How to tame a Viennese Waltz
By Aaron Wulff
If you want to strike fear into the heart of a dance instructor, tell them you picked A Thousand Years by Christina Perri or Perfect by Ed Sheeran. These irresistible wedding songs are begging to be danced to and super popular for weddings. But let’s talk about what you’ll be signing up for, because both of these tracks come with a specific challenge: they aren’t standard, slow waltzes, they’re fast-paced Viennese waltzes.
A regular waltz moves at a relaxed, romantic tempo. But a Viennese Waltz flies by at nearly double the speed. It’s a beautiful, authentic dance, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s also vastly more technically demanding than a slow waltz. And that’s a big ask if you’re a beginner. Hell, maintaining that tempo is a big ask for seasoned dancers.
But professional wedding choreographers and dance instructors have a solution. Instead of forcing beginners into relentless, fast-paced Viennese waltz steps and more spinning than your college dorm room after a bar crawl, pros have come up with a clever workaround. A basic step that goes something like:
step — brush/touch — hold | step — brush/touch — hold
It looks waltz-like. It fits the music. And it makes the dance dramatically easier. It’s basically moving slower to a faster song.
I have to give the tactic its due.
When you’ve got a limited amount of time to learn your song, anything that simplifies the rapid Viennese tempo down to a manageable pace is going to make your life that much easier. It works for small spaces and dramatically reduces the physical workload. It gives you time to create shapes, lines, and strike a pose, ensuring you don’t look like you’re frantically trying to keep up with high-speed choreography.
But is it actually waltzing?
If by waltzing you mean dancing to a triple meter and stepping in a relaxed, waltz-like rhythm, then yes.
If you mean taking three full steps for every single quick beat, continuously turning and traveling around the dance floor at true Viennese speed, then no. It’s not.
That’s not bad, it’s just different.
And it means when you pull up a video on YouTube of a beautiful couple dancing to this song, it might look easy. Maybe easier than it should.
So at this point you have a decision to make: Waltz it. Workaround it. Or walk away.
Option 1. Waltz it
I’ve had plenty of couples who wanted the authentic, high-speed experience that the song calls for. Instead of dialing it back to a slower waltz feel, they committed themselves to the extra endurance and technique a Viennese Waltz requires, put in the time and effort, and had amazing first dances that blew their guests away. If this sounds like a rewarding challenge, then absolutely go for it. Just give yourself extra time for practice and get ready for a genuine cardio workout.
Option 2. Workaround it
For my couples there are a few key goals I want for everyone: -Don’t look terrified -Don’t collide with each other -Have a few fun, memorable moments -Enjoy the song
In this case, an adapted step is just what the doctor ordered.
But keep in mind it comes with cons. By stripping away the sweeping momentum of a fast waltz and replacing it with a modified step, the dance can get visually monotonous and feel constrained.
“Personally, when I dance I want to move around and feel the music, not dance with the parking brake on.” — Aaron
Option 3. Walk away (from the Viennese Waltz)
This is my least favorite option, but just because you hear a fast Viennese tempo doesn’t mean you have to dance a traditional or modified waltz to it. You can always choreograph a slow, contemporary dance that ignores the fast 1-2-3 pulse altogether. The professionals haven’t proven that songs like Perfect and A Thousand Years are easy to waltz to. They’ve proven that a good choreographer can adapt fast music to fit any couple.
Option 4. Walk away (from the song)
If the song isn’t a dealbreaker for you, why deal with the extra speed and technical demands of a Viennese waltz in the first place? Choosing a more comfortable song will give you that classic, effortless elegance without needing a special workaround.
