. The brass band played swing music that could also double for medium foxtrot or two step; they also played rumba, tango, cha cha, samba, and one paso doble. The dancing was approximately 25% Viennese waltz. The dance floor was 42 by 130 feet (12.8 by 39.6 m.). With 900 in attendance, there was 6.0 square feet (0.557 sq.m.) per attendee. The floor was overcrowded in the beginning, but since there was almost four hours of dancing, the floor soon thinned so there was adequate space for dancing. See the appendix on debutante functions for a description of the debutante activities at the Detroit ball.
Spokane, WA. "Viennese Ball", Sunday Feb 16 2004 at the historic Davenport Hotel. Event started in 1980. Dinner 6:00 PM in the Marie Antoinette Ballroom. Ball, 8:00-12:00 PM in the Grand Pennington Ballroom. Web page allegrobaroque.org. Email office at allegrobaroque.org. Telephone 509-455-6865. Admission $90 plus $35 for optional dinner. Black tie, white tie, gown. The ball started with a Viennese waltz dance show at 8:20 followed by an orchestral overture. Dancing from 8:30 to 12:00 included two marches, 9 waltzes, 5 polkas. The waltzes were very danceable. The portable dance floor was 30 by 27 feet (9.1 by 8.2 meters), there were 100 in attendance, 8.1 sq. ft. (0.752 sq. m.) per person. The dancing was overcrowded for the first hour and a half, then thinned out to a satisfactory level. Circular tables were on either side of the dance floor, a total of thirteen. The music was piped into the other ballroom over the hotel public address system for those who preferred a less crowded floor; I only saw two couples take advantage of this. The orchestra had 26 musicians. The Davenport hotel was built in 1914. On the inside it is a jewelbox of lavish historic interior design in pristine condition. The Allegro Baroque and Beyond organization that hosted the ball is a non-profit civic organization which organizes various musical events through the year, renting historic mansions, the Met Theatre or the hotel ballroom and hiring performers for each event. Three ladies are the only permanent staff, though there is also a board of trustees and an advisory board.
Salt Lake, UT: "Vienna Ball", Saturday Feb 10 2007, 8-12 PM, Unversity of Utah Union Ballroom. Web page http://www.saltlakesymphony.org. Admission $50. Black tie suggested but not required. Music provided by 50 members of the Salt Lake symphony, and by the Wayne Christiansen Trio. Event started 1986. Floor shows by the BYU Ballroom Dance Team. No group in America puts on better dance shows than the BYU dance team. Dinner at circular tables. Seating for 360 people. Dance floor 109 ft. (33.2 m.) by 39 ft. (11.9 m.). There was 11.8 sq. ft. (1.09 sq.m.) per person. The large symphony orchestra played superbly danceable Viennese waltzes, a march and some polkas. When I attended this ball two years earlier, the orchestra played some nice easy onesteps at 100 beats per minute, I was sad to see that they did not play any this time. The trio played a variety of ballroom and latin dances. The floor was too sticky even with 37% Teflon soles . Hopefully this will be corrected by the time you attend.
Wilmington, DE: "Blue Danube Gala", Friday 13 April 2007, 6:30-12 PM, Hotel duPont Gold Ballroom. Sponsored by the Austrian-American Society of Wilmington. Email ghalexa at verizon.net. Event started about 1980. $145 per person, black or white tie. Reception in the lobby 6:30. Dinner in ballroom 7:30. While dancing was permitted during dinner, it was not practical because dinner music included little ballroom dance music, mostly atmospheric music written with drastic tempo changes. After dinner there were two ballet shows. Dancing started at 9:00. Six piece orchestra. Small but beautiful ballroom. Dance floor approximately 30 ft. (9.14 m.) by 67.6 ft. (20.6 m.). Seating for 140 people. 14.5 sq.ft. (1.347 sq.m.) per person. Viennese waltzes, cha-cha, foxtrot, tango, rumba. The dance floor was too sticky for leather soles but was fine with 37% Teflon soles, which every social ballroom dancer should have. This may be different when you attend. Slick soles can be satisfactory; powder on the floor cannot.
The next two balls are primarily student balls, though the public is invited.
Austin, TX: "Great Waltz Masquerade Ball", Saturday Oct. 15 2005, 8-12 PM, ballroom in the Texas Union building on campus at the University of Texas. Web page http://texasballroom.org . Email to utbdc at uts.cc.utexas.edu. Music provided by the 40 piece Austin Civic Orchestra. Event started in 1982. Dance floor estimated to be 47 by 80 feet (14.3 by 24.4 m.). 18 circular tables ringed the dance floor. Perhaps as many as 200 people attended. Even though the event starts at eight, many of the students did not arrive until much later. With 18.8 square feet (1.74 sq.m.) per person, there was ample room to dance. Even though the event was sponsored by the student's dance club, it was open to the public. Ticket prices $15. Dress code "formal", which meant coat and tie. In spite of the name of the ball, there were no costumes. It was like two balls in one, with students sitting and dancing together, and adults sitting and dancing together. The orchestra played mostly Viennese waltzes, but also polkas tangos and a foxtrot. The waltzes were very danceable. During the orchestra breaks there was recorded ballroom and latin music, and a demo by a professional competition ballroom dance couple.
Durham, NC: "Viennese Ball", Friday 2 Dec 2005. Sponsored by the Duke University Wind Symphony, web site www.duke.edu/web/windsymphony . Ticket price $15 at the door, no advance ticket sales. Dress code semi-formal to formal. This event held at an armory in Durham. It was the fourth armory I found in looking for the right one, so remember that it is the armory at the intersection of Morgan and Foster streets in downtown Durham. Parking was diagonally across the intersection in a multi-level parking garage. Event started in 1974. There was a dance lesson from 7-8 then the ball was from 8 to midnight. Dance floor 56 by 77 feet (17.0 by 23.4 m.). Decorative white flat rectangular lattice columns hung from the edge of the balcony down to the floor, defining the edge of the dance floor. Behind the columns were circular tables with chairs. A table with cookies, crackers, punch and vegetables was provided for refreshment. About 120 people attended. There was 35.9 sq.ft. (3.33 sq.m.) of floor space per person, and plenty of room to dance. The event was open to the public, but was mostly students from Duke and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to the students, there were about six adult couples, and two men who were faculty members supervising the event. Music was provided by a 26 member string orchestra alternating with a 10 piece brass polka band. In addition to waltzes and polkas, the musicians played a folk dance where students held hands in a circle, and a salsa. A variety of recorded dance music was provided when musicians were not playing. A group dance show was provided by 8 student couples dancing to viennese waltz music, doing viennese waltz figures and show dance figures. The waltzes were played at a very danceable 60 bars per minute for the benefit of the show dance team, but often a very difficult 70 bars per minute for the public. Another show of slow waltz and quickstep was provided by a competition couple.
My resources are limited, and I cannot attend all the balls that exist to verify that the opportunities for dancing are adequate at each ball. You may find a ball that is more convenient in the links section of this website. If you make inquiries about dance floor space you can make an educated guess as to whether the dancing will be adequate.
This appendix is a general discussion of the process of learning the Viennese Waltz. Since some are interested in learning old versions of the waltz, the discussion ends with some history of the waltz. The next appendix gives detailed instructions.
The basic international steps are the most practical for social dancing both in the USA and in Europe. The natural turn (Austrian Rechtswalzer), reverse turn (Austrian Linkswalzer) and change figures are all that you need to know. The so called American style Viennese Waltz danced by American style ballroom dancers includes the basic international figures but adds many extra figures having nothing to do with a real Viennese Waltz. One could presumably win a contest in American style Viennese Waltz with out ever doing any real Viennese Waltz figures. Most of these extra figures appear to have been concocted by American dance teachers in the 1900's who were inspired by swing dancing, show dancing and ballet. Some of them have been given names with a Viennese flavor to make them seem more authentic. They are not authentic and they are not very satisfying to do. The only time fancy figures are used in Vienna is during the debutantes performance which opens each ball; they are never danced socially. American country and western dancers, in contrast to American ballroom dancers, dance international standard Viennese waltz. They call it simply "waltz", and most dance only change figures; only a very few can do the rotations.
There are different phases of learning to dance the Viennese Waltz. First, learn to do the steps slowly, then learn to dance by your self in time to the music. If you have trouble keeping up with the fast music, go as fast as you can without the music until you build up your speed. Then learn to dance with a partner. At first you will get dizziness and motion sickness; after about 10 hours of practice this should start to subside, and after a few more hours eventually disappear. When you first learn to dance correctly, dancing will still be a struggle. It may take a lot of practice before you can relax and do it easily and naturally. Then you must learn to maneuver around obstacles.
Ladies in high heels may on rare occasion trip. If this happens when the man is a beginner, both will go down. When the man gets sure footed he can catch the lady and neither will fall, if she is close enough to him. It would probably be best for ladies to learn in flat shoes or low heel pumps. People of either sex with osteoporosis who cannot risk a fall, or with other conditions who cannot risk very vigorous exercise, should not try to learn the Viennese Waltz.
If a couple cannot afford lessons, they can teach themselves using video tapes or using written instructions given in the next appendix. A couple may, at certain times, be able to use the floor at some kind of dance school, meeting hall or gymnasium, for very little cost. With a portable music player on the man's belt, an extra pair of headphones and a stereo "Y" adapter, a couple can practice quietly with their own private music on "his" and "hers" headphones. When I was learning most of my lessons were done this way.
The traditional way to learn the Viennese waltz for common folk in Europe was no doubt to barely get started with rudimentary instructions from parents or friends, then dance it for years until one got really good. To start out really good requires intensive lessons and practice.
It took me 65 hours of private lessons dancing with lady teachers to learn the Viennese Waltz, and I practiced by myself in addition. However, a teacher in Vienna told me she could have taught me in 20 hours. I had four lady teachers in America of varying degrees of experience. Possibly if all of my instruction had been with the most experienced, I might have learned in 20 hours. Unfortunately, I was not told by the first few teachers about the uneven timing of the steps, and wasted effort trying to make the timing even. In any case, the instructions given in the next appendix contain details that I was not aware of in my struggle to learn, so you may be able to learn faster than I did. In any case, it will take a while, so be very, very patient with yourself and your partner.
When seeing my written instructions on how to teach yourself to dance in the next section, most people will recoil at the idea of reading how to dance. They would much rather be shown. I paid about $2600 to be shown. Sure it is tedious to read how to dance, but it is certainly not $2600 worth of tedium! Brace yourself and dig in; you CAN do it.
If you are teaching yourself, make sure that the combination of shoe soles and practice floor provide as nearly as possible the proper dance floor friction. See the appendix on dance floor friction for more information.
Instructional video tapes on international style Viennese Waltz are available from Dance Vision, http://www.dancevision.com 702-256-3830 or 800-851-2813. and Butterfly Video, Antrim New Hampshire 603-588-2105 or 800-433-2623. The best is Dancevision's tape by Victor and Heather Veyrasset "International Style Beginning thru Advanced Viennese Waltz", number ISVV24.
It is not always better to take lessons than it is to teach yourself, even if you can afford the lessons. It is tricky to find a teacher qualified to teach Viennese Waltz. An unqualified teacher can be much worse than no teacher. I have danced with many lady students of a swing dance teacher who also taught Viennese Waltz. These lady students rocked back on their heels and leaned hard against the man's hold, expecting him to sling them around and drag them down the line of dance. This may have been "ring around the rosie", but it was not Viennese Waltz. I met a lady ballroom dance teacher who said that after she got good at the other dances she learned Viennese Waltz in a very short time. I danced with her. She stepped in time with the music, but she was so rough and clumsy that I felt she still needed more practice before she should claim that she knew the Viennese Waltz.
Competition dancers already know how to do the Viennese Waltz, but they will have some learning to do anyway. The maneuvering in social Viennese Waltz is essential to the fun, and will be completely new to competition dancers, who compete in an oval pattern on a practically empty floor.
A historical footnote is of interest. The Viennese waltz started in the countryside in Austria and Germany with dirt farmers and country folk. Curt Sachs, in his 1937 book "World History of the Dance", in the first paragraph of the section "The Age of the Waltz" quotes Goethe on his early youth in Strasbourg. Goethe was born in 1749. Sachs says of Goethe, "He and Lotte swung round together in the minuet, and he persuaded her to dance the English contre and 'even the waltz'. But as they 'whirled round together like the spheres, it was certainly a little rough to begin with, because so few know how to dance it'. ...Out in the country, in Sesenheim, on the contrary, the 'allemand, waltz and dreher were the beginning, middle and end. All the people had grown up with this national dance'." Sesenheim does not show on most maps; it is between Strasbourg, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, latitude 48.8, longitude 8.5. Note that English country dancing was done in Strasbourg in Goethe's youth. However by 1791 Sachs quotes an anonymous author in Berlin who writes that "the waltz and the waltz only is now so fashionable that one sees nothing else at dances; if you just know how to waltz, everything goes fine".
When the waltz was new, professional dance teachers were trained in ballet. Ballet teachers had been taught that all good dancing was based on ballet. They wrote about the waltz not as it was actually danced, but the way it should be danced if it were to become legitimate ballet. This completely missed the point that the waltz was legitimate in its own right, and did not have to be transformed into ballet to become legitimate. Ballet teachers described it imprecisely and inappropriately using foot positions and terminology from ballet. They would have it danced with feet turned out, stepping delicately like a ballet dancer. This is unlikely to have been an accurate description of the way dirt farmers danced it. Most common folk in Austria learned to dance from their parents or friends, not from ballet teachers.
There was much establishment opposition to the waltz when it was new. Other, non-ballet descriptions of the waltz were perhaps written by some of the many serious opponents of the waltz who wanted to transform it into other dance forms they found less objectionable. The descriptions of what was objectionable about the waltz by admitted opponents are sometimes more accurate descriptions of the waltz than the fake waltzes described by people pretending to be in favor of it.
When it finally got popular enough to spread beyond the German speaking world, dance teachers in the English speaking world started teaching it and writing books about it. Some of the old books are online at http:// memory.loc.gov/ ammem/ dihtml/ dihome.html. The English speaking world was more Puritanical than the German speaking world, and could not as readily accept the close hold which is natural with the Viennese Waltz. Perhaps this is why the English speaking world published their own versions of how to do the Viennese Waltz, rather than translating German language instructions.
The first book on ballroom dancing written in English in complete technical detail using ballroom terminology rather than ballet terminology was Alex Moore's "Ballroom Dancing", written in England in 1936, and still by far the best book on ballroom dancing. The tenth, current edition of this book is available from http://www.routledge-ny.com and http://www.bn.com . A supplement to Moore's book by the ISTD, "The Ballroom Technique", is very useful for the other ballroom dances, but does not cover Viennese Waltz. Even though Moore's book is primarily about competition dancing, it is also good for social dancing. Under the heading of "The Waltz" it describes the slow waltz; Viennese Waltz is described on p. 283. He describes Viennese Waltz in diagonal notation, which, though adequate for the other dances is not really precise enough for Viennese waltz. Even Alex Moore omits the timing of the steps, which had been correctly given earlier in Edward Scott, "The New Dancing as it Should Be" [1 ] p.76, London, 1910, and is given in the next appendix. (This is not about "New Dancing", rather it is the second edition of his book "Dancing as it Should Be"). I was first informed vaguely of the step timing by an unusually knowledgeable dance teacher. I determined the timing precisely by studying video tapes in slow motion; I have no idea how Scott did it, but we agree exactly.
In the 1800's there were several alternative methods of doing the waltz that were published in English. Any one of these could be used now to teach the dance with "historical accuracy". Apparently not all of these methods were the result of progress. On p.68 of the same book, Edward Scott mentions "The Sauteuse.--The 'Hop' Waltz. A makeshift, silly step, only practiced by people who are too idle to learn, or are unable to waltz properly." These fake waltzes were presumably invented by charlatans who could capitalize on the ignorance of people who had only heard of the waltz, and not seen it.
The best of the methods eventually prevailed; the inferior methods should be forgotten. No one now teaches the game of golf using bent sticks and feather balls, but that is how the game started. The fine points of both golf and Viennese Waltz were learned by generations of trial and error; it would be foolish to ignore this accumulation of experience. The point of all this refinement in both golf and the Viennese Waltz is to make them more satisfying to the participants, not to spectators.
A set dance is a dance where all the women do the same thing at the same time, and all the men do the same thing at the same time. Some people who are fond of set dances like to make a set dance of Viennese Waltz. They recommend a certain number of natural turns alternating with a certain number of reverse turns. I personally do not like set dances, and think that any attempt to make a set dance of Viennese Waltz destroys the spirit of individuality that is a prime virtue of the dance. This comment refers to social dancing only, and is not a criticism of any show a dance team might perform for an audience. Military authorities like marches, which are really set dances, because they serve to condition the troops to unquestioning obedience. Perhaps some community leaders who advocate set dances should examine their own motives. I rebel at any hint of subjugation.
This appendix has links to step diagrams of the basic figures of what to ballroom dancers is the international standard Viennese waltz, and to country and western dancers is simply the waltz. The acute analytical mind will notice that the orientations of the steps in the natural and reverse turns do not seem consistent with the waltz rhythm. This apparent inconsistency is resolved in the detailed explanation of the natural turn. Foot positions are only about 10% of the information in this appendix. Do not be tempted to ignore the other 90%, or you will become the proverbial 5% dancer. Learning to be a good Viennese waltzer in the shortest possible time is not light hearted frivolous absent minded casual play, it is hard work, requiring study and concentration. Any other approach is doomed to failure. A simple easy dance is best taught as a finished product in its final form. The Viennese waltz is best taught as a process of learning. Only the final stage of the process results in the final form of the dance.
To use the diagrams without getting confused, print them out. As you step through the diagram and your body turns, hold the paper in front of you and turn the paper around in your hands to keep the paper oriented the same way relative to the room. Separate diagrams are not shown for man and lady, because both should practice the same steps without a partner before dancing with a partner. When dancing together, when the man does steps in the order 123456 the woman does the very same steps in the order 456123. Since the steps will be repeated endlessly in practice, it does not matter which step you start on. When a particular foot is shown with a solid line, that shows where the foot is when the step is first taken. When the same foot is shown with a dashed line, that shows where that foot is later on when the next step with the other foot is first taken. The diagrams are in the next paragraph; to see how to read them click here.
To see the diagrams of the MAIN FIGURES, the rotations, click on these two links: NATURAL TURN, and REVERSE TURN. Note that these two figures are not entirely mirror images of each other. Note that shoes must have leather, not rubber, on the bottom of both the heels and the soles to do the pivots shown. To see the diagrams of the minor figures, the change figures, click on these four links: right foot forward change, left foot forward change, right foot backward change and left foot backward change.
The alignments shown in these step diagrams for the natural turn and the reverse turn do not agree exactly with the official ISTD alignments. This is because I believe the alignments in these step diagrams more accurately represent the practice of the very best dancers. The ISTD alignments are presented in diagonal notation, which is precise enough for other dances, but not for Viennese Waltz. The form of change figures shown here do not represent the practice of many competition dancers and country and western dancers. The left foot forward change can be used to show the differences. Some competition dancers dance the left foot forward change with lateral shift. This form of change figure is not practical for threading your way through tight spaces in social dancing. Most country and western dancers dance the left foot forward change in a straight line. This form of change step does not assist the lady in closing her feet on step 3. Change figures are quite amorphous. What they all have in common is that they consist of three steps, starting and finishing with the feet together.
The first thing that you must know is that you need not be born with any special talent; you can learn all you need to know. It helps if you are a perfect physical specimen, but that is not necessary; a lady who weighed 90 pounds more than she should enjoyed the Viennese Waltz very much. It will take a long time and much effort to learn, so be patient and enjoy the process.
These instructions are complete enough that you should become a good dancer, perhaps 80%, much better than the 5% score mentioned in the first section of the article. To get to 100% you need to practice social dancing at the balls.
Before you start you must find a smooth surfaced floor, not a shaggy rug, to learn on. You must get shoes which have soles and heels which provide approximately the correct dance floor friction. This is important; do not ignore it. See the appendix on dance floor friction for more information.
You should learn to waltz individually before you attempt it together with a partner.
The term "line of dance" normally means the direction, north, east, south, or west, that dance traffic is expected to follow. The line of dance turns left at each of the four corners of the dance floor.
FIGURES IN VIENNESE WALTZ. Dancing down the line of dance while rotating to the right, clockwise, is called the natural turn in English, and the Rechtswalzer in German. Dancing down the line of dance while rotating to the left is called the reverse turn in English, and the Linkswalzer in German. To switch direction of turns while still dancing down the line of dance three step figures called change figures are used. To spin in one spot the fleckerls are used, and the contra check to switch direction of spin. The fleckerl is not used much today even in Vienna, but it is thought by some authorities to be the origin of the Viennese Waltz; others think it grew out of a dance called the Landler, but nobody knows for sure. The fleckerl is quite different from the spin used in swing dancing, or the spin used in American style Viennese Waltz.
DEFINITION OF STEP. Steps will be described as lasting a span of time during which various things happen. Steps will also be described as "happening" or "being taken" at an instant of time, which may or may not be in time with the music.
We will discuss what happens during each step. Non-dancers are likely to think that a step begins when the foot is picked up, and ends when it is put down. This definition is not acceptable in ballroom dancing, because it is very important what happens after the foot is put down. I like to think of a step on, say, the right foot, as starting when the right foot is picked up, and ending when the right foot is picked up again, at the start of the next step on the right foot. With this definition there are always two steps in progress, one with the right foot and one with the left foot. Many in the ballroom community prefer a definition that only has one step in progress at any instant; they like to say that a step starts and ends when the moving foot passes the standing foot.
Consider a marching band. They step in time to the beating of the drum. This does not mean they pick their feet up in time with the drum, rather that they put their feet down in time with the drum. Their foot rocks forward after it is put down. Their steps are said to be in time with the music. When dancing, after a foot is put down, it could slide, rock, pivot or stop entirely. The step timing is defined by when the foot stops sliding. It could still rock or pivot after it has already "been taken". If this is confusing to you now, do not worry, it will become clear as you get more familiar with the subject.
The natural turn consists of six steps. There is continuous steady rotation of the body throughout all six steps. If the timing were even on all six steps, the body would turn 60 degrees between each step. The timing is not even, and the number of degrees between steps depends on which step is being taken. The timing is: x1xx23x4xx56x1xx. A steady rotation of 30 degrees per "x" or step number is represented. Steps 2 and 5 are delayed relative to what they would be with even timing. This timing is not the same as the music. On steps 1 and 4 the feet should be timed precisely on the major beats of a bar. The major beats will occur at one second intervals, since the standard speed for competition viennese waltz is 60 bars per minute. Practicing to a metronome ticking at one second intervals would help beginners to learn to ignore the music on the minor beats. Having someone rap a table once per second while looking at his watch should suffice if you lack a metronome. When a horse trots, it takes steps at even intervals; when it gallops, the steps are not even. In this sense, the Viennese Waltz is a gallop, not a trot, for the dancer. The result of this is that the movement is easier, more natural, and takes less energy than if even timing of the steps is forced. It is hard to try to duplicate the timing shown above. Instead, try to get the step alignments right; then if you rotate at a constant rate, your timing will automatically be the timing shown above. Note in the text below that on step 5 the body is not facing the same direction that the foot is pointing.
Most of the time in the six steps your weight will be on the heel or the toe, but not on your flat foot. This helps smooth movement of the body, agility, and turning of the feet on the floor.
First Step. If you have just completed a natural turn and are about to continue with another natural turn we will take as the starting point the point when your feet are together and your body and feet are facing about 60 degrees to the left of the line of dance. Standing on the left foot rotate your body to the right and take the first step with the right heel touching the floor first at a point straight down the line of dance. When the step is first taken your body should have rotated to face straight down the line of dance. The weight is first taken on the heel of the right foot, the foot then goes flat and you finally step off on the toe of the right foot. There is enough rotation during the first step that you will pivot about 90 degrees on the toe of the right foot. If you are taking large steps to move rapidly down the floor, you will lunge into the first step and drive through to the second step, keeping the body erect the whole time.
Second Step. During the second step the left foot will move down the line of dance. Rotate the body to face about 90 degrees to the right of the line of dance before the left toe hits the floor on the second step. The left leg will be reaching out to the side of the body when the left toe strikes the floor. Never let the left heel touch the floor throughout the second step.
Third Step. Slide the right toe until the right foot comes to rest against the left foot, with the left and right toes touching, and the left and right heels touching. At this point both heels will be off the floor, and your back will be facing about 60 degrees to the left of the line of dance. This step is quick and is merely a matter of collecting your feet under you. Only about 30 degrees of body rotation occurs between when the toe touches the floor in step two and when the feet come together in step three. The feet do not stay together any time at all; it is like a moving billiard ball hitting a stationary one, which merely interchanges which is moving and which is stationary. However, the feet do not hit each other, that would be uncomfortable; they merely come together. The right heel lowers to the floor to take your weight. Push off backward into the fourth step.
Fourth Step. Rotating the body, step backwards straight down the line of dance with the left toe. When the left toe hits the floor you should be backing approximately straight down the line of dance. Do not drop the heel suddenly. As you move your weight back on the left foot, it will execute a rocking chair action with the weight rolling from the toe of the foot to the heel. The heel should not touch the floor until the moving foot is beside the standing foot. At some time while the weight is on the back of the left heel the left foot will pivot on the heel to catch up with the rotation of the body. When dancing with a partner it will be necessary to step a little bit out to the side on step 4.
Fifth Step. Place the right toe at a point down the line of dance. The toe will come to rest pointing 60 degrees to the left of the line of dance. At this point the body will be facing about 90 degrees to the left of the line of dance. When the toe first comes to rest the inside edge of the toe will be on the floor. As weight is taken onto the right toe, the toe will go flat on the floor, but the heel will still be in the air, and will never drop to the floor during this step.
Sixth Step. Slide the left foot flat until the left foot comes to rest against the right foot, toe to toe and heel to heel. At this point the left foot will be flat and the right foot will still have the heel off the floor. The body will be facing 60 degrees to the left of the line of dance when the feet come together. There is only about 30 degrees of body rotation between the time when the the toe comes to rest in the fifth step and the time when the feet come together in the sixth step. Now you are ready to start over, raise the left heel and push off the left toe into the first step.
Sway. In steps 2,3,5 and 6 one should lean slightly in the opposite direction from the direction of movement along the line of dance. This happens naturally when taking large steps. Even with small steps, some ladies need the man to lead this kind of sway to help them perform their steps properly; others do not. There is a different kind of sway that arises in social dancing because of banking to turn when weaving through a crowd. This results in a pleasant feeling of swing and sway when zigzagging through a crowd.
The reverse turn is almost the mirror image of the natural turn, with "right" interchanged with "left". The big difference is the third step.
Third Step. Slide the left toe with the left heel moving ahead of the left toe until the outside of the left heel has crossed in front of the standing right toe. Your left foot will be between your standing right foot and your partner's feet. When you are practicing by yourself it may not be apparent how there could be enough room between your standing right foot and your partner's foot for your left heel. However, when you are dancing with a partner you will be going around each other. This creates centrifugal force tending to sling you apart from each other. You prevent this from happening by keeping your feet slightly behind yourself. This creates plenty of room for your heel.
You could dance the reverse turn entirely as the mirror image of the natural turn, but it would then be very difficult to curve to the left while doing a series of reverse turns. If both partners cross their feet when each comes to the third step it is possible to move in a very tight curve while doing a series of reverse turns. For this reason the conventional way to do reverse turns is with the cross on the third step. The foot cross in the reverse turn is trickier than the foot closing in the natural turn. Normally more natural turns are danced than reverse turns.
If the man is going to commence the dance from a standstill doing 1,2,3 of the reverse turn, the lady need not start with her feet in a crossed position. She can start with her feet together normally and cross them the next time around. When starting from a standstill the body need not be 60 degrees from the line of dance. With practice the man will develop his own preferred way to start.
When taking very large steps, some body swing will be appropriate. On the natural turn, the body should execute a kind of pendulum swing during the time interval occupied by steps 1, 2 and 3. The reverse turn should not have so much swing, which would make it harder to cross feet.
The change figures are used to shift between natural and reverse turns. They are almost as simple as taking two normal steps down the line of dance and then a third step consisting of merely sliding the moving foot to close beside the standing foot. The man can lead this after either step 3 or step 6 of either the natural or reverse turn. The rotation of a turn will not stop immediately when you shift to a change figure, and the residual rotation will carry you to the proper alignment to start the opposite turn. When the man does forward changes the lady does backward changes. When the man does backward changes, the lady does forward changes.
Change figures are also necessary when dancing through a tight spot on a crowded floor. In this case you might want to dance several change figures before getting back into a rotation. When dancing a string of changes, alternate between left foot and right foot changes. Dancing a string of changes can present difficulties for the lady unless the man leads it correctly. The man should practice a string of change figures by himself going backward to appreciate the kind of lead that the lady needs. Closing the feet on the third step when going backwards is difficult unless the body is rotated to the correct angle relative to the line of dance. The body will rotate slightly from left to right and back repeatedly when doing a string of changes. The change figure diagrams that are linked to in the first paragraph of this appendix show the man's part as he would dance a series of change figures in such a way as to make the lady's part easier. She would go straight down the line of dance, he swings from side to side to orient her so it is more natural for her to close her feet on 3.
Change figures used to transition between natural and reverse turns would be oriented differently, though the same step, step, close pattern would be followed. This transition should be accomplished while the contact point between the two partners continues to move straight down the line of dance. If starting a change figure from step 3 of a reverse turn, the feet would not be together at the start.
Since fleckerls are difficult, and not much used we will not really tell in detail how to do them, but instead tell generally what they are. The couple use the same dance hold as in the natural and reverse turn, but spin around each other in one spot. Start with the reverse fleckerl. Each partner moves to the right as the couple turns to the left about a spot on the floor. The left foot crosses in front of the right, the right steps to the side, the left crosses in front of the right, right to the side, left crosses behind the right, right to the side. The woman does 456123 when the man does 123456. To change direction using the contra check the man rocks forward on the left foot, back on the right, steps on the left then rotates the opposite direction in the natural fleckerl, which is the complete mirror image of the reverse fleckerl. The amount of turn in the fleckerls can be anywhere from one rotation in six steps as in the traveling turns, up to two rotations in six steps, which is very difficult, and guaranteed to make you dizzy even if the traveling turns no longer do.
The above version of the fleckerl is the most appropriate for competition and show dancing, and looks the best. However, it involves both partners dancing around each other, not the man leading the lady around himself. If the lady needs to be led, the man must generate torque to do so. He does this by a modification of the above version. Instead of crossing one foot in front of the other, he pivots on both feet at the same time through 120 degrees of rotation. This results in the feet being crossed as before. However, the man dances around a very small circle or almost pivots in one spot, while the lady dances in a larger circle around him. The ladies' steps will remain as in the previous version.
Initial practice for both the man and the lady should be without a partner and without music. It may not be convenient to go to a dance floor to practice. In the beginning, you may not need to. The average kitchen has a hard surfaced floor large enough for useful practice. Start at the position of step 6, go through steps 1,2, and 3 ending at the point where the toe touches down in step 4. Do this without music in one continuous smooth rapid movement, like swinging a golf club or throwing a baseball. Pay close attention to the angle of rotation of the body at each step, and to the toe-heel footwork. Similarly, start at the position of step 3, do 4,5 and 6 stopping where the heel touches down on step 1.
When you are ready to practice entire rotations you will need a hallway or corridor, or a dance floor. Speed up the tempo, without music, until you can go very fast. Try to get very smooth movement. It will get irritating if you turn in the same direction all the time, so switch from time to time. You will get very dizzy, and will suffer motion sickness. You should stop to recover when you experience motion sickness. You should start to get over the motion sickness after about 10 hours of practice. Eventually you will feel no dizziness or motion sickness whatever.
A spinning ballet dancer "spots" with the head pointed at the audience much of each turn. This presents a nice picture for the audience to look at but does not reduce dizziness much, and it does tire the neck. Spotting is not used in the Viennese Waltz. The man will have to turn his head some to see where he is going in a crowded floor.
When you get up to a fast tempo, try to practice individually to the music. Waltz music has three beats per second, three beats to the measure, also known as a bar, and 60 bars per minute. Concentrate only on the downbeat, which should occur when your heel hits the floor on "1" and when your toe hits the floor on "4". You must ignore beats 2 and 3 on each measure of the music. If you try to make steps 2 and 3 in time with the music it will make the dance needlessly difficult. If you have difficulty keeping up with the fast music, turn the music off and go as fast as you can without it, then try again. If you seem to have special difficulty staying in time with the music, do not despair, you will eventually find it easy with enough practice.
When you take larger steps your body will rise and fall more during the natural and reverse turns. This is unavoidable if your body is erect while you dance, as it should be. Do not force extra rise and fall over that which is natural and unavoidable. You should not attempt the exaggerated rise and fall found in the slow waltz. What you want is smooth, natural movement, with nothing exaggerated. There should be no tendency to hop. You should not be dancing stiff legged with the knees locked. The knees should be relaxed and used naturally.
Stand facing a wall with your waist lightly touching the wall. Neither your nose nor the toes of your shoes should be touching the wall. Some ladies in particular will have to have their nose far from the wall so that their waist can touch the wall; the important thing is that the waist touch the wall. Your knees should not be locked and straight, they should be slightly bent, but not enough to touch the wall. Have your feet flat on the floor, with weight evenly on balls and heels of your feet. If you stand with this same posture when facing your partner, you will be doing your part.
What is meant by position is the particular offset or staggered way to stand in front of your partner. To see the position click here. What is meant by hold is the way your arms hold your partner. The hold is illustrated in a painting from Vienna in 1906. To see the hold click here. The man should not have his car keys or anything else in his right front pocket that might annoy the lady if it presses against her. Both the man and the lady should have their weight as much on the toes as on the heels. The dancers should not have their knees locked; they should be slightly relaxed. The feet should be pointing in the direction that the body is facing, not at an angle. There will be some left to right offset: the toe of each partner's right shoe should be pointing to the place between the other partner's feet.
There should be body contact between the couple, right front to right front. At the waist each partner should find his partner's centerline about four inches (10.16 cm.) to the right of his own. The amount of this left/right offset will have to be adjusted for each couple. Regardless of whether you are man or lady, your head should be to your left of your partner's head, looking over your partners right shoulder, and the lady's head should be turned slightly to her left. The hold is definitely not "cheek to cheek". You should find your partner's nose at least four inches (10 cm) in front of yours, and at least 8 inches (20.32 cm.) to your right. This wide frame at the top creates a noticeable flywheel effect which adds stability and control when maneuvering. Advanced dancers typically have more separation to the front and to the right between their noses than specified here. The body contact at approximately the center of mass makes it easier to lead, to follow, and to dance together as a single couple, rather than as two loosely coordinated individuals.
The man's left hand should be out to the left and midway between him and her, holding the lady's right hand. Exactly how the hands are clasped will vary with circumstances. A clasp that will work on an uncrowded floor with the hands extended well out to the side may not work well on a crowded floor where the hands cannot be extended. On an uncrowded floor the hands should be extended far enough out to the side that neither partner's forearm is vertical. Do not extend the hands so far out to the side that either partner's elbow is straight; both elbows should be bent. The lady's left hand should lightly grasp the man between the midpoint of his upper arm and his shoulder. Her left hand will be on top of the man's right arm. The man's right wrist should touch the lady's left underarm and the side of her body, and his thumb and fingers should be together flat on her back sloping downward centered on the lower edge of her shoulder blade. The height above the floor of the man's right elbow should be midway between the height of his shoulder and the height of his wrist. This is tiring and difficult in the beginning. This height of the elbow is used in competition dancing because it helps provide a precise and secure lead for the lady during difficult maneuvers. However, many social dancers do not feel the need to raise the right elbow this high.
While standing together with this hold, if either partner picks up either foot, and without rotating the foot attempts to step on the other partner's toes, it should be relatively difficult to do so. However, if you back off from the body contact, it will be easy to step on each other's feet. If the proper hold and balance is maintained while walking forward and backward with body contact, there should be no problem stepping on each other's toes. There should be no need to try to avoid stepping on each other. Step straight forward or back, do not try to step around each other. The person stepping backward should swing the leg back from the hip, not from the knee, to avoid blocking the person stepping forward. The person stepping backward should lower the heel slowly so that the heel does not touch the floor until the moving foot is along side of the standing foot. This is required for smooth movement of the body.
With this hold you and your partner should practice walking with the man going both forward and backward. This will help you fine tune the contact and the left to right offset of the hold for most comfortable movement. The contact will help you to feel bumps, and to learn to use your feet to produce absolutely smooth movement, with no bumping or scraping between you at the point of body contact. For this reason contact is useful at this phase even if you do not intend to dance with contact. The lady should not cling to the man, and the man should not clutch the lady, contact should be maintained predominantly by using the feet and balance to push slightly against your partner. The feet and legs are much stronger than the hands and arms, and do not tire as quickly. The hold must be gentle and comfortable, with no feeling of grabbing or clutching.
When walking backward and forward together, notice your relative positions. Are your noses separated front to back and side to side by the proper amount? A useful exercise at this point is to walk this way with the man's right hand behind his back, the ladies left hand behind her back, body contact, and the other hands flat against each other so there can be no clinging. This cannot be done unless the balance is correct for dancing, and will automatically cause the feet to be in the correct relationship. When walking this way and when dancing, the man is responsible for the motion, the lady is responsible for the lightness or heaviness of the contact. The contact must be light. If the contact is heavy, the man will feel like his motion is being resisted, or objected to.
I will call the hold described above the back hold. For completeness it should be pointed out that there is an alternative hold to the back hold. The difference is that the man's right hand goes around the ladies' waist and he uses it to clamp her body to his. At one ball in Vienna about half the couples were using this waist hold, and half the back hold. At the dance school I attended in Vienna, the back hold was taught. An old painting of an upper class ball shows the back hold also. From this I would assume that the waist hold is traditional primarily among people too poor to afford lessons. In any case, the back hold is more comfortable for both partners and permits more agility in maneuvering, even if it is harder to learn to dance with in the beginning. However, in social dancing a man who dances with an untrained lady may find that the waist hold works best.
When you are dancing with your partner, sometimes you will step forward, and your foot will pass under your partner to a point behind your partner. This is true for both man and lady. Other times, your two feet will be together side by side, and your partner's two feet will be together side by side. In this case, your feet cannot be under your partner, that is where your partner's feet will be. To avoid your feet being where your partner's feet are, you must have proper balance. Suppose you lean back so that if the hold is released, there is a sudden increase in the distance between you and your partner. You cannot lean back this way unless your feet are closer to your partner than they should be. Furthermore, when you lean back this way, it will tend to pull your partner off balance, resulting in your partner's feet being closer to you than they would otherwise be. Ideally, your balance should be such that your weight is balanced on your own feet, not affected by the hold or your partner's presence. However, such perfection is impossible for beginners. It is better to lean slightly toward your partner if you cannot be perfectly balanced. This will minimize the chance of your feet sliding into your partner's feet. This balance must be maintained through the various maneuvers that you do while dancing. You can test your ability do do this by releasing the hold while dancing.
If a lady wishes to dance with some separation, rather than with body contact, she should indicate this by pressing back with her left hand, which will be clearly understood by the man. She should not indicate her desire for increased separation by leaning back, since the man will probably interpret this as bad balance rather than as a signal for increased separation. If the lady makes a clear indication that she wishes increased separation, the man should extend his right hand to give her the room she desires, establishing a larger frame. However, the lady should be aware that dancing without body contact has some disadvantages. It does not make much difference in slow dancing on an empty floor, but it makes a big difference in fast dancing on a crowded floor. In fast dancing on a crowded floor, the lady needs to know precisely where her partner is going in order to follow quickly, and the man must know precisely where the lady is in order to lead quickly. This is much easier with body contact. Separation makes the left-right offset variable and indefinite, making it more likely that there will be interference between your foot and your partner's foot.
This is the end of the hold section. If you got here from the social dancing article, now is the time to click the "back" button on your browser.
Now it is time to try to dance together. Notice that the partner doing 4,5,6 should take smaller steps than the partner doing 1,2,3 so the partner doing 1,2,3 can get around the other partner. The man should be attentive to any difficulties the lady is having in getting around him, and assist with a slight pause and a slight sweeping motion of his body as she goes by. The contact point between your bodies should move straight down the line of dance. When dancing with a partner, step 4 will have to be shifted slightly out to the side to make room for the partner.
One fault sometimes seen in a small minority of lady competitive dancers is to achieve a wide frame by bending back from the knees, instead of from the waist. This makes her knees protrude into her partners space in an awkward way. A wide frame is nice, but it is better not to have it than to achieve it by bending from the knees. This exaggerated bending of the knees is not right, nor is locked knees. The knees should be used in a relaxed, comfortable and natural manner.
If there is any knocking of knees, something is wrong. One cause of knee knocking is failure to step out to the left enough in step 4 when doing the natural turn. Another is stepping back by swinging the lower leg from the knee, rather than by swinging the whole leg from the hip.
There is quite a lot of centrifugal force tending to sling the partners apart. Overcome this force by getting your feet behind you, not by clinging to each other. To test your ability to do this, try dancing with body contact with the man's right hand and the lady's left hand behind your own backs, and the other hands pushing flat against each other with no grip. You should at least be able to do this doing natural or reverse turns in a straight line with no maneuvering. If you cannot do this you need more practice.
If you have a camcorder, dance with your partner in front of it, then view the tape in slow motion to see what you are really doing, which may be different than what you think you are doing. One thing to notice is that there should be no sudden "bump" of your head at any time; it should move smoothly. If your head bumps you are not using your feet and legs correctly. The most likely problem is dropping the heel suddenly on step 4.
The man should lead and the lady should follow. It is unworkable to have two people steering the same vehicle at the same time. Since the man is usually the biggest and strongest, it makes sense for him to do the driving.
You should also practice as a couple stretching out and taking large strides. Even if you refuse to dance socially like a race horse, some practice this way will make you more sure footed and confident in your dancing.
The problem that the man will encounter when curving to the left doing reverse turns is that he may attempt to pull his lady to the left when he is doing 1,2,3 so as to lead her into the curve. This will not work. She will feel that she is being pulled into an improper dance position and will properly resist. The right way for the man to lead the lady in this curve is to turn into her on 1, and dance around her more than usual during 2 and 3, so as to gently guide her into the curve. During 4,5,6, he will try to almost dance in place, with very little motion down the line of dance, so she will further curve to the left. With practice you should be able to dance reverse turns to the music in a counter clockwise circle of 5 feet (1.5 m.) in diameter.
Arrange several chairs in a random pattern with about five feet (1.5 m.) gaps between chairs to maneuver between. Dance as a couple every way you can through the chairs. You will need to take small steps. If the lady feels that the man is being rough with her, she should let him know. With enough practice he should be able to take her smoothly through tight maneuvers with her feeling pampered the whole way. After a time, bring the chairs closer together so that you are forced to do mostly change figures, not rotations, when threading your way through the chairs. When it is effortless, graceful, smooth and you can carry on a relaxed conversation while weaving through the chairs, then you are ready to quit practicing.
As you get more practice, you will find special situations in maneuvering where you find it best to improvise footwork that occasionally violates the rules given for learning. For instance, I find myself planting a heel flat on the floor to use as a brake to momentarily slow down rotation. If you dance with a partner who incorrectly leans back pulling on you with wide separation, you will also have to improvise footwork which will be different in some particulars from that given here.
The man must realize that he leads the lady with his body movement, not with his steps. This is true even if he is dancing without body contact, since his arms should provide a firm frame that is fixed relative to his body. In maneuvering drastic modifications of steps are permissible as long as his body movement makes it easy and natural for the lady to follow him. Only practice will allow him to develop an instinct to make it easy for the lady to follow no matter what the maneuver.
When you have practiced together until it gets easy you are ready to go to the balls, again and again for the rest of your life.
There is one final point that should be added to the training of every one learning Viennese waltz. Sometimes orchestra conductors will play Viennese waltzes too fast. No one can be expected to complain about this but dancers. Dancers will not complain unless they are sure of themselves. The method of counting waltz tempo given in Appendix E will give the actual tempo, but it is too tedious for the average dancer. There is a much simpler way to be sure that the tempo is too fast, without knowing just how fast it is. Measures of music can be counted by counting the 1 in each 1,2,3 of music. Look at the seconds tick by on your watch for about 20 seconds. If there are more measures than seconds, the conductor is playing too fast, faster than 60 bars per minute. There should be no more than one measure per second. If the conductor is playing too fast a complaint should be lodged.
Variations in tempo are annoying or even impossibly difficult for beginners, but a welcome challenge to experienced dancers, provided the variations are not to great or too sudden. At age 65 I relish occasional gradual increases briefly up to 70 bars per minute and gradual slow downs briefly to 50, but I realize this is out of reach for most of the attendees at today's balls, because they do not have the opportunity to gain the necessary experience. Furthermore, if it is out of reach of the lady I am dancing with, then it is out of my reach too.
Observe the dress code of the ball. If in doubt, dress conservatively or call the information number in advance.
You are at the ball to have fun, but in both conversation and behavior be conservative; you are not in a rowdy smoke filled honky-tonk.
The man should escort the lady out onto the dance floor to dance and escort her back to her seat after the dance.
Among unattached single people, either the man or the lady can ask for a dance, and either can choose to accept or decline as they see fit. Do not feel that you must accept just to be polite; there too few dances to waste any of them. However, if a lady declines an invitation from a man, she should not presume that he will ask her again later the same evening. This article is about annual balls. The considerations for weekly social dances are different. If a lady declines invitations from a particular man three weeks in a row, he will probably not ask again for several years.
If a man wishes to dance with a married lady, he must ask the husband's permission to ask the wife.
If there is a march where a single file of couples march counter-clockwise around the floor, the man is on the left holding his right hand up at the level of the lady's shoulder holding the lady's left hand.
When dancing a Viennese waltz, go to the center of the floor if either partner wants a rest or cannot move with the traffic. Some of the waltzes last 12 minutes, so it is not unusual to need a rest. The outer part of the floor is where the main line of dance is. Rocking back and forth to the major beats of the music is a good way to rest.
Dancing the Viennese waltz takes much more coordination than driving a car. Do not burden a sober partner with your clumsy self if you have had more than a glass of wine. It is best not to drink at all. Ask for sparkling cider or grape juice instead.
Some balls are non-smoking events. Even at the others there is almost no smoking. Don't come expecting to smoke.
When dancing the Viennese Waltz, do not bump into or even graze other couples. Apologize if you do. If the floor is packed with jostling couples, do not attempt the Viennese Waltz. This may occur during the Emperor Waltz, because it starts with a march that tends to get everyone on the floor at once.
If either a man or a lady lands a partner who dances in an uncontrolled or bizarre manner, do not take risks, insist on going to the center to rock this one out, or to leave the floor and quit the dance. One time I politely continued to do the Viennese Waltz with a lady who was bounding up and down with greatly exaggerated rise and fall; it resulted in a fall.
Do circulate and meet people. This is a rare opportunity to meet others who share some of your tastes.
If you do not have an assigned table to sit at, bring something to mark your spot while you are dancing. Your shoe bag will do if you have nothing better. Do not get upset with someone if they innocently take your chair when you did not leave an item of clothing or something to mark your place at the table. It is their chair now. An exception to this rule: if there are not enough chairs for the number of people, put your things on the table or in the cloakroom, not in the chair. In this case you do not want to claim a chair; anyone who needs a rest between dances is welcome to use any chair.
Do not attempt to break up a dancing couple in the middle of a dance and substitute yourself for one of the partners; that always seems to happen in social dances depicted in movies, but practically never happens at real social dances, and would be very rude. If a man attempts to cut in, the dancing couple should refuse and send him away.
Since 1920, etiquette books in the USA have permitted cutting in on the dance floor. This makes absolutely no sense, and I have not found it permitted in earlier etiquette books. If adversaries of dance did not pay for the advertising of cutting in in movies and etiquette books, they should have. It is hard to think of anything that would better serve to dampen male enthusiasm for learning to dance.
The ball you attend may include a formal dinner. In addition to the plate in front of you there may be additional food and drinks in plates, bowls and glasses to the left and right of your plate. Which is yours, and which belongs to the person next to you? The drinks to the right of your plate are yours, and the food to the left of your plate is yours. There may be a confusing array of silverware. The silverware to be used first is on the outside to left and right of your plate. Use from the outside in. The dessert silverware will be at the far side of the plate.
At balls where coat and tie is permitted, no special clothing is required. This statement is so brief compared with the extensive discussion of formal wear to follow that it needs extra emphasis: do not feel that you really should have formal wear to attend a ball where it is not required. Perhaps if there were more coat and tie balls more people would participate. If ladies plan to dance they should not wear tight skirts which restrict movement. Astonishingly, even ladies who are good dancers sometimes get so preoccupied with fashion that they forget this point. A skirt full enough for running at maximum stride is needed for dancing.
Now, about formal wear. If the dress code is black tie, men must wear a tuxedo. What the women wear with black tie can depend on local custom, either a knee length or tea length cocktail dress, or a full length ballgown. Women should ask. Miniskirts are definitely out for this type of event. Many modern formal gowns are slender columns, too tight to dance in. If the dress code is white tie, men must wear a tailsuit, and women must wear a full length ballgown. Both will traditionally wear gloves with white tie. The lady wears long gloves that extend just above or just below the elbow if her dress does not have long sleeves. A full length ballgown should be off the floor enough that it will not be stepped on when dancing.
Sometimes dress codes are confusing. If the dress code is "formal", this is ambiguous. In some parts of the USA this would mean black tie, in other parts, coat and tie. "White tie, black tie optional", means white tie preferred, black tie OK. But simply "black tie optional" means either coat and tie or black tie acceptable.
If period costumes are permitted, men should remember that the heyday of the Viennese Waltz was the 1800's when black tailsuits were the norm at civilian balls. If men show up in 16th century or ancient Roman costumes, the atmosphere degenerates from an elegant Viennese waltz ball to a frolicsome costume party. If a man cannot show up in a tux or tailsuit it is better to wear a sport coat or business suit than a costume. If unrestricted costumes are permitted, occasionally an individual will show up with a "problem" costume whom everyone wishes could be evicted, but no one has the will to.
Ladies formal wear will normally be modern ballgowns of the type found in department stores. Sometimes they are called prom dresses. Only the full skirted ballgowns should be considered, hemmed to ankle length. Beautiful ballgowns are available even in moderately priced department stores. Satisfactory gowns are available for less than $100. Satin gowns do not wrinkle in a suitcase; taffeta does.
A ladies dress with two layers of slippery material covering the shoulder blades is almost impossible to dance with. An example would be a slippery dress covered by a slippery light jacket. The man would not be able to hold the lady's back, his right hand would keep slipping. One layer of slippery material will not usually be a problem.
When ladies wear period costumes, they should avoid the bawdy, bosomy extremes of the 18th century French court. Some ladies are tempted to use hoop dresses. These must be expertly constructed to be appropriate for the Viennese Waltz, otherwise they interfere with the close dance position. An ordinary hoop skirt will be forced up high in the back with a close dance position. I have seen at least one hoop skirt that was compatible with a close dance position, others that were not. In any case, hoops were only popular a small fraction of the 1800's, primarily from 1854 to 1869, so there are plenty of other styles to choose from. Another style was off the floor in the front but had a train in the back. The train was held up by a loop of string in the lady's right hand when dancing. These also required expert construction to work right. A 1906 painting of a ball in Vienna shows the train to be a wedge in the back of the skirt, squared off at the end. To see the ballgown click here. You may need to adjust the brightness and contrast on your computer screen to clearly see the train. The train would normally trail straight behind the dress, but she has turned. Long gloves and long hair done up on top of the head topped with a small sparkling headband completed the outfit. A tiara risks seeming too ostentatious, a sparkling headband does not. More about the design of this special train for dancing in the last paragraph of this section on ladies clothes. To see another ballgown without a train from elsewhere in the same painting as above click here . To see other period ballgowns without trains from a drawing published in America in 1899 click here .
A lady with long hair should gather it up so it does not fly out behind her when she whirls around. Her fast moving hair could cut the eyes of someone behind her just as the edge of fast moving paper can cut a finger.
If a lady insists on applying hand lotion before a dance, she should wear gloves; otherwise she may require her partner to take his coat to the cleaners just because he danced with her.
Some ladies may wonder about the dresses worn in ballroom dance competitions. With very bright colors, sequins and feathers, many of these are show dance dresses more appropriate to be seen from a distance than up close. If you plan to have a competition dress made for use at balls, a more conservative style should be ordered. These dresses are very good for dancing. They are built on a base of stretch fabric in form similar to a one piece ladies bathing suit or leotard. Then a decorative top and very full skirt are added.
With a full length ballgown no one is likely to notice whether a lady has high heels or not. Most ladies wear heels. For safety, flats or low heel pumps would be preferable. To get good flats, a few women even wear men's lace up dance shoes. Their feet are enough smaller than men's that the result is not unfeminine. Women's flats with dance shoe soles are available from an outlet listed below. If heels are worn, real ballroom dance shoes should be used, as they have stronger arches and the heel is less likely to fold under. Shoes are discussed more fully at the end of this appendix. In the drawings of balls in Vienna from the 1800's that I have seen, the ladies at that time wore flats at balls, but today you see more heels than flats.
I have my own theory about the design of the train shown in a previous paragraph. I do not believe the trains were constructed as in a modern wedding gown where the train is simply a bulge in the back of the skirt. Wedding gown trains tend to look disheveled and partly undressed when held in dance position. I suspect the circular skirt in the painting had a vertical slit centered in the back, and the wedge shaped train was sewn to either side of the slit. The train would trail straight behind the center of the dress, even though it is laying to the right side in the picture. The train needs to be long enough that when the train is held up to the right side, the left side of the skirt is not pulled, restricting movement with a partner. The train will be held up by the corner of the squared off end of the train. As I see it, the train would be cut as a piece of cloth in the shape of a pentagon, or closed figure with five straight sides. The pentagon will be symmetrical about a centerline but the length of all the sides will not be equal. The train can be modelled with a loop of string, clothesline or rope with five clothespins attached representing the five vertices of the pentagon. One pin at the top of the skirt, two on either side of the slit at the bottom of the skirt, two at the corners of the squared off end of the train. The size of the loop and the positions of the end pins will have to be experimented with. This rope train can be laid flat on the floor, stretched straight between the pins, and used as a pattern to cut the train. There is more than one way to stretch a loop with five pins. Another rope needs to be added to achieve the simplest geometry and the shortest train that will work. When the rope train is "worn" by the lady, a piece of rope stretched straight needs to connect the top pin with the center of the squared off end of the train. When the rope train is laid flat with this center rope connecting the top pin with the midpoint between the two end pins, there will be only one way to form a pentagon. In order to make the rope train more accurately model a cloth train, another rope needs to be added. When the rope train is stretched into a flat pentagon, fasten a straight rope from the left slit pin to the right end pin. To see the result click here. Then test the rope train by wearing it again. When the right hand holding the right end pin is raised into dance position the rope train will, hopefully, pull the left slit pin at about the same hand position that the cloth train would. If the train is long enough the left slit pin will not be pulled when the hand is in dance position. If it does pull, then try again with a longer distance from the slit pins to the end pins, but don't make it longer than necessary. Even though we have described three lengths of rope, this can all be done with one long length of rope without cutting the rope. To see how click here. The top pin will be at the center of the length of rope. The rope will go from the left slit pin to the left end pin, continue to the right end pin, then double back to the center of the end section to return to the top pin to make the center rope. The rope will go from the right slit pin to the right end pin then to the left slit pin to make the diagonal rope. Just remember that the length of the center rope must be determined when the rope train is worn, whereas the length of the diagonal rope must be determined when the rope train is flat. The difficulty is to avoid a confusing tangle. An easy way to experiment would be to add such a train to an inexpensive prom dress or ballgown with a circular skirt about the diameter of the one in the painting.
I think men, more often than women, rebel at any requirement for formal wear. In my experience, there is a practical reason for it. I have noticed that a crowd where all the men are dressed alike seems less crowded to me than an equally dense crowd where the men are dressed many different ways. Variety in women's dress on the other hand, is delightful. The same basic principle could be used even for a group of people who could not afford coat and tie. If there were a school prom ball for inner city youth in a school gym, perhaps they could agree on white long sleeve dress shirts and ties, with no coats.
For men, a black tuxedo is adequate for most balls, and required for some. While any style of tuxedo will get you into a black tie ball, if you are going to purchase a new tuxedo you might want to know what the most traditional style is. It is a black wool suit, usually worsted wool. The most traditional style is single breasted, a single button at the waist, peaked lapels, no flaps on the pockets, no vents at the bottom of the jacket, satin facing on the lapels. The pants are pleated in the front, do not have turned up cuffs, do not have belt loops, do have buttons inside the waistband to attach suspenders, and do have a black satin stripe or black braiding down each side-seam from just below the waistband to the bottom of the leg. It is normally worn with either a black satin cummerbund or a black waistcoat (vest). If the dress code is black tie, colored ties and cummerbunds may be considered unseemly. Black ties and cummerbunds are more appropriate. With a double breasted tuxedo one does not need a cummerbund or a waistcoat. Normally white suspenders are used to hold the pants up. The cummerbund can be anchored to prevent it from riding up or down with the activity of dancing by threading it through the loop in the suspenders between the two buttons in the back of the pants. A cummerbund is normally worn with the pleats up, so a ticket could be placed in them. The customary shirt with a tux has a normal laydown collar, cuffs with links rather than buttons, and a pleated front. Cuffs that do not double back on themselves are preferred, so the coat sleeve will not catch on the cuff. Because the pleated front is stiff, it may tend to blouse out in front. Have the shirt taken up if necessary, or buy the shirt at a shop that sells custom made shirts. While having the shirt altered, have the sleeves shortened, if necessary, to the exact length of your arms. If you do not, it will be noticeable when you raise your arms to the dance position: the coat sleeves will pull back, but the shirt sleeves will not. Custom fitted shirts are available online at www.myshirtmaker.com. Cuff links and studs, usually gold faced in black are used with the shirt. An extra set of links and studs is good insurance against a lost or broken stud at the last moment. The tie is a black satin bow tie. The tux is based on the "sack suit", and most men can be fitted off the rack, and do not need a tailor made tux. Tuxes are available from mens clothing shops, from tux rental shops, and online at places such as www.etuxedo.com. I have never bought a ready made tux online, and cannot vouch for the service, but the prices on good name brand tuxes are very low. I have picked this outlet at random; a search on the internet will reveal many similar outlets. Tuxes in a store typically cost $500, but sometimes national chain department stores have tuxes for slightly more than $100.
Tuxedo pants do not have belt loops, so they cannot be worn with a belt. Pants could be worn riding on the hips, or held up with suspenders. This is an important point to keep in mind when ordering the pants, because, depending on fit, using suspenders can require up to 2 inch (5.08 cm) longer pant legs. The athletic nature of dancing makes suspenders the more reliable choice, and as previously noted provides a way to anchor the cummerbund.
A few will want tailsuits. Tailcoats never button or even come together in the front. Tailsuits off the rack are available for little more than tuxedos off the rack. Competition tailsuits cost about $1000, and generally look better than off the rack tailsuits. Savile row tailsuits are the only ones that look like the glamorous tailsuits seen in old movies, and cost about five times as much as competition tailsuits. Tailors who custom make tail suits for competition dancing are likely to make notched lapels unless specifically asked to make peaked lapels. Peaked lapels are the traditional style for tail-suits. Competition tailsuits are performance garments with only a left outside breast pocket and a right inside breast pocket. There are no pockets in the pants. You must take your car key off the key ring and your driver's license out of your wallet to find room for them in the pockets along with a handkerchief, a hotel key card, ball tickets, a pen, a comb, and a pocket notebook. I had an alterations shop put two side and two back pockets in the pants for $65. The side pockets open behind the satin stripe so as not to break the stripe. All pockets are the same height above the crotch as pockets on normal pants, so they are further below the top of the pants. The pants for my competition tail-suit are extremely high waisted. I do not believe that the Savile row tailsuits are so high waisted as the competition suits. The waist of my competition suit is 2.7 inches (6.8 cm) higher than the pants that go with my tux. The base of the coat drops only about 2 to 3 inches (5.08 to 7.62 cm) below the top of the pants. The base of the coat should cover the base of the white waistcoat; the waistcoat should only show through the opening in front of the coat, not below the coat. Normal pants and a cummerbund are never proper with a tail-suit. Competition tail-suits are cut almost uncomfortably high under the armpits so that the shoulder pads will not lift when you raise your arms into the dance position. This is done in part by attaching the arm to the body at about a 45 degree angle from vertical; ordinary tailsuits, tuxes and dinner jackets have the arms attached at about 20 degrees from vertical. This means the arm hole is much smaller in coats cut for dancing, and it is harder to get into them. Tailsuits are normally black worsted wool, not mohair.
The traditional weave for tailsuits is called barathea. I have found different descriptions of barathea that do not agree with each other. I suspect it is a marketing term and not a technical term. Looking at the barathea used to make a Savile row tailsuit, I would guess that the technical description of it would be a 75 degree steep twill. Ordinary twill is 45 degree.
The major producer of custom made competition tail-suits in the USA is Onik in Los Angeles at 213-380-3272. Ron Gunn of England at 011-44-181-539-7075 makes competition tail-suits. Expect to pay $1300 for a British custom competition tail suit, and a bit less for an American custom suit. These high prices are not because they are tailsuits, but because they are custom made; tuxes are also expensive. Off the rack tailsuits have a slightly frumpy look compared with the elegant dashing look of custom tailsuits.
The best sources for social tailsuits are probably the tailors near London's Savile Row. They are very,very expensive, over $5000. You have to come back for three fittings after the initial measurement. These fittings can be done on three occasions when they visit the country where you live if you are not in a hurry. This high price is a very good argument for never having a white tie event. Presumably, with laser scanners, computer design, and robotic tailors the price will eventually come down to something reasonable. You can easily find them by searching for "savile row" on www.google.com. I have not tried them, but the best tailsuit I ever saw came from one of them, I do not remember which. Competition tailsuits, by contrast, are not traditional tailsuits, are not fitted as close to the body, and do not look nearly as good. Competition tailsuits often hang down from the shoulders like a bathrobe without a belt. This cannot be corrected by simply pulling them in at the waist; the fitted look requires a very different cut to look good. Competition tailsuits need elastic loops attached to the inside of the lower front of the tailcoat, the other end looped over buttons on the trousers, to prevent the body of the tailsuit from inclining backwards when centrifugal force pulls the tails back. The best Savile row tailsuits cling to the body in such a way that no such elastic bands are needed. This is because of the way they are cut, not because of any additional fasteners. Between the outer shell and the inner lining they do have a stiffer layer of hair canvas than would be used in a tuxedo or business suit. You do not have to go to London to be fitted by these tailors; they make trips to major cities in several countries. I have read that not all the tailors in this part of London are good, some are bad. By searching on the web you should be able to find articles that tell which ones have the best reputation.
Patterns for the Savile Row type of tailsuit can be found in the book "The Modern Tailor Outfitter and Clothier" by A. A. Whife in three volumes, with editions dated 1928, 1933, 1936 and 1949. This book can be found in major university libraries and the relevant pages copied. In the 1949 edition, in volume 1 see chapter VII on measuring, and diagrams 3, 4, 9, 12, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 37, 38, 41, 42, 45, 46, 65, 66, 68, 69, 73 and 74; in volume 3 diagram 56, and the text associated with each diagram. I doubt that this book reveals the secret of making the coat cling without fasteners.
With tailsuits the man traditionally wears white gloves. Cloth gloves are preferred for dancing; kid leather gloves look awful when sweat soaks through them. Cotton gloves are satisfactory for dancing. Nylon gloves are not; they are too slippery on the back of the ladies dress. The man wears a white shirt, with the shirt front, a waistcoat and bow tie all made of white cotton marcella. Competition dancers replace the waistcoat with a white marcella cummerbund that looks like the part of the waistcoat that covers the top of the trousers; this way they stay cooler, and from a distance it looks almost the same. Since balls are social events, not performances seen from a distance, the real waistcoat is more appropriate. The shirt has a vertical loop in the back just under the collar; the waistcoat should be threaded through this so that it will not ride up to the level of the collar. The shirt has a removable plastic wing collar. The removable collar can be high enough to look appropriate with a tail suit; a normal cloth collar cannot. Gold colored studs and cuff links with white or mother of pearl facing are used. An overcoat to be worn with a tailsuit should cover the tails; some overcoats are available in "regular" and "long" lengths. If the coat is long, the sleeves and sleeve lining may be too long. This cost me $36 to fix at an alterations shop. There is an alternative solution that I have not tried. There are traditionally two buttons in the back waist of every tailsuit. If there were corresponding buttonholes in the bottom of the tails, they could be retracted so as not to show below the bottom of any coat.
Excessive cleaning and pressing can wear out wool suits prematurely. If the suit is wrinkled, but not soiled, hang it in the bathroom on the shower curtain rod with the tub full of hot water and the door closed. In four hours it will not have a wrinkle in it.
White dinner jackets are not appropriate for most balls. They are not the best choice for social dancing with many different partners because they are easily stained. However, if you want one for a less formal occasion, a few tips might be of interest. A white dinner jacket is almost, but not quite, a white version of a tuxedo jacket. It is always worn with black tuxedo pants, white tuxedo shirt, black satin bow tie and, if single breasted, with a black satin cummerbund. Whereas the traditional lapels for the black jacket are peaked, the traditional form of white jacket is with a shawl collar. Whereas the lapels of the black jacket should be satin, the white jacket would most typically have lapels in the same material as the jacket, but lapels of grosgrain are sometimes seen. The color of a white worsted wool dinner jacket is not really white, it is cream color. This looks better than white, which is available only in polyester.
If you intend to use dance shoes, you may not want to walk outside with them; dance shoe soles are more porous and absorbent than street shoe soles. They get dirtier when they get dirty. They get wetter when they get wet, and take longer to dry out. At a weekly dance in your home town you may be willing to take the risk of wearing dance shoes to the dance. But it would be a shame to travel a long distance to a ball and step in a puddle of engine oil in the parking lot on your way into the ball. Carry your dance shoes in a shoe bag that is sold where you buy the shoes. Change into them inside, in the restroom if you are modest, and put your street shoes in the bag. The bag can be checked at the coat check, or taken to your table to mark the place where you are sitting, if you have nothing better for the purpose. If the ball has assigned seating you will not need to mark your place.
Ballroom dance shoes are different from ballet, tap, or jazz dance shoes. They have chrome tanned split leather soles. They are sturdier than jazz shoes, and have more heel than ballet shoes.
In continental Europe street shoes come in European sizes, but ballroom dance shoes come in British sizes.
A lady should wear shoes with covered toes, not open toed shoes. If her partner's shoe should accidentally peel back her toenail the result would be painful and bloody. Ladies competition dance shoes are available with both closed and open toes. Normally the open toed styles are used in latin dancing, not in ballroom dancing.
Ladies can get flats, which have the lowest possible heel, made by Tic Tac Toes. Not all of the shoes they sell have dance shoe soles; make sure the style you order is listed as having "split leather" soles. For instance, their "maryjane" and "shag" styles look the same, but only the shag have split leather soles. They also sell ladies lace up square dance flats "dancer" and "bernie". They can be reached at www.tictactoes.com 518-773-8187 or 800-648-8126. Another source of ladies flats is some of the "character shoes" found at www.capeziodance.com and at www.blochworld.com and sold at ballet supply stores. For these latter two sources, few stores have the wide selection seen online, so it would be best to shop online and order the shoe you want at the store.
Ladies shoes present two special problems not present with men's shoes. Ladies strapless high heel pumps may come loose when dancing. To prevent this, some ladies have used clear adhesive tape over their arch and under the shoe. Some ballroom dance shoe dealers sell clear plastic slip on straps for this purpose. Ladies' heel tips wear out long before the rest of the shoe wears out. Most ladies ballroom dance shoes are made with replaceable heel tips. An alternative is plastic cup heel protectors that slip over the heel tips. Ladies should probably buy a supply of heel tips or heel protectors with their shoes, so they can be replaced as needed.
Dance shoes are advertised in ballroom dance magazines, notably American Dancer, published by www.usadance.org, and many suppliers can be found on the web. The men's shoes I bought are from www.danceshoes.com. Do not be surprised if you have to mail the first pair back to get a proper fit. It costs about $20 to airmail a pair of shoes across the Atlantic.
Finally, there is the option of gluing dance shoe leather on the bottom of street shoes. If you like a particular style of street shoe, you can convert it to a dance shoe by gluing chrome tanned (suede) leather on the sole and heel. If you cannot afford dance shoes, you can buy an inexpensive street shoe, or use one of your old worn out street shoes to convert to a dance shoe. A shoe repair shop may be willing to do this for you. If old soles get a hole worn in them, new soles can be glued over the old. For details, you can see the section on soles in Appendix F by clicking here.
If you will be dancing on floors that are too sticky or too slick, you may want shoes with soles slicker or stickier than normal to compensate. These are described in Appendix F in the paragraph found by clicking here.
An event without adequate space to dance can be a nice party, and many people do enjoy such events. It seems inappropriate to advertise such a party as a ball. The dance floor needs to be large enough for the number of tickets sold, or it will not be possible to dance the Viennese Waltz. Attending a ball with inadequate floor space is about as frustrating as going to a movie where the projector is never turned on, or going on a ski trip only to find no snow on the slopes. If everyone is a good dancer, good movement is possible on a crowded dance floor just as good movement is possible driving on a crowded freeway. In the USA, unlike Europe, a significant number of the dancers will not have the skill necessary to move around the floor. If some of the cars are parked at random on a f