The first point made was that there are very few steps in the Viennese Waltz. A complete list is given below:-

• The closed changes
• Reverse turn
• Natural turn
• Fleckerls (natural and reverse) - we touched upon these briefly, but they are not covered in these notes.

In addition, 'Strictly' dancers have been putting in pivots in a natural (clockwise) direction. However, these are not official steps and therefore we left these alone.

Musicality

The Viennese Waltz music is three beats to a bar, most music being played in pairs of bars, approximately double the speed of a normal Waltz.

Technique

Points of technique that we looked at were as follows:-

Posture - we looked for both dancers to be upright, with your heads high. Gents in particular were looking up and over their partners. The more advanced ladies tipped their pelvis forward, keeping the back otherwise straight, which gives an impression of leaning back slightly. nb the stylised view we have of ladies arching their back is incorrect - the back is straight but from a tipped forward pelvis. It is important to be as close to your partner as possible so that the centre of the turn is between you.

Rise and Fall - there is rise and fall, step 1 is down, step 2 is rising and step 3 is up. Howeveer, we try and avoid the 'popping up' action sometimes seen by keeping pressure on the whole of the foot ad the second step closes towards the third. The knees are slightly flexed and we try to avoid ever completely straightening the knee (certainly avoiding the 'lock back' position')

Sway - we sway towards the moving foot

Breathing - really important, keep breathing properly, avoiding the temptation of tightening the chest muscles and restricting the diaphragm from breathing properly.

 

Health Warning

Viennese Waltz has a high casualty rate !

To avoid this, remember the following golden rules:-

Look up and focus on things around the room

Never cross behind, only in front

Remember to breathe - see above

Reverse turn

An anti-clockwise turn, the man starts facing line of dance. 

Step 1 - Left foot forward (lady - right foot back)

Step 2 - Right foot to the side (lady - left foot to the side(small step))

Step 3 - Lock the left foot in front of right foot (lady - right foot closes to left)

By this time the man is backing line of dance

Step 4 - Right foot back (lady - left foot forward)

Step 5 - Left foot to the side (small step) (lady - right foot to the side)

Step 6 - Right foot close to the left foot (lady - left foot crosses in front of right foot)

End facing line of dance ready for a repeat step or a closed change.

Remember that the lady is on the inside of the turn on the first 3 steps and the man on the second, hence the reference to small steps.  To make the turn work you need contra body movement (turn of the shoulders) to help get you around far enough.

Natural turn

A clockwise turn, often danced in a set across the short side of the floor.

The man starts facing line of dance of his current side.

Step 1 - Right foot forward (lady - left foot back)

Step 2 - Left foot to the side (lady - right foot to the side(small step))

Step 3 - Close the right foot to left foot (lady - left foot closes to right)

By this time the man is backing line of dance

Step 4 - Left foot back (lady - right foot forward)

Step 5 - Right foot to the side (small step) (lady - left foot to the side)

Step 6 - Left foot close to the right foot (lady - right foot closes to left foot)

End facing line of dance ready for a repeat step or a closed change.

Remember that the lady is on the inside of the turn on the first 3 steps and the man on the second, hence the reference to small steps.  Again, to make the turn work you need contra body movement to help get you round far enough.

Closed Changes

Used like normal Waltz basics - forward side close for the man, back side close for the lady.  The three steps gives you the opportunity of switching from one foot to the other, without turn to allow the next step to be able to turn in the opposite direction without the momentum of the previous one.

Suggested routine

Three or four reverse turns down the long side, a closed change from left foot to right foot,  three or four natural turns across the short side, a closed change from right foot to left foot, repeat from the start.

 

 The above notes are not verbatim copies of the approved technique of the teaching societies, but are intended to be easily digestible aide memoires from the course you attended. (c) 2010 Ballroom Experience Co