This Day In History: The Debut Of A Shocking And Scandalous New Dance
By May 8, 2022
In 1812, one of history's most scandalous dances made its debut in London society. No, not the Charleston, the Twist, or the Twerk--we're talking about none other than the steps you probably performed as your first dance at your wedding, the waltz.
Origins Of The Waltz
The waltz started as a type of dance that was popular among European peasants in Austria and Bavaria as early as the 16th century, accompanied by lively music, often performed on fiddles, with a 3/4 beat. As word got around that the lower classes threw better parties, young noblemen began sneaking off to waltz with peasants, and musicians from Vienna (where people are less prudish) picked up the 3/4 tempo of the folk tunes. Soon, aristocrats had no choice but to accept the style of dance.
The Dance Sensation Sweeping The ... Continent
The Viennese waltz made its way to France in the late 1700s and early 1800s when Napoleon's soldiers brought the dance back home with them, then skipped across the English Channel on May 11, 1812, shocking everyone from the crown to the courtesans. At that time in England, dance partners rarely touched, usually moving slowly side by side, and if they did, the gloves they wore ensured no skin-to-skin contact.
