The Viennese Waltz emerged in early 1800’s Vienna as a prominent social dance and preceded the modern slow waltz. As a dance of elegance and sophistication, proper waltz is often found either on stage or in full ballrooms during formal events. Classical music certainly boasts Viennese waltz-style music (3/4 or 6/8 meter, typically between 159-174 BPM), but modern rock and pop ballads can fit the dance’s stylistic requirements too.
How to recognize when to take the first step when dancing waltz?
To recognize when to take your first step, listen carefully for the song’s kick drum or a lower bass note. Modern fast 3/4 music typically only kicks on the first beat of every measure and can serve as a reliable signal for your first step, which coincides with the first beat. If the song is classical, there will often be some lower brass or string instruments that play on this first beat, with higher, more delicate instrumentation for the rest of the measure.
How to dance waltz?
As a classical, formal dance, you should take a closed frame with your partner and seek to maintain strong hip-to-hip contact to help share each other’s balance. Whoever is stepping forward should take larger steps to move around their partner effectively, and whoever is stepping backwards should take small steps to facilitate their partner’s forward movement. Each partner will take turns sharing these roles.
Practice now with the Dancebeat app
Get the Dancebeat app now to practice
- recognizing the correct dance for the played music.
- recognizing the dance steps of each dance.
- recognizing the right moment to take your first step.
Sources
- James Mehl: Professional ballroom dance consultant
- Eddington, Marci H., and B. Lee Wakefield. American Social Dance: Syllabus and Progress Chart. Brigham Young University, 2003.
- National Dance Council of America. Compiled Rule Book Master v2 (March 2022). PDF file, National Dance Council of America, 2022.
https://www.ndca.org/ – Compiled Rule Book Master v2.pdf. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.