For all competitors the "Waltz" is always the first dance to show to the Judges which speaks for
itself. With this dance you have to make the first impression to the judges and you always
will get ONE change to make a FIRST IMPRESSION. Consider that most of the judges often don't know who
you are and what your level of dancing is. When couples enter the floor for a competition the judges
and the audience (ask yourselves) start to look intuitively for a Champion. Warning, if you look and behave like
champion you must dance the Waltz as a champion to confirm the very first impression people
(judges, audience) had by "seeing you" entering the floor!!!
Many couples underestimate the impact of the first impression........ The Waltz
Think about it when practising or planning lessons.
Consider that the other couples maybe dedicate 40% of their practice time to the Waltz,
if you are one of them, you are on the right track to success.
Best Regards
Piet Rullens
Attention: This Information,
may not be reproduced without our written permission
signed: © Piet Rullens, Rullens Dance Consultancy
1996 all rights reserved For reactions and messages send your mail to:
piet@rullens.com
During 1910-1914 many people went to the Bostonclub in the Savoy Hotel, central London
to dance the Bostonwals, the forerunner of our competition Waltz. The Boston, imported from
the USA, died at 1914 the basic steps were changed to the direction of the Waltz. After the World War 1 the Waltz started to develop more into the right
direction with figures like, the Natural and Reverse turn and the Closed Change
The development process of the Waltz was tough and slowly. Special contribution to the
development was given by: Miss Josephine Bradly, Victor Silvester and
Maxwell Steward and Pat Sykes first English Champions.
An imported institute that contributed to the standardisation of the figures was
the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Many of these variations are still
danced by today's competitors.
- Waltz Character: Swing and flow, Soft and round movements, Sentimental and romantic
- Movement: Swinging, Pendulum action
- Timing: 3/4
- Bars/min: 30 according the IDSF Rules
- Accent: On beat 1
- Competition: 1,5 - 2 minutes
- Rise and Fall: Commence to rise e/o 1; Continue to rise on 2 and 3; Lower e/o 3.
- Dynamics: Well balanced combinations of Flow, Weight, Time and Spatial motions
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An action that must be visible at any competition level is the Waltz Pendulum action,
an action comparable with the movement of a bell clapper. The Waltz must contain the right level of Up and Down
Swing in balance with the required spatial movement. The choreography must be well balanced with Swinging, floating, Soft, round patterns
allowing the dancers to move spatial and natural with a constant changing gravity. Any Waltz routine
should include variations to allow showing moments of superb control and confidence.
In many cases the music is Romantic, Dreamy, Sentimental and Female like which is a pitfall to
many couples, they intent to loose their sensitivity to timing and speed and the readiness to
dance light, bound and free.
As in all dances dancing from the supporting foot is essential, for the Waltz "the moment when"
to start rising from your supporting foot is crucial. landing an lowering on to the
supporting foot requires the typical Waltz foot tension and control
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There are many famous Champions in the past who danced a "Waltz to remember". At this moment in
the competitive dancing sport, which is still developing, I have found my personal favourites.
Some of them are not dancing as a couple anymore they are:
- Lucca Barricchi and Loraine Barry
- John Wood and Anne Lewis
- Augusto Schiavo and Catarina Arzenton
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The CD's that flow into my mind when writing this page are the following: I will come back
with my final list of favourites in the near future!
- CD "Fascination" Nat king Cole
- CD "My Cherie" Al Martino
- CD "Hello Memory" Al Martino
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