A Regency Waltz

Hi everybody!

Today I'll be looking at the Regency waltz, since Lieven Baert said that the Russian Waltz will be a turning waltz. Now, if you can do a simple turning waltz around the room, I'm sure that will work wonderfully as we all glide about the room. Here is the sheet music for the Russian Waltz, for any musicians out there!

For those who are interested in doing an actual Regency-era waltz, the slow waltz, from Thomas Wilson's 1816 "A Description of the Correct Method of Waltzing", I will endeavour to break down and explain each movement carefully...

The Regency slow waltz, described by Wilson, consists of 2 parts: what I call the side-back-turn, and the pas de bourée. These sections are both performed by the man and woman, but not at the same time.

• ie. the man starts with the side-back-turn WHILE the woman does the pas de bourée, then the man does the pas de bourée WHILE the woman does the side-back-turn. Both parts keep alternating between the man and the woman.

SIDE-BACK-TURN

This section is broken down into 3 parts - one for each beat in a bar.

Starting positions:

• Beat 1: step sideways, around your partner into false second (in which your toes are not pointing outwards, but more towards each other) on the left foot.

• Beat 2: close your right foot tightly behind your left.

• Beat 3: on your toes, pirouette or pivot 1/4 turn with your right foot ending up in front. Your right foot is now free and ready for the next part.

** Tips:

It is important not to over-rotate in this section, because you will lose your balance and your legs will get all twisted - not a good idea! For this whole section, you should only have rotated 180°, so that you are facing the opposite direction from which you started. What I do when I'm practicing, and you may find it useful too, is to start facing one direction (for me it's my house) and end up facing the other way (for me, it's the garden). If you have those markers, you will be able to tell if you are on track and have under- or over-rotated. I start practicing the figure just in a straight line before trying to do this step in a circle. When danced in a circle around the room, these markers will be: facing into the circle, or outside the circle.

PAS DE BOURÉE

This section is also broken down into 3 parts - one for each beat in a bar.

• Beat 1: make a step forward with your right foot between your partner's legs as they step to the side around you. This is what scandalised the Regency ballroom when the waltz was introduced.

• Beat 2: step on your left foot, moving around your partner.

• Beat 3: make another step on your right foot. Be prepared for the next step on the left foot around your partner.

** Tips:

For the pas de bourée section, you should also rotate 180°. If either you or your partner under- or over-rotate, that will throw you both off. If you have someone to practise with, this is a good opportunity to be aware of the other person's movements, and gauge and synchronize with each other to move as a unit.

The pas de bourée is really important, because this section actually turns your partner during their pirouette/pivoting motion (on a smooth surface, unlike my backyard patio!). In a sense, the pas de bourée controls the action. Both you and your partner are working together to maintain balance and rotate the appropriate amount. The control is constantly shifting between the man and the woman, as each performs this figure; it is not a case of the man leading all the time. It's teamwork!

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Beat 1: Man starts with the step to the side while the woman steps between his legs.

Beat 2: Man closes behind while the woman makes her 2nd step.

Beat 3: Man pivots while the woman makes her 3rd step.

And repeat, reversing roles...

THE MARCH

• at the beginning of the slow waltz, there are 4 introductory bars, in which each couple does 4 march steps (1 step/bar of music). ALWAYS start with your outside foot (man's left, woman's right) before getting into the waltz. You are only walking forward, not rotating in this section.
• the arms used in the march are as follows: partners take each other's left hand. The man then puts his right hand at the small of the woman's back, and the woman tucks her right hand up behind her back to hold his. 

Here's the diagram from Wilson's waltz publication:

• to get into the waltz, partners turn in to face each other; the left arm will be raised in an arch above the man and woman's heads, while the right hand wraps around the partner's high back.

• this march section is also useful if you get dizzy during the waltz, as you can "unfold" from the waltz by turning out to face forward, lowering the left arm, and the woman's right hand meets the man's behind her back. Walk forward for 4 steps to regain your balance. Again, make sure you start the march with outside feet.

Here is another, perhaps easier, arm position for the March:

This arm hold for the march would be helpful to get into this position (below) for the waltz, in which the left hand rests  on your partner's shoulder, and the right hand wraps around to their high back:

Arms:

Below is the entire reference plate from Thomas Wilson's publication on the waltz from 1816, which shows other arm positions that you can experiment with once you've learned the steps. 

Balance:

An important tip to help with balance is to keep your core muscles and back tight and sturdy. This will help control the overall turn and the pirouette in the side-back-turn. If both dancers are controlling their muscles, then they will be able to coordinate and rotate more easily as a unit.

Where to look:

For my own practising, I have experimented with where to look during the waltz steps. If you keep eye contact with your partner, their eyes are constant, while the rest of the room is a blur in the background. As soon as you stop rotating, you get that dizzy feeling in your head. I would recommend looking "demurely" away or over their shoulder at the room itself, which reduces some of the dizziness afterwards.

Practice:

Also, when practising, it is best to rehearse on a smooth surface (not a patio), because there will be less tension and effort on the feet and knees with that pirouette in the side-back-turn. As ever, practising will get easier with time. 

Below, I have posted my video of the Regency slow waltz, with this same explanation. The motions are a bit tricky at first, but once you get it, it feels wonderful to waltz around the room. I hope this video helps to clarify the motions a bit! As always, if anything seems unclear, feel free to let me know and I will try explaining it another way.

For practice at home or with your own dance group, I would recommend The Sussex Waltz, Slow Waltz in Bb or Mrs. Chiver's Favourite Waltz from "The Regency Ballroom" CD by Spare Parts. You could even use the music from a waltz country dance, like the Duke of Kent's Waltz.

That's all for now - next time I will look at the 1st figure of Paine's 4th Set of Quadrilles... Happy dancing!