How to Waltz: Basic Steps and Waltz Dance Styles

The waltz is a ballroom dance in which a couple turns rhythmically around the dance floor using the waltz box step, a series of six waltz dance steps that form the shape of a box. Composers commonly write waltzes in a three-fourths time signature (which indicates how many beats are in each measure of a piece of music, as well as which note value is counted as a beat).

The waltz is one of the most popular dances in ballroom dancing and one of the easiest of the ballroom dance styles. It's considered a closed-position dance because the two dance partners hold each other while facing each other. It’s also a common dance at weddings and other special occasions.

The waltz (derived from the German word walzen, meaning “to revolve”) can be traced back to thirteenth-century Europe. Here’s a short history of the waltz:

• The Walzer dance emerges. Working-class people in the countryside in lower Germany and Austria enjoyed a folk dance they called the Walzer, an early version of the waltz, in the middle of the eighteenth century, possibly even earlier.
• The Ländler evolves the dance. Around the same time, the region was developing another country dance, called the Ländler (sometimes also called the Schleifer), which follows the same foot movement pattern as the waltz but adds more complicated arm movements by which the partners turn each other around. This dance was popular in the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century in Germany, especially Bavaria, as well as parts of Austria, including Vienna.
• Aristocrats adopt the waltz. Around the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, the waltz had incorporated elements of both the Walzer and the Ländler and migrated from the social dances of peasants and servants to the homes of noblemen and noblewomen in Austria and Germany, and even to high society events in Britain.
• Waltz music goes mainstream. In the nineteenth century, the waltz replaced the minuet, which was formerly the most popular social dance, and became ubiquitous across European dance halls. Composers created waltz music specifically for the dance: Some of the most famous musical accompaniments include "The Blue Danube" by Austrian composer Johann Strauss and “Waltz of the Flowers,” which Peter Tchaikovsky wrote for The Nutcracker ballet.
  

The ballroom dance requires two people: one leads and one follows. To begin, both dancers stand about a foot apart facing each other. The lead dancer places their right hand on the follower's left shoulder and then the dance begins.

1. 1. Step forward with your left foot. Stand with your feet hip distance apart and step forward with the left foot while moving your body in the direction of your left foot.
2. 2. Move to your right. Move your right foot sideways to the right.
3. 3. Close your left foot to your right foot. Bring your left foot next to your right foot so your feet are parallel and nearly touching.
4. 4. Step back with your right foot. Take a step back with your right foot.
5. 5. Move back and to your left. Take a single step with your left foot that moves you back and sideways to the left.
6. 6. Close your right foot to your left foot. Move your right foot next to your left foot so your feet are parallel and nearly touching.

To start, the follower faces their dance partner and places their left hand on the leader’s shoulder. The follower then moves in the opposite direction of the lead.

1. 1. Step back with your right foot. Place your feet hip distance apart and step back with the right foot, moving your body in the direction of your right foot.
2. 2. Move to your left. Move your left foot sideways to the left.
3. 3. Close your right foot to your left foot. Bring your right foot next to your left foot so your feet are parallel and nearly touching.
4. 4. Step forward with your left foot. Take a step forward with your left foot.
5. 5. Move back and to your right. Take a single step with your right foot that moves you back and sideways to the right.
6. 6. Close your left foot to your right foot. Move your left foot next to your right foot so your feet are parallel and nearly touching

Dancers perform the waltz everywhere from royal courts to ballroom dance studios. Here are the most popular waltzes:

1. 1. Viennese waltz: The Viennese-style waltz has basic box steps at a fast tempo and is the quickest of the waltz varieties—clocking in at about 180 beats per minute. Dancers continuously turn to the left and to the right while moving to the soundtrack of Strauss waltz music. There is less rise-and-fall motion in this style of waltzing because of the pace.
2. 2. International style: International standard waltz is recognized as an international style ballroom dance and is common in dance competitions. It’s danced to slow waltz music, about 84 to 90 beats per minute and is a good waltz for beginners. It was previously referred to as the slow waltz.
3. 3. American style: The American waltz has more freeform dance moves than the other styles and has a large variety of arm movements and foot patterns. Similar to the Viennese waltz, dancers move counterclockwise around the dance floor. American style is a popular dance course among those who seek out waltz dance lessons.

Get the MasterClass Annual Membership for exclusive access to video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Usher, Misty Copeland, Alicia Keys, St. Vincent, and more.