# Modern Dancing/Chapter 4

IV
THE HESITATION WALTZ—THE WALTZ WALK—THE LAME DUCK
As to the origin of the Waltz there are varied opinions. Professor Desrat claims that it came from Russia; another writer states that it is derived from an old dance, the Allemande. Notwithstanding this controversy, it has been proven beyond a doubt that the Waltz in its first form came from Italy to Provence, and thence to the Court of Valois, under the name of "La Volta." Henry the Third and Marguerite of Valois were both fervent devotees of this dance, which they called, "Valse à trois temps." Other dances overshadowed and crowded it out later on, and little was heard of it until, in its present form, it was brought from Germany to Paris in 1795. Castil-Blaze, an accepted authority, called it "that imp from France brought up in Germany." The first German Waltz tune was the well-known "Ach du lieber Augustin," and dates as far back as 1770.
ONE STEP
This first real round dance did not become popular until the Rrussian Emperor Alexander, with Countess Lieven as partner, had danced it in 1813 at Almachs, then the meeting-place of the fashionable world of London.
THE HESITATION WALTZ The hesitating part of the Hesitation Waltz.
THE HESITATION WALTZ
At the present day a new form of the dance has crowded out the old-fashioned Waltz. It is the Hesitation Waltz. Before I go any further I want to admit being no great authority on this dance; I only try to explain the way it is done by the best dancers. Every one seems to do it differently, and I know at least four persons, whose word I would swear by, who assure me that they are the originators of the Hesitation. In fact, my wife and I seem to be the only dancers who have not had a hand (or a foot) in this sometimes beautiful and much-abused dance.
The dancers assume the ordinary plain Waltz position. Then the man steps back with the right foot, taking two steps on two counts, alternating the right and left foot; then he moves forward two steps—right foot, left foot—again allowing each step to fill in one count of the music. Thus, to be very explicit, four counts have been occupied, but the steps should not be directly forward and backward, leaving you in the same position; you should turn and travel just a little. For the next two counts the gentleman allows his weight to rest on his left foot. This creates the ​sense of hesitation in the dance which has given it its name.
The lady starts forward—left, right, and back left, right—finally holding her weight on the right foot through the fifth and sixth counts. Then she goes back on her left foot for the next part of the step—left, right, and then forward, left, right—finally holding her weight as before on the two last counts. I might add here that a great many people start with the hesitating steps and finish with the Waltz. That is a matter of preference.
This measure could be continued indefinitely. By counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and holding or hesitating the 5, 6, you can't very well go wrong; and you are doing the Hesitation Waltz.
Of course, were this all, it would be a very tiresome dance. So you vary it slightly by doing either two or three ordinary Waltz measures—or some of the figures I am about to explain or some of your own. After you have a rough idea of this first step, I advise you to cease counting and try to do the hesitation when the music seems to "ask it"—if you know what I mean. Nearly every good Waltz has certain strains which, if you have a good ear for music, you will not fail to recognize as calling for some sort of hesitation or pause.
THE HESITATION WALTZ Pivoting on the hesitating part of the waltz.
THE WALTZ WALK
WALTZ WALK
THE HESITATION
THE HESITATION WALTZ
If you wish to dip a trifle in this walk it will look quite well if done rhythmically and with the correct poise of the body.
THE SWING STEP
This Step is used in many ways. We will begin by showing the simplest form of it. The man, who should be going forward, turns the lady so that she will be facing the same direction as himself. They dance the regular Hesitation step forward, starting with the outside foot—that is, the man with his left and the lady with her right. To vary this they do the Hesitation step and swing the inside foot forward, touching toes in front with the foot slightly raised. Then dance another Hesitation step, this time swinging the foot backward.
THE SIDE WALTZ
The dancers do the Hesitation step in the regular position. They start the figure, the lady crossing her left foot in back of her right, thus making her dance the Waltz part of the Hesitation backward, while the man dances forward. After completing one Hesitation step in this position, the lady crosses the left in front of the right, pivoting on the right, ​making her dance the Waltz part of the Hesitation forward. The man does the opposite. He dances one Hesitation step forward, then crosses the right foot in back of the left, pivoting on the left, making him dance the Waltz step backward. The man keeps at the right side of the lady throughout the whole step.
THE EIGHT STEP—IN THE WALTZ
THE LAME DUCK
We now come to the dernier cri in Waltz steps, the Lame Duck, and I find this a lot of fun to do. The dance, in spite of its unpoetic name, can be made to look very graceful.
In doing the Lame Duck the gentleman, as usual, starts forward on his left foot and does a half-sliding dip and half limp for two counts; then the right foot comes to his relief for just one count, and in this way he, as it were, shuffles forward, the right knee straightening more or less and the left knee remaining bent. The lady's part is naturally just the opposite. She starts back on her right foot for two counts, and then on her left foot for one count. You can keep the step up indefinitely, rounding comers and the like.
As this is very tiring on one leg, the step can be changed by having the gentleman hold his weight on the left foot for three counts, making a pivot movement or not, as he wishes, and continuing backward, making two counts on the right and one on the left. This has the effect of changing the weight of the body to the other foot and causing the gentleman to do the lady's step and the lady the gentleman's. I feel sure it is unnecessary to explain the lady's part of all this. ​She naturally is at all times opposite her partner and does the corresponding step to his.
We see this dance done every day at Castle House, and nearly fifty per cent. of the dancers do it out of time to the music. I often wonder why they choose the Waltz. If you are not going to take any notice of the music, why have music at all? Some one reciting would be much cheaper and less noisy.
It is absolutely wrong to dance this way; you may dance strictly against time or strictly on time, but to dance regardless of music when the music is being played is criminal.
One last word about the Lame Duck. If you do it smoothly it is pleasing to the onlookers and to yourself; if you exaggerate it you lose all the Duck and it is simply Lame.
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