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waltz
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waltzing couples
waltzing couples Illustration of waltzing couples in a Vienna dance hall.

waltz

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Article History

waltz, (from German walzen, “to revolve”), highly popular ballroom dance evolved from the Ländler in the 18th century. Characterized by a step, slide, and step in 3/4 time, the waltz, with its turning, embracing couples, at first shocked polite society. It became the ballroom dance par excellence of the 19th century, however, and tenaciously maintained its popularity in the 20th. Its variations include the rapid, whirling Viennese waltz and the gliding, dipping Boston. Composers of famous waltzes include Frédéric Chopin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Johann Strauss and his sons, especially Johann Strauss the Younger, who was known as “the Waltz King.”

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.