What is waltz?
The waltz is a smooth, progressive ballroom dance in 3/4 time with a strong accent on beat one and a graceful rise and fall. Beginners learn the box step; advanced dancers travel around the floor with natural and reverse turns, sway and long swinging steps. The slow (English) waltz is the competition form; the much faster Viennese waltz is a separate dance.
History
The waltz evolved from Austrian and Bavarian folk turning dances and swept Vienna in the late 18th century. Its closed hold scandalized polite society before it conquered European ballrooms in the 19th century. The slower "Boston" and English waltz developed in the early 20th century, and English teachers standardized the modern slow waltz in the 1920s.
Basic technique
- Count "1-2-3" with the strongest step on 1
- Box step — forward, side, close; back, side, close
- Rise at the end of 1, up on 2 and 3, lower at the end of 3
- Natural (right) and reverse (left) turns
Music & tempo
Slow waltzes in 3/4 at 28–30 bars per minute (about 84–90 BPM) for competition; social waltzes are often a little faster. Classic picks include Moon River, Could I Have This Dance and many film themes.
Songs for waltz
| Song | Artist | BPM | Key | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fascination | Al Martino | 86 | A major | 2000 |
| No Walls, No Ceilings, No Floors | Sandy Scott | 87 | C major | 2006 |
| In a Perfect World | Melissa Manchester | 89 | F major | 1994 |
| Min første komposition “My First Composition” | Mac Bones and the B Band | 96 | D major | 2004 |
| Every Day of My Life (Wiener Walzer 59 TM) | Tanzorchester Klaus Hallen feat. Kiko Masbaum | 172 | C major | 1998 |
| La canzone di Marinella | Mina | 172 | B minor | 2007 |
| Nuvema Town | Duzzled | 172 | D minor | 2021 |
| Grieve No More (extended version) | Patty Gurdy | 172 | A# major | 2020 |
| A Wonderful Guy | Doris Day | 178 | A major | 1997 |
| Bamboozled | Dean Martin | 178 | F major | 1999 |
BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.
What to wear
Smooth-soled ballroom shoes with suede soles; a closed-toe heel for ladies' Standard.
How to get started
Waltz is a classic first lesson at ballroom studios and the most popular wedding first dance after the foxtrot-style slow dance.
We list 4 studios that teach waltz, or browse all dance studios by state.
Waltz in historic images
Witch's Waltz dancer
Asia Minor campaign, evzones dance the waltz at a settlement.
The Bolshoi Ballet Academy: Dance Evening (117469)
Schottis and Old Waltz in Courage in Tierp, Uppland, February 1972
Schottis and Old Waltz in Courage in Tierp, Uppland, February 1972
Schottis och gammelvals på modet i Tierp, Uppland, februari 1972
Schottis and Old Waltz in Courage in Tierp, Uppland, February 1972
Schottis och gammelvals på modet i Tierp, Uppland, februari 1972
Openly licensed images via Europeana; rights statements on each item page.
Key partner-dance terms
Movies featuring waltz
- Walzerkrieg (1933)
- Her Highness Dances the Waltz (1935)
- Oh... Rosalinda!! (1955)
- Roseland (1977)
Recent research
- The Father-Daughter Dinner Dance: A Waltz With Ethics and COVID-19. — Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 2021
- Physiological and exertional responses of partner dance in elderly. — The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, 2022
- Evidence of the Effects of Dance Interventions on Adults Mental Health: A Systematic Review. — Journal of dance medicine & science : official publication of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, 2023
- Commentary on "The Father-Daughter Dinner Dance: A Waltz With Ethics and COVID-19". — Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 2021
- Imagine Yourself Dancing Waltz: The Effect of Imagination on Memory in Alzheimer's Disease. — Current Alzheimer research, 2023
Books about waltz
- The waltz by Mosco Carner (1948)
- Demon by Anton Rubinstein (1881)
- Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen (1916)
- Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen (2015)
- Mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin (1880)
- Chopin Waltzes for Easy Piano by Frederic Chopin (2013)
Encyclopedia summary
The waltz (From German: Walzer [ˈvaltsɐ] , meaning 'to roll or revolve') is a ballroom and folk dance, in triple ( 34 ) time, performed primarily in closed position, originating from German-speaking regions of Europe in the 18th century. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the generic term German Dance in publications during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Frequently asked questions
What BPM is a waltz?
Competition slow waltz is 28–30 bars per minute, which is 84–90 beats per minute in 3/4 time. Social dancers are comfortable from roughly 84 to 100 BPM.
Is waltz good for a wedding first dance?
Yes — a simple box step with an underarm turn is easy to learn in a few lessons and fits many romantic songs in 3/4.
What BPM is Waltz?
Waltz is usually danced to music between 84 and 96 beats per minute (28–30 bars per minute in competition). Browse 18 songs that fit on our Waltz music page.
How many calories does waltz burn?
About 441 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 6 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned waltz for every body weight.
Related styles
Viennese Waltz
Vienna, Austria
Ballroom & DanceSportFoxtrot
United States (New York vaudeville)
Ballroom & DanceSportBallroom Tango
England and the United States, adapted from Argentine tango
Ballroom & DanceSportQuickstep
England (from the fast foxtrot and the Charleston)
Ballroom & DanceSportCha-Cha
Cuba (cha-cha-chá music by Enrique Jorrín)
Ballroom & DanceSportRumba
Cuba (son and bolero-son); ballroom versions in the US and England
Ballroom & DanceSportSamba
Brazil
Ballroom & DanceSportPaso Doble
France and Spain, modeled on the Spanish bullfight
Last reviewed October 2026 · Editorial policy