Waltz Research Paper

Name
of
Activity:

Basic
Waltz
steps
 Purpose
of
Activity:

Students
will
learn
5
basic
waltz
steps,
the
history
of
the
waltz,
geography
and
 climate
of
the
countries
of
Germany
and
Austria.
 Suggested
Grade
Level:
6‐12
 Materials
Needed:
CD
player
and
appropriate
waltz
music
 Music:
The
following
are
suggestions
from
several
different
genres
of
music:
Could
I
Have
This
Dance
 (For
the
Rest
of
My
Life)
by
Anne
Murray;
You
Look
So
Good
in
Love
by
George
Strait;
You
Light
Up
My
 Life
by
LeAnn
Rimes
or
Whitney
Houston;
Piano
Man
by
Billy
Joel;
Try
to
Remember
from
the
 Fantasticks;
Edelweiss
from
The
Sound
of
Music.

If
you
are
from
Missouri
or
Tennessee
you
have
your
 own
state
waltz
–
The
Missouri
Waltz
or
The
Tennessee
Waltz!
 Classroom
Organization:
The
class
will
be
in
one
large
circle.

All
of
the
leads
(usually
men)
should
stand
The
follows,
their
partners,
should
face
the
leads
 with
the
L
shoulder
toward
the
center
of
the
circle.

Dancers
may
practice
the
steps
facing
one
another
 without
actually
touching.

After
the
steps
are
learned
the
dancers
should
perform
the
steps
in
ballroom
 dance
position.
(See
description
below)
 Anticipatory
Set:

The
waltz
is
a
romantic
dance
done
in
triple
time.

It
is
considered
the
mother
of
 present
day
dances
and
began
in
southern
Germany
in
the
17th
century.
The
ballrooms
of
Vienna
 popularized
a
faster
version
of
the
waltz
that
became
known
as
the
Viennese
Waltz.
The
fast
whirling
of
 partners
that
appeared
to
be
in
an
embrace
shocked
polite
society.
Religious
leaders
of
the
times
 viewed
it
as
vulgar
and
sinful.
More
recent
studies
have
shown
that
waltzing
can
be
beneficial
for
cardio‐ respiratory
function.
(More
information
can
be
found
at
the
web
sites
listed
below.)
 http://www.castleschoolofdancing.com/standard.htm
 http://www.centralhome.com/ballroomcountry/waltz.htm
 Climate
and
Geography
of
German
and
Austria:
Germany
is
a
country
in
Central
Europe.
It
is
Europe’s
 most
populated
nation.
In
1949
two
German
states
were
formed,
Germany
and
East
Germany.

The
 Berlin
Wall,
which
divided
the
country,
came
down
in
1989,
and
democracy
came
to
Want
to
learn
some
German
word?
 Hello
in
German
is
“Hallo”;
Good
morning
is
“Guten
Morgen”;
Goodbye
is
“Auf
Wiedersehen”
(w
sounds
 like
a
V);
Please
is
“Bitte”;
“Bitte”
also
means
you’re
welcome!

 Try
counting
the
waltz
steps
in
German:
 1. Eins
 2. Zwei
 3. Drei
 4. Veir
 5. Funf
 6. Sechs
 Description
of
Ballroom
Dance
Position
 Partners
should
be
about
six
inches
apart.
They
should
stand
upright
with
the
head
up
and
shoulders