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| The History of Dance - Waltz, The Forbidden Dance |
The name of the waltz comes from the German word 'waltzen', which means 'to turn', as essentially the essence of the waltz is that of turning. The waltz consists of a series of three step bars with accent being given to the first step. A lot of the time the first two steps will turn and the third step will close. Music for the waltz is played in 3/4 time. Today it is often danced in quite a light way, although this was not always the case |
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The waltz is Viennese, evolving in Austria and Bavaria and was known there by such names as the Dreher, the Laendler and the Deutscher. It was originally a dance for peasants and incorporated lots of big strong movements which needed lots of room to perform. Sometimes partners were even thrown high into the air in moves which occasionally resulted in injury. Because peasants wore big heavy shoes, the dance was also very noisy. However, these aspects of the dance began to change when it started to become popular in 18 th century Viennese dance halls |
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So, why was the waltz, known as the forbidden dance, surely a title more deserved of the tango? Well, quite simply it was because the dance required partners to touch! This was unheard of in 18 th century dance halls. It soon attracted a lot of negative comments from community leaders in Austria and many church officials. However, as with the rock 'n' roll phenomenon of nearly 200 years later, the waltz was a dance for the young and was not going to go away |
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The heaviness of the dance began to die away as it became more popular in the dance halls where light steps were better suited to the polished floors and parties of Viennese society. |
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It's music also began to change from loud and brash peasant music to more refined and orchestrated pieces, with classical instruments such as the violin, piano and bass taking centre stage |
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In 1787 the debate about the waltz raged even harder when Mozart, who was a big fan of the waltz brought it to the operatic stage in one of his operas, Don Giovanni, in which three waltzes are played in one scene alone. It was now quite clear that the waltz was here to stay |
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By the 1800's the waltz phenomenon was taking hold all over Europe . Paris had fallen in love with it and even the English, who at first had denounced it, publicly accepted it in 1819, after which it gained the popularity it still has today |
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