Viennese Waltz
The Viennese waltz emerged in Austria in the second half of the eighteenth century from German dances and the Ländler. It spread through Vienna's large dance halls and the music of Josef Lanner and Johann Strauss I and II. Viennese balls took off around the Congress of Vienna of 1814 and 1815. It is described as the first ballroom dance in closed hold, which at first drew moral criticism.
It is a rotary dance in three-four time at around 180 beats a minute, with turns joined by change steps. The ISTD accepted it fully as its fifth dance in 2010. Austria's national inventory of intangible heritage listed the Viennese waltz in 2017, noting that balls open with the call "Alles Walzer".
Sources
- The Viennese Waltz – Played, Danced, and Sung (Austrian Commission for UNESCO, national inventory)
- Viennese Waltz (Vienna Tourist Board, wien.info)
- Viennese waltz (Wikipedia)
- History of Modern Ballroom (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing)
Organisations connected with this dance
- Tanzschule Elmayer, Vienna
- Vienna Opera Ball, Opera Ball Office (Wiener Staatsoper)
- Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), Modern Ballroom faculty
Listed as references; being listed is not an endorsement by or of the organisation.