Late Nineteenth-Century Variations for the Five-Step Waltz

• Era: 1880s & 1890s America

Back in May, I described one of two versions of the mid-nineteenth century Five-Step Waltz and promised a later continuation looking at some of the variations that appeared in the last decades of the century.  Mr. Saracco's version of the dance, discussed in that earlier post, continued to appear in later American dance manuals: Allen Dodworth (New York, 1885), William DeGarmo (New York, 1892), M.B. Gilbert (Maine, 1890), C.H. Rivers (Brooklyn, c1885), Judson Sause (Chicago, 1889), Cartier (New York, 1882), Cartier & Baron (New York, 1879), Lucien Carpenter (Philadelphia, 1882), and M.J. Koncen (St. Louis, 1883).  Most of these manuals are compilations and offer no new information, but Dodworth, Gilbert, and DeGarmo were actual dancing masters, and the three of them offer a few simple variations on the original five-step waltz that may be useful to those recreating the dances of the 1880s and 1890s.

A quick recap of the basic step:

Five-Step Waltz No. 1 ("old" or "original")
The dancers begin in a standard nineteenth-century ballroom hold, joined hands pointing along the line of dance (gentleman facing out toward the wall).  The dancers make half a turn in each bar of 5/4 music.  The steps for the gentleman are as follows; the lady dances opposite, doing the second bar's steps first followed by the first bar's:

1    Slide left foot along line of dance
2    Close right foot to left, displacing left into a raised second position, toe pointing down ("cut")
3    Hop on right foot, bringing left to a raised third position
4    Slide left foot across line of dance, beginning a half-turn
5    Hop on left foot, bringing right to a raised third position and completing the half-turn

1    Slide right foot along line of dance
2    Close left foot to right, displacing right into a raised second position, toe pointing down ("cut")
3    Hop on left foot, bringing right to a raised third position
4    Slide right foot forward between partner's feet, beginning a half-turn
5    Hop on right foot, bringing right to a raised third position and completing the turn

This description is repeated with minor variations in language and style in all of the sources cited above except for the two Cartier books.  Dodworth refers to it as the "old" five-step, while Gilbert and DeGarmo simply call it "No. 1" (Gilbert) or "No. 1 -- Original" (DeGarmo).

There is some minor variation between the sources, though not enough to make much difference in practice.  In Carpenter, Sause, and Koncen, count five is referred to as a slide or glide, implying that it travels slightly (completing the half-turn?) rather than being a hop in place.  Koncen describes count three as a glide as well, perhaps suggesting that the dancers initiate the turning motion a bit earlier.  Sause closes the free foot to first rather than third on five.  DeGarmo specifies that on four the free foot is brought behind the other in a raised third position.

Aside from these minor differences of style (or perhaps merely of language), two distinct variations are given by the three major dancing masters.  One, referred to by Dodworth as the "new" five-step and by Gilbert as "No. 2," adds a chassé on the second count of the music, changing the rhythm of the dance slightly.

Five-Step Waltz No. 2 (Dodworth & Gilbert)
Starting position same as No. 1.  Half a turn in each bar of 5/4 music.  Steps given for the gentleman as explained above:

1    Slide left foot along line of dance
&   Close right foot to left
2    Slide left foot
3    Close right foot to left, displacing left into a raised second position, toe pointing down ("cut")
4    Slide left foot across line of dance, beginning a half-turn
5    Hop on left foot, bringing right to a raised third position and completing the half-turn

1    Slide right foot along line of dance
&   Close left foot to right
2    Slide right foot
3    Close left foot to right, displacing right into a raised second position, toe pointing down ("cut")
4    Slide right foot forward between partner's feet, beginning a half-turn
5    Hop on right foot, bringing right to a raised third position and completing the turn

The mnemonic is "slide-close-slide, cut, leap, hop."

Gilbert specified bringing the free foot to raised third on count five, as given above; Dodworth does not specify anything special for this version, though one might reasonably deduce that as in No. 1 he believes the free foot should close in first with heels touching.

DeGarmo offers the same variation but with a slight difference in step performance and the suggestion that the half-turn should be more evenly distributed over the five counts ("very moderate on each count"):

Five-Step Waltz No. 2 (DeGarmo)
Starting position same as No. 1.  Half a turn in each bar of 5/4 music.  Steps given for the gentleman as explained above:

1    Slide left foot along line of dance
&   Close right foot to left
2    Slide left foot
3    Close right foot to left, displacing left into a raised second position, toe pointing down
4    Close left foot to right, displacing right into a raised second position, toe pointing down
5    Hop on left foot, keeping the right foot in second or tucking it to raised third behind

1    Slide right foot along line of dance
&   Close left foot to right
2    Slide right foot
3    Close left foot to right, displacing right into a raised second position, toe pointing down
4    Close right foot to left, displacing left into a raised second position, toe pointing down
5    Hop on right foot, keeping the left foot in second or tucking it to raised third behind

The mnemonic is "slide-close-slide, cut, cut, hop."  DeGarmo first suggests leaving the free foot in a raised second position then gives the option of bringing it into a raised third behind.

The two Cartier books (1879 & 1882) both give a rather fuzzy description of the "New Five-Step Waltz" which may be intended to be No. 2:

Make two slides sidewise, commencing with left foot -- (counting one and two); then execute waltz step half round (counting one, two, three).  Repeat the same, commencing with right foot.

The description is problematic in that it fails to describe which waltz step is intended and appears to assume an unstated weight shift after the second slide in order to initate the waltz step on the first foot.  It is possible that this is intended as yet another variation, but I think it more likely that it is merely a corrupt description.

A final variation is given by DeGarmo; I have found it in no other source.

Five-Step Waltz No. 3 (DeGarmo)
Starting position same as No. 1.  Half a turn in each bar of 5/4 music.  Steps given for the gentleman as explained above:

&   Hop on right foot
1    Slide left foot along line of dance
2    Close right foot to left ("cut") , displacing left into a raised second position, toe pointing down
3    Leap onto left foot across line of dance, making a half-turn
4    Hop on left and point right toe forward between second and fourth positions
5    Hop on left and bring right heel over left instep, right toe pointing down (third raised in front)

&   Hop on left foot
1    Slide right foot along line of dance
2    Close left foot to right ("cut") , displacing right into a raised second position, toe pointing down
3    Leap onto right foot forward between partner's feet, making a half-turn
4    Hop on right and point left toe forward between second and fourth positions
5    Hop on right and bring left heel over right instep, left toe pointing down (third raised in front)

The mnemonic is "hop-slide, cut, leap, point, tuck."  The first three counts are a polka redowa step (slide, cut, leap) as opposed to the mazurka step (slide, cut, hop) that initiates No. 1, and the turn is made earlier and more quickly on the third count rather than on the fourth and fifth.

DeGarmo notes that it may be danced "with or without hopping," so removing the upbeat hop (&) and merely pointing and tucking on counts four and five without hopping while doing so is an option for dancers who prefer a less lively version.

Music for the five-step waltz was addressed in the earlier post. 

Special thanks to Barbara Pugliese for access to a copy of the fifth edition of DeGarmo.

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