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A Typical Friday Night Waltz Dance
There are 45 to 50 dances in an evening. About half the dances are waltzes, including several kinds of waltzes- cross step, ballroom, rotary, viennese, redowa, hesitation. Often there are about 6 polkas and about 4 Tangos. Many of these polkas are fast and often played to silly music, such as "Constantinople" and "Gilligan's Island". The rest of the dances are the mixers, the choreographed waltzes, one-steps, swing, tango, cha-cha, mazurka, schottische, an occasional hambo, blues, Zweifacher or salsa.
The dance is in 4 sets, with a 1 to 2 minute break between sets, so that people can take a breather. The easier and slower dances are in the first two sets, faster and harder dances are in the third and fourth set. There is usually a mixer in the first and third set, and a choreographed waltz in the the second and fourth sets. These are not hard rules, just typical. At our dances we provide free water and light refreshements, usually blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, seedless grapes, green grapes, carrots, mms, small chocolate cookies, potato chips, trail mix.
If you want to get better at these dances, both Joan Walton and Richard Powers regularly have classes for all the dances we have at Friday Night Waltz. Check out our links page. We also have had a day long Waltz Workshop with beginning, intermediate, and advanced tracks for a day long Saturday, which is very popular.
Choreographed Dances
Congress of Vienna: The Congress of Vienna waltz was choreographed by John Hertz of Los Angeles (inspired by illustrations in Regency-period dance manuals) to music that he edited and assembled himself from recordings of three more-or-less period Swedish waltzes. In addition to being danced at Friday Night Waltz, the Congress of Vienna is also danced at PEERS, BAERS, and Gaskell Ball dances. Music for the Congress of Vienna is available from Brassworks and Bangers and Mash Cds.
Bohemian National Polka by Richard Powers is based on a reconstruction by the Czech dance historian Frantisek Bonus.
Metamora Waltz is a new creation by Richard Powers. Music available from Brassworks.
Cross Step Waltz Mixer is a waltz mixer created by Richard Powers and is played at most Friday Night Waltzes.
Richard Powers has a webpage on dance descriptions, discography, and additional thoughts about social dancing.
Typical Dance Sets. Vary from dance to dance.
Set One
Set Two
Set Three
Set Four