Waltz Steps
The waltz is a very beautiful and elegant dance that focuses on sweeping around the dance floor with a beautiful rise and fall action that is more difficult than it looks. When this dance is danced correctly, it looks effortless; however, there are quite a few waltz steps that must be mastered in order to dance this dance the right way. Whether learning the International style or the American style, certain waltz dance steps will be used in both styles. If you want to learn how to do the waltz dance step, here are a few of the steps required and some tips for mastering them.
The Basic Box Step - One of the most basic waltz dance steps is the basic waltz box step. Basically the box step is not much more than simply walking to the ¾ time of the music. You step forward with the left foot, then forward with the right foot, then the left foot is brought to touch the right foot. Then you step back with the right foot, back with the left foot, then bring the right foot to touch the left foot. You will then be back in your original position, having basically done steps that make a box, which is where the waltz box step gets its’ name.
Taking it On to the Progression Step - Once you have down the basic box step, you can take it a step further to the progression step, which allows you to progress across the floor. This step basically starts out as the regular box step; however, once you get to the fourth step, where you usually step backwards, now you will step forwards again. By stepping forward you are able to start sweeping across the dance floor.
The Waltz Twinkle Step - After you become a more advanced waltz dancer, you may want to go on to learn the waltz twinkle step. This step is quite subtle; however, it is a very sophisticated step that shows off the connection between the leader and his partner. The twinkle step is essentially one step in any direction, then followed by a close, which is then followed by another step in a different direction. Usually the waltz twinkle step is used to take the waltz from the box step to the promenade step with smooth. This step also involves the lead turning the lady clockwise and the count for this step is one-two-and-three. The turn occurs on the “and” of this group of steps.
The Promenade Step - For quick movements across the floor, the promenade step will be used. This is a step that is basically done on the balls of the feet and it is also considered a reaching step. Basically this is a very brisk walking step that should look almost effortless as you promenade across the floor. To do this step, the left foot goes forward on the first count, then the right foot touches on beat two and three without putting the entire weight on the foot. Then the right foot goes forward for the four count, the left goes on forward for the five count, and on count six the right foot is brought up to meet the left foot. While it sounds relatively easy and slow, it is actually a bit complicated when you are trying to cover the entire dance floor quickly with your partner.
Of course the most important part of dancing these waltz steps is to make sure that you have the signature rise and fall that goes along with the waltz. Keeping your waltz steps long will help you to insure that you get enough rise and fall in your steps. The rising and falling occurs because you start the step out on your heel, and throughout the step you go onto the toes, which causes the rising. By the end of the third beat, you should have fallen back to the normal position, which occurs by then lowering the heel to the floor. When you put together all the beautiful waltz dance steps with the rise and fall, you get a lovely dance that looks elegant and graceful and you spin across the dance floor.
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