Viennese Waltz

The Viennese Waltz is the fast, whirling waltz of 19th-century Vienna, danced in three-quarter time with almost continuous turns around the room. In competition it is part of both International Standard and American Smooth, and the two styles dance it at noticeably different speeds.

At a glance

Styles

International Standard · American Smooth

Time signature

3/4

Tempo

International Standard:58–60 bars per minute (174–180 beats) · WDSF rules 58 bars per minute (174 beats) · NDCA rulebook American Smooth:53 bars per minute (159 beats) · NDCA rulebook WDSF publishes a range for each International dance. The NDCA publishes one figure for each dance it lists and lets the music director move it by one bar a minute (two for Nightclub dances). Where neither publishes a tempo, the range is typical, not a rule.

Hold

International Standard: Closed hold American Smooth: Closed and open hold

Competition levels

Bronze, Silver and Gold syllabus, then Open and Championship, for amateur, professional and Pro/Am couples

Origin

Vienna and the Austrian and Bavarian countryside Late 18th century

The Viennese Waltz is the oldest of today's ballroom dances. It grew from turning folk dances of the Austrian and Bavarian countryside, such as the Ländler, and by the late 18th century a fast, rotating waltz was the rage in Vienna, where large public dance halls opened in the first decade of the 1800s.

In the 19th century the composers Joseph Lanner and the Strauss family, Johann Strauss I and his son Johann Strauss II, wrote hundreds of waltzes for the Viennese ballrooms. Their music spread the dance across Europe and gave it its name. Moralists of the time attacked it for the close embrace and the dizzying speed.

When English teachers built the modern ballroom technique in the 1920s, they slowed the waltz down into the Waltz danced today, and the fast form stayed a separate dance. It has long been part of the Standard competition program, though teaching bodies formalized its technique later than the other four; in Britain its technique was revised in 2001, and the ISTD fully accepted it as the fifth dance of its ballroom faculty in 2010.

The Viennese Waltz is all about rotation. Couples spin continuously to the right and left as they travel along the line of dance, with gentle sway and much less rise and fall than the slow Waltz.

Because of the speed, steps are compact and the turns are shared evenly between the partners. A well-danced Viennese Waltz looks effortless and elegant, but it demands stamina, a stable frame and good balance.

Basic count

1, 2, 3

Time signature

3/4

Tempo

58–60 bars per minute (174–180 beats) · WDSF rules 58 bars per minute (174 beats) · NDCA rulebook

Hold

Closed hold

International Standard Viennese Waltz has a small, focused syllabus: Natural and Reverse Turns, Change Steps to switch between them, and the Fleckerls, fast spins on the spot in the middle of the floor. The couple stays in closed hold throughout.

WDSF rules set the tempo at 58–60 bars per minute, roughly twice the speed of the slow Waltz. Judges look for smooth, even rotation, steady travel, clean changes of direction and control at speed.

Basic figures

• Natural Turn
• Reverse Turn
• Forward Change Step
• Backward Change Step
• Reverse Fleckerl
• Natural Fleckerl
• Contra Check

Figure names are given as the syllabi write them, in English.

Basic count

1, 2, 3

Time signature

3/4

Tempo

53 bars per minute (159 beats) · NDCA rulebook

Hold

Closed and open hold

American Smooth Viennese Waltz is danced more slowly, which leaves room for open work: underarm turns, twinkles, balance steps and side-by-side figures between the turning sections. At higher levels it adds canter pivots, spins and dramatic picture lines.

The NDCA rule book lists the American Smooth Viennese Waltz at 53 measures per minute (159 beats), noticeably slower than the 58–60 bars of International Standard, with music directors allowed to vary it by one measure. Judges still expect the travel and rotation that define the dance.

Basic figures

• Left Cross Turn
• Right Turn
• Progressive Change Step
• Balance Steps
• Fifth Position Breaks
• Underarm Turn
• Closed Twinkle
• Cross Body Lead

Figure names are given as the syllabi write them, in English.

The Viennese Waltz is the third dance in an International Standard event and also appears in American Smooth. Some lower-level and youth events leave it out because of its speed. It is danced by amateurs, professionals and in Pro/Am; see how US competitions and Pro/Am work.

Bronze dancers start with the basic turns and changes, while later levels add Fleckerls in Standard and open figures in Smooth. The levels and categories guide explains the progression.

Outside competition, the Viennese Waltz is the dance of the great balls of Vienna and of formal events everywhere. At studio parties it is usually played less often than the slow Waltz, and many social dancers dance it in a simplified American style.

1. Spot as you turn: pick a point and bring your head round to it to avoid getting dizzy.

2. Keep the steps small; long steps at this speed throw you off balance.

3. Learn the Change Steps early so you can switch from turning right to turning left.

4. Build stamina gradually; even a short Viennese Waltz is tiring at first.

5. Keep a firm, steady frame so both partners rotate together around a shared center.

Viennese Waltz music is fast 3/4 with a strong first beat. Classic Viennese concert waltzes from the 19th century are the traditional choice, alongside modern pop and folk ballads arranged in a fast triple time.

• Waltz

  Waltz explained: where it came from, its tempo in International Standard and American Smooth, the basic figures, and how the two styles differ.

• Foxtrot

  Foxtrot explained: its 1914 New York origins, Slow Foxtrot in International Standard and Foxtrot in American Smooth, tempos, basic figures and differences.

• Quickstep

  Quickstep explained: how it grew from the 1920s foxtrot, its WDSF tempo, the basic figures beginners learn first, and tips for dancing it lightly at speed.

1. WDSF Competition Rules 2026, Rule E.3 Music (tempo table)
2. NDCA Rule Book, July 2026, Section IX.B Approved Tempi
3. ISTD: History of Modern Ballroom
4. USA Dance Rule Book 2026, Appendix B Syllabus Guidebook (American Style Viennese Waltz)
5. Wikipedia: Viennese waltz

What this page was written from. DanceFlow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sanctioned by any of these organizations.

Last checked against its sources on November 3, 2026.

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