Waltz Steps in the Movies

Waltz steps in the movies? Turns out that there are a lot of movies with Waltz in the title. And these aren't just dancing movies.

A search on IMDb shows 119, though I think some of them may be duplicates.

Here are the top 10:

1. The Last Waltz
2. Emperor Waltz
3. The Great Waltz
4. Endless Waltz
5. Waltz of the Toreadors
6. Waltz with Bashir
7. The Living Room Waltz (Alma Mater)
8. The Mephisto Waltz
9. Night Waltz
10. Peshavar Waltz

For the complete listing of waltz movies, visit IMDb. Waltz steps in the movies, who knew?

Cardiovascular Benefits of Learning Waltz Steps

I'm always surfing the Internet for interesting information on waltz steps.

Now, I'm a runner. I like running. The benefits of running have been well-documented. But the truth is that running isn't always a lot of fun. In fact, it's often a drag. You have to put in A LOT of mileage to reap the benefits.

So I was very intrigued to read that:

Italian researchers have found that just 21 minutes of dancing (including waltz steps), three times a week, can match the cardiovascular benefits from working out on a treadmill or bicycle.

If I'm running a slow 10-minute mile, 21 minutes gets me two miles. That's just putting one foot in front of the other. No twirls or lifts or dips. And it's just me.

It's no wonder the learning dance moves like waltz steps is becoming more and more popular.

One dance enthusiast put it this way:

"I don't like to exercise," he says. "I hate it. But if I'm dancing, I don't care how tired I am. When I hear the music and see the women, I can just push myself and it feels wonderful."

To read the full NPR article about the benefits of dancing visit: NPR article.

Learning Basic Waltz Steps

Of all the dances steps out there, the basic Waltz steps are perhaps some of the easiest to learn but among the most difficult to truly master.

If you've taken any kind of dance class (or maybe even if you haven't), you know that the basic rhythm of waltz steps is one, two, three. Rinse and repeat.

So the basic waltz steps, for the male, go like this:

1. On the first beat, step straight forward with the left foot.

2. On the second beat, step straight forward with the right foot. Once it is parallel with the left foot, move it straight out to the right a little more than shoulder length. (Remember you have to do all of this within the second beat.)

3. Finally on the third beat, slide your left foot over next to your right foot.

And now to complete the square, you're going to do the same thing, only backwards. (Easy, right? :) We'll call these steps 3-6, but they follow the same one,two,three beat.

6. On the sixth beat, step straight back with your right foot.

7. On the seventh beat, step straight back with your left foot. Once it is parallel with the right foot, move it straight out to the left a little more than shoulder length. (Again, you have to do all of this within the seventh beat.)

8. To complete the box, step your right foot next to your left foot.

That's it. Really nothing to it. Even someone with two left feet should be able to pick these easy waltz steps up in a quick half hour or so.

Happy Dancing.

Waltz Steps

In college, I thought my basic waltz steps made me look like Fred Astaire. 1.2.3, 1.2.3. Same box. Over and over again. Around and around.

I was vaguely aware that the waltz could be an elegant dance with beautiful spins and graceful promenades. But those steps were beyond me (way beyond me), especially at the time.

Another thing I didn't know about the waltz, was it's unsavory beginnings.

Bob January of the New York Dance Orchestra wrote

It was, indeed, rural lads and lasses who first found these whirling steps so appealing. And so, the waltz originally was decidedly low-brow and provincial. In those days, there was something unsavory about a woman being gripped in a man’s embrace while whirling in a frenzy around the dance floor.

But from those provincial beginnings, the waltz swept through Germany and then conquered all of Europe.

Today, to know at least some basic waltz steps is something you can carry with you to weddings, formal dances, parties, or dates.

You can read Bob January's full article about the Waltz here: The Waltz.