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The English w altz is a beautiful and romantic dance, very often chosen by couples as the first dance at weddings. The steps of an English w altz are simple, but to give it a smooth and undulating movement, it is worth going to learn to dance. Check which music is most often chosen for the English w altz and learn the basics of this dance.

The English w altzis a ballroom dance - a variation of the w altz. It is a part of the world ballroom dance program, it also has the rank of an international dance. It is one of the five standard dances in ballroom dancing. The English w altz is characterized by a slow pace and the movement is smooth, swaying. Due to the fairly easy basic steps and slow pace, the English w altz is very often chosen as the first dance for a young couple.

English vs Viennese w altz

The English and Viennese w altz have many things in common. Both dances are danced in a closed holding, called a frame. Although the meter of these dances is the same, that is ¾, they differ in pace - the tempo of the English w altz is 30-31 bars per minute, while the Viennese w altz is about 60 bars per minute. The English w altz is therefore much calmer than the Viennese w altz.

English W altz - Basic Steps

The correct technique of the English w altz allows for a smooth movement resembling the rocking of a boat on gentle waves. When dancing, partners should move counterclockwise.

The English w altz should be danced in a holding, called a frame. It is danced in the so-called contact, i.e. the partners' bodies should touch from the knees to the sternum. Partners should face each other in an upright posture, gently touching their hips. Their faces must be facing left, and their chins slightly tucked up. The standard figures of the English w altz are danced in diagonal lines, starting from the beginning of the bar.

All the steps forwards in the English Roller are from the heel, and backwards - from the toes. The side steps, however, are placed on the entire sole. The beginning of the step starts at "once", the side step is counted on "two", and the end of the bar and joining the feet - at "three". This is the invariant time signature ¾, characteristic of a w altz.

For the dance to be effective and light, the partners should movein a light and fluid manner, and their movements should be undulating.

The English w altz was performed for the first time in 1910 in London. In Great Britain it is called simply …w altz .

The basic figures of the English w altz are:

• turn right
• centrifuge
• promenade
• chasse
• whisk
• wing
• weaver
• open telemark
• centrifuge left
• fallaway

English w altz - learn to dance

English w altz as a tournament dance

The English w altz is a classic tournament dance. Moreover, it is the first of the standard dances to be danced at ballroom dancing tournaments. In the English w altz, the judges mainly evaluate the correct performance of a pair of swinging movements, the different variants of lifting and falling in each bar, the way of holding the partners that should not change, and the figures.

English w altz - the most popular pieces

Simple steps and a leisurely pace make the English w altz a popular first dance during weddings. During special courses and dance schools, preparing arrangements for the newlyweds, you can meet the proposals of songs that will constitute the background for the choreography. Here are the songs for the English w altz that are most often chosen in dance schools:

  • Dana Glover - It is You ("Shrek")
  • Norah Jones - Come away with me
  • Elvis Presley - This Is Our Dance
  • Lionel Richie - Three Times a Lady
  • Debby Boone - You Light Up My Life
  • Andy Williams - Moon River
  • Anna Karwan - What the world needs now
  • Ballroom Orchestra & Singers / Bodane - Unchained Melody
Other tournament dances include:

1. Standard

  • Viennese w altz
  • tango
  • quickstep
  • fokstrot

2. Latin American

  • samba
  • cha-cha
  • rumba
  • paso doble
  • jive
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English w altz - history

The English w altz comes from the Viennese w altz created in Great Britain and the so-called Boston. The English w altz was created at the beginning of the 20th century in England. Victor Silvester was probably the precursor of the English w altz. The slow character of the English w altz has its roots in the so-called (also in England) English style.

The dance instructors and teachers, observing the individual dancers and picking up their natural smooth movements, have developed a special dance technique that emphasizes the grace and natural mechanics of the body's movement. In 1921Strict rules were introduced for the slow pace of the w altz and its steps, which has just become an English w altz and is still danced today.

Worth knowing

The inspiration for the English w altz, apart from the Viennese w altz, was Boston - a dance created in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, which owes its name to the city of Boston. It is a kind of slow meter dance with a flowing melody and frequent slowdowns (ritardando).

Meet other types of dance:

  • kizomba
  • bachata
  • jazz
  • salsa
  • swing
  • rock and roll
  • hip-hop
  • breakdance
  • dancehall
  • pole dance (pole dance)
  • zumba
  • flamenco
  • argentinian tango
  • bokwa
  • belly dance

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Dance