The hesitation undercut is so short that it seems more a variation for the hesitation waltz than a distinct dance. F. Leslie Clendenen, in his 1914 collection Dance Mad, attributes it to S. Wallace Cortissoz, who was also credited in Dance Mad with a sixteen-bar sequence called the Twinkle Hesitation.
The eight-bar sequence is begun with the dancers in normal waltz position, the gentleman facing the wall and the lady the center of the room. Steps are given below for the gentleman; the lady dances opposite.
The waltz step used would have been the "new" waltz step, with a pattern of step-side-close, much like today's box step, rather than the older rotary-style waltz of the nineteenth century.
Hesitation Undercut
1b Step left sideways along line of dance, angling slightly toward the center of the room, and hesitate
1b Step right-left-right waltzing forward (forward-side-close) along line of dance; end facing wall
1b Step left sideways along line of dance, angling slightly toward the wall, and hesitate
1b Step right-left-right waltzing backward (back-side-close) along line of dance; end facing wall
(Gentleman releases the lady from his right arm, keeping joined hands and raising them high)
4b Gentleman walks backward three steps (left-right-left) along the line of dance, one step per bar, and on the fourth bar turns to face the wall and closes the right foot to the left while the lady does two complete natural turns of waltz under the gentleman's left arm, traveling beside him along the wall. She steps right-left-right, left-right-left, repeat (forward-side-close, back-side-close, repeat) ending facing the center of the room.
(Gentlemen takes the lady into his right arm again to repeat the sequence or continue waltzing)
Performance tips
The forward and backward waltz sequences are difficult to get into position for unless the hesitation steps are angled about one-quarter toward the wall or center of the room. The waltz steps themselves do not turn other than to reset the partners to original positions. The original instructions are clearly to first hesitate then turn to face line of dance or against line of dance then waltz, but cheating a little on the angle of the hesitation steps is necessary to set up the waltz steps.
During the second half, the lady's waltz turns must be teeny-tiny; the gentleman only has three steps of backward travel to keep up with her. Her steps should be measured in inches!
Using the hesitation undercut as a variation
Since the sequence begins and ends in a standard position and hold, it is quite easy to get in and out of it from a regular hesitation waltz. The two pieces can also be broken up to use separately.
The first half of the dance is a typical hesitate/waltz pattern with the same 1...4-5-6 rhythm as other hesitation steps of the era that is quite leadable and could easily be inserted into any hesitation waltz.
The second half could also be used independently as a variation, though it is not as leadable unless one's partner already knows it. Underarm turns are mildly unusual in a dance of this era, and my experience is that unless the lady knows to shorten her steps dramatically she will quickly outdistance the gentleman. She also might not pick up on the need to do waltz turns, since the gentleman is dancing only one step per bar.
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