Dance is as wide and varied as pretty much anything can be! Every culture has its own dance (usually a few) and they all have special things they do and provide. From the street to the ballroom, dance has a place everywhere.
Most of our interactions with dance are informal, but that doesn’t mean formal dance isn’t alive and thriving!
When we dance, it’s usually something pretty funny to watch. Even on television or YouTube, most of the dancing we see is hip-hop or more modern interpretations of something. We LOVE watching all types of dance, but sometimes, it’s nice to see something elegant and formal!
Is there anything as elegant as doing the Waltz at a real-life ball?
We didn’t think so. There are groups around the world that are keeping formal dance alive and thriving and it’s simply incredible to watch. The Stanford Viennese Ball Opening Committee showed us an incredible routine that has garnered nearly 2 million views!
We get to see a professional performance of the Morgenblätter.
What’s the Morgenblätter, you might ask? Well, it translates as the Morning Papers Waltz and it was created in 1863!
Morgenblätter (Morning Journals) op. 279 is a Viennese Waltz composed by Johann Strauss II in 1863. The work’s genesis was attributed to the composition of another waltz by Jacques Offenbach later titled ‘Abendblätter’ when the French opera composer dedicated his work to the influential Vienna Authors’ and Journalists’ Association (‘Concordia’). The Association had earlier intended the ‘Abendblätter’ waltz (untitled by Offenbach when first dedicated) to be played at their ‘Concordia Ball’ on 12 January 1864. – Wikipedia
The Stanford Viennese Ball is hosted every year and it always opens with dancers, just like this.
If you haven’t seen it before, it’s totally worth a watch. It starts off with the music sweeping in, followed by the couples standing and offering their partners a dance! With a quick curtsy, they begin.
Spinning slowly on the stage, they look elegant and proper!
There is just something so wonderful about a proper Waltz! As the music goes back and forth, the dancing couples sweep, sway, and spin around. The twirling movement of the dresses looks so beautiful, especially in contrast to the dark blacks of the guys in suits.
The coordination is impeccable as they weave in and out between one another.
Right when you think they are going to hit, they sweep past the other couples with inches to spare! The countless hours spend practicing by all the couples sure paid off as the entire event seems to go on without a single hitch. It’s not just the dance between couples that makes it so pretty, it’s the movement of all the couples together!
As they near the end, the finale includes a bow and a kneel!
The lead dancer stomps on the floor, signaling the end of the routine. You can’t help but want to race out of your door after seeing this and learn to dance with your significant other!
Check out the video below – it is mesmerizingly beautiful!
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