Ballroom Waltz

This Christmas season, come learn to dance waltz to a variety of Christmas music from Traditional Carols such as "The First Noel" and "O Tannenbaum" to 1950s Classics such as "Silver Bells" and "The Christmas Waltz" and even modern renditions. Don't miss this festive and fun class to prepare you to dance at your Christmastide parties.

Waltz is a smooth progressive dance characterized by long, flowing movements, continuous turns, and rise & fall. It developed from the Viennese Waltz in the early 20th century in the ballrooms of England danced to slower rhythms about half the speed of the traditional "valse" tempo. Danced in 3/4 time, with three beats to each measure, it typically follows a rhythmic pattern of "1, 2, 3," creating a smooth, lilting quality. The dance emphasizes posture, balance, musicality, and the connection between partners.

As ballroom dancing developed in the United States, the American Smooth style emerged as a distinctive form, incorporating elements of traditional waltz technique with greater freedom of movement and choreography. Today, Waltz is one of the four dances featured in American Smooth ballroom competitions, alongside the Foxtrot, Tango, and Viennese Waltz. It is popular in both competitive and social dancing for its combination of classic elegance, expressive movement, and creative freedom. One of its defining features is the freedom to move between a traditional closed dance hold and open positions, allowing dancers to separate, perform underarm turns, and create expressive patterns while maintaining the romantic and graceful character of the waltz.