Waltz Postures

The Waltz of the Regency, was very much about the various postures one would assume. This is a collection of all the images I have been able to find of the waltz of the time.

There appear to have been two distinct styles at the time: the "French" and the "German". I will focus here on the French, which appears to have been more popular and represents a clear source for later Waltz styles. The German appears to have been, with the possible exception of the Redowa, an "evolutionary dead end".

The waltz had distinct sections, which had different steps and different postures which suited those steps.

These were:

The Marche (a brief promenade at the beginning of the waltz)
The Pirouette or Slow Waltz (a turning figure, with a smooth step, a variety of sometimes rather racy postures and strong eye contact)
The Sauteuse (the tempo increases and a hop is introduced into the dance)
The Jetté (the tempo increases more and the dance becomes an energetic series of hops).