I've been looking through quite a few 1920s and 1930s sources lately. This is the era when modern ballroom dances were starting to take their current forms but the syllabus had not yet been standardized, so the waltz was relatively simple with fewer variations which differed from one teacher or manual to another.
The basic waltz of this era was the direct descendant of the "new waltz" of the later nineteenth century, with "step-side-close" as its basic structure. This could be danced progressing along the line of dance (the leader always stepping forward on one), done as a "box step" in place by alternating forward and backward steps on the first beat of each bar, or used for quarter-turns (four bars to make a full turn) and half-turns (two bars to make a full turn) in the natural or reverse directions. All of these use that same basic step sequence with only minor variations of angle and direction.
The 1936 edition of Lillian Ray's Modern Ballroom Dancing is the sixth edition of a work originally published in 1930 in Chicago. A publisher's note states that this edition has been revised to add new steps and the latest exhibition dances and to make instructions and diagrams clearer. Apparently this revision was substantial enough to require a title page credit: "Revised by Billie and Earl of Billie's Dancing School."
Along with the basic progressive, in-place, and turning movements using the basic step, this edition includes five easy variations that break the step-side-close pattern but are very accessible to the beginning waltzer. I'll look at the two simplest of them in this post and the other three in future posts.
The Waltz Walking Steps
You can't get much more basic than simply walking forward in waltz time, and this step-sequence is only a minor variation on that theme: four walking steps, a side step, and a close with weight. This is done in a normal closed ballroom position with the man moving forward along the line of dance and the woman backing up. The man steps left-right-left-right (all forward), then steps to the left side and closes with the right foot, leaving the left foot free to start the next sequence. The woman dances backward right-left-right-left, then steps to the right side and closes with the left foot, leaving her right foot free.
This sequence covers a lot of ground very quickly and "may be introduced at any time to add variety to the dance or if the ballroom is crowded and continuous turning is difficult." To initiate it, the leader must provide strong forward momentum to break the step-side-close pattern and keep the woman moving straight backwards for four steps.
Step Arch Waltz
This is a very fancy name for hesitation steps. As given, this is a sequence of three steps forward and one back taken over four bars of music. Once again, the man is moving forward and the woman backwards. One step is made per bar, on the first beat. On the following two beats, the ball of the trailing foot is brought up close to the first foot's heel, but is held without putting weight on it. This allows the forward steps to be done on alternating feet. The man steps left forward (1) and brings the right foot up to the left without weight (2-3) then steps forward right (1) and brings the left foot up without weight (2-3) and so on. The same pattern is applied when stepping backward.
The given sequence (from the man's perspective) is three of these hesitating steps forward along the line of dance and then one backward: left forward (close...), right forward (close...), left forward (close...), right backward (close...). The woman is dancing on the opposite foot and moving backward on the first three steps and forward on the last. Be careful to bring the trailing foot up on each step; the fourth step should be a genuine backward step, not a rock back or simple weight transfer.
The manual notes that the final backward step is "most graceful if done with a slight dip or bend to the supporting leg." I would not interpret that as holding a bent knee on the hesitation, however, but as a slight "down-up" swoop when making the step. This slight lilt can be helpful when leading the forward steps as well; the lifting motion of the "up" helps fill the extra beats and keeps the woman from placing her weight on the trailing foot as she brings it up. I also find these hesitations more graceful and easier to lead if done with a slight angling of the leading side of the body towards line of dance rather than perfectly straight. Be careful not to overdo this; the overall direction of motion should be forward (or back), not side-to-side.
Leaders should remember to be cautious about doing any sequence that goes against line of dance even briefly; abrupt reverses in direction of travel can be dangerous when most couples are spinning quickly and traveling in line of dance.
This pattern is useful for "carrying on a particularly interesting conversation, when you wish to rest after executing a series of intricate waltz steps, or when the floor is too crowded to waltz comfortably." On a more practical note, it is also most enjoyable at a fairly fast waltz tempo. If the music is slow, slightly longer steps and emphasizing -- but not exaggerating -- the "down-up" lilt can help fill the extra time.
Varying the variationsI've given the sequences above exactly as found in the manual, but some obvious variations immediately occur to the experienced dancer:
The Waltz Walking Steps could be danced with the man moving backward rather than forward. Or the last three steps of the sequence could be used to make a half-turn to the right. Or combine these ideas and do a forward sequence with a half-turn to the right followed by a backward sequence with a half-turn to the left.
The hesitation steps of the Step Arch Waltz need not be done in a three-forward-one-back pattern; the number and direction could be varied at will: two forward, four forward, one forward/one back, etc. They could also be done with the man moving backward along line of dance.
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