Late Victorian Waltz Variations: Diagonal Waltz

By the end of the nineteenth century, American dancing masters such as M.B. Gilbert were coming up with long lists of little waltz variations of dubious utility and doubtful popularity.  Many of these are minor variations on a few simple themes, often interpolating sideways slides and chassé steps between measures of waltz.  I'm going to do a short series on some of the more useful and leadable of these variations this month, all taken from the pages of Gilbert's immense manual, Round Dancing, published in Maine in 1890 and incorporating many variations from the 1870s and 1880s.  Calling them "Victorian" is a bit of misnomer, since these are essentially American variations.

The Diagonal Waltz does not actually involve anything other than the normal step of the "new" waltz (step-side-close pattern) of the late nineteenth century.  It is really just a sequence incorporating natural and reverse turns in such a way as to never make a complete turn in either direction.  This is so basic a waltz skill that similar sequences are incorporated into most twentieth century versions of the box-step or Viennese waltz as well.

Gilbert considers a leaping version of the waltz (leaping-side-cut) to be the basic, but the Diagonal Waltz will work either leaping or simply gliding.

The sequence begins with the gentleman's back to the line of dance.  The gentleman begins with the left foot, the lady with the right.  Remember that waltzing along the line of dance without turning still involves "step-side-close," with the side step taken on a slight diagonal. 

Bar 1:    Natural (right) turn one-quarter: gentleman steps back left, lady forward right to begin.  Side-close along line of dance to end with gentleman facing into the center and lady toward the wall.

Bar 2:    Making another quarter turn to the right so that gentleman faces line of dance, waltz one measure along line of dance; gentleman starts forward right, lady back left.  End with gentleman facing line of dance and lady facing against it.

Bar 3:    Reverse (left) turn one-quarter: gentleman steps forward left, lady back right to begin.  Side-close along line of dance to end with gentleman once again facing into center and lady toward the wall.

Bar 4:    Making another quarter turn to the left so that the gentleman's back is to the line of dance, waltz one measure along line of dance; gentleman starts back right, lady forward left.  End with lady facing line of dance and gentleman against.

Repeat as many times as desired.

Gilbert is very specific about the placement of the quarter turns, but when actually waltzing it  will all simply flow together.

From the gentleman's perspective, it's "right turn, forward, left turn, backward."  The lady dances "right turn, backward, left turn, forward."  Once the sequence is started, the direction of the turn hardly needs to be thought on if the dancers keep in mind that the turn always begins on the gentleman's left foot/lady's right and that the side-close in the turning bars is always done with the gentleman's back to the wall.

Note that the entire sequence could also be done on reverse feet, with the waltzing along the line of dance done starting on the gentleman's left/lady's right foot and the turns on the other foot.  In this case, the side-closes on the turns would always be done with the gentleman facing out toward the wall.

Comments

[Account Deleted]

Dear Sir,

Can you tell me what to type in the You-tube to watch the diagonal dance? I have tried but was not able to see one.

Thank you , sir.

[Susan de Guardiola]

Tan: there is no video on Youtube as far as I know. Sorry!