The waltz (from German: "Walzer") is a smooth, progressive ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple time, performed primarily in closed position.
There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance—a waltz—from the 16th century, including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim. The French philosopher Montaigne wrote of a dance he saw in 1580 in Augsburg, where the dancers held each other so closely that their faces touched. Kunz Haas (of approximately the same period) wrote, "Now they are dancing the godless Weller or Spinner." "The vigorous peasant dancer, following an instinctive knowledge of the weight of fall, utilizes his surplus energy to press all his strength into the proper beat of the measure, thus intensifying his personal enjoyment in dancing".
The peasants of Bavaria, Tyrol, and Styria began dancing a dance called Walzer, a dance for couples, around 1750. The Ländler, also known as the Schleifer, a country dance in 3
4 time, was popular in Bohemia, Austria, and Bavaria, and spread from the countryside to the suburbs of the city. While the eighteenth century upper classes continued to dance the minuet, bored noblemen slipped away to the balls of their servants.
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance of Austrian origin.
Waltz may also refer to:
Waltz is an EP released by the Australian indie rock band Augie March. It was first released in 1999. It includes the first appearance of the band's early hit "Asleep in Perfection". A music video was also issued for the closing track, "The Moth Ball".
Goldenhorse are a pop band from New Zealand. The group consists of Geoff Maddock (guitar/vocals), Kirsten Morrell (vocals), Ben King (guitar/vocals), Vincent Hine (bass), and Nick Gaffaney (drums).
The band was founded in 2000 by Geoff Maddock and Kirsten Morrell. Other original members were Joel Wilton, who with Geoff Maddock and Edmund Cake was a member of the band Bressa Creeting Cake, and Ben King who began on the bass guitar. They were joined by Andrew Clark on guitar and began working on songs written by Geoff and Kirsten. Goldenhorse's first live performance was late in 1997, at the Classic on Queen St in Auckland, a bar newly converted from the Classic movie theatre, which until then had been Auckland's most famous blue movie theater. The gig was not a great success, however Goldenhorse was already attracting attention in the NZ music scene.
Geoff Maddock and Joel Wilton's previous band Bressa Creeting Cake had released one critically acclaimed album in NZ on Flying Nun Records in 1997, and before the band had broken up they had gathered many fans, including Tim Finn and Neil Finn from legendary New Zealand band Split Enz and more recently the internationally successful Crowded House. The respect of these musicians extended to Goldenhorse through Geoff Maddock and Tim Finn loaned Goldenhorse a 24-track tape machine and a recording desk to make an album with.