From: stepan@natinst.com (Stepan Riha)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.dance
Subject: Re: Viennese Waltz Question
Date: 27 Jan 1993 12:07:06 -0600
Organization: National Instruments, Austin, TX
NNTP-Posting-Host: falcon.natinst.com

In article <1993Jan26.234505.16133@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> ajh@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Alan Hu) writes:
>
>Over the last few years I've been doing social (non-performance,
>non-competitive, non-judged) dancing, I've had a number of different
>teachers teach the basic Viennese Waltz left and right turns in various
>ways, so I'm asking "What is the correct way?" and "What is acceptable?":

	[long description of three styles deleted]

>1.  So, which is right?  (I suppose the real dancers will recoil in
>	horror at all three of these.  How *should* it be done?)

In social dancing it does not really matter which one of the techniques is
right since your partner is likely to adjust to the small differences.
However, I would go with #2, where right and left turn are the same but
where you cross your feet in the left turn.  I've seen VW taught by very good
English instructors in two ways.  Both tought it like #2 but one said that
in both the left and right turn you keep your body straight while the
other taught that in the left turn you lean against the flow of dance
(i.e. where you are comming from).  Both said that you DON'T have the
fall and rise of the Waltz.

>2.  Is there a difference between people who primarily do International
>	Style versus those who primarily do American Style?

I would imagagine that people who do international style are doing it "more
correctly" since the Viennese Waltz is an international dance.  When I go
ballroom dancing (in Texas) I'd usually have to request a Viennese Waltz
to get to dance one.  When I went to dances in Switzerland, they played
the VW quite often.  Also, you'll notice that European dancers do mostly
the right (or natural) turn and start out this way.  American dancers usually
start with the left turn.  It confused the heck out of my parents when they
came to visit and danced with my American friends :-)

>3.  Is the man's and woman's footwork exactly identical, or are there
>	subtle differences?  Are the Left and Right Turns exactly mirror
>	images, or are there subtle differences?  (I'd expect the alignment
>	in proper dance position to make slight differences, but I'm
>	no positive what those might be.)

See 1.  When you turn left you ought to start facing diagonally towards the
middle of the room (about 10 o'clock) when you turn right you start facing
to about 2 o'clock.  During each 1-2-3 you turn 180', so the lady turns as
much on her forward steps as the man on his.
When I was originally taught VW, I was told that on the forward steps (1-2-3
for man) you make bigger steps and then on the 2-2-3 you make small steps
while the lady is making bigger ones.  In England I was taught that during
the second step on both forward and backward your step is quite big (these
are the steps to the side that travel in the direction of the dance).
This makes for a nice, continuous travel.
Alse, allways keep your head nicely tall and turned to the left (i.e. don't
spot with your head, just your eyes), this will give you a nice solid posture.
Turning your head to look in the direction of dance will mess with your
momentum and move your shoulders from side to side.

	- Stepan
-- 
   Stepan Riha -- stepan@natinst.com

Newsgroups: rec.arts.dance