The original Redowa waltz (NYPL b19606977-5096616)

A redowa () is a dance of

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

origin with turning, leaping

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

steps that was popular in European ballrooms.

History

The name comes from the Czech name rejdovák, derived from ''rej'' ("whirl"). Originally a folk dance, it first appeared into the salons in Prague in 1829 and fell out of fashion by 1840, though in the meantime it had spread beyond Bohemia. Thomas Hillgrove states that the redowa was introduced to London ballrooms in 1846. Like other popular

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic man ...

dances of the mid-nineteenth century, including the

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

, it was danced in Paris prior to its appearance in London.

Meter

Like most dances currently described as waltzes, the redowa is danced in

time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

, with the couple performing a full rotation every six

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...

Description

A basic redowa step contains one long reaching step and two small leap-steps. The long reaching step can be danced on either the 1 or the 2 of each bar of music, depending on what feels best with the tune that is playing. Cellarius (1849)(section in French) An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals
/ref> describes a three-part redowa consisting of a pursuit part (''"la poursuite"''), followed by the style of

commonly described as the redowa, and ending with a particular type of

valse à deux temps Valse à deux temps, waltz ''à deux temps'' ("waltz in two beats"), also Valse à deux pas ("waltz of two steps") or Valse Russe ("Russian waltz") (Russian name: вальс в "два па") was a waltz of Russian origin introduced in France in the ...

. During the "pursuit" the partners hold each other hands facing each other and moving up and down at will and doing the "balance" forward and back, with lady following the cavalier.

The lead

Dancers generally start in closed (waltz) position with the outside hands pointing line of direction. (This description is for the case when the "reach" step is on count two.) To begin a redowa, the leader will take a small leap step (count 1) around in front of his/her partner with the left foot so that the leader is backing, then take a long scooping or gliding step (count 2) straight back with the right (pointing right toe, bending the knee of the left leg, keeping the torso upright), followed by another small leap step (count 3) with the left to complete a 180-degree turn clockwise. The second half of the six-count pattern begins with a small leaping step (count 4) along the line of dance, so the leader faces forward on the line of dance. The left leg now reaches straight forward (count 5; pointing left toe, bending right knee, etc.), directly under the partner's right leg, which is extended back. A small leap (count 6) onto the right foot completes the pattern, completing the second half (180 degree) turn in preparation for the next six count pattern.

The follow

The follow is the opposite portion of the lead's sequence. The follower's movement on the first three beats are essentially the same movements the leader makes on the second set of three beats, and vice versa.

References