It may look easy, but the waltz is not a cinch to master.
Chirs Dempsey, Manager of Arthur Murray Dance School in Sydney says, "During the American waltz, you transfer weight from one foot to another about 90 times a minute. And the Viennese waltz is twice as fast, one of the most difficult to master."
Body benefits
“I use the waltz with beginners to teach control – there’s a lot of spinning and partner work – and to improve posture,” Dempsey says. Apparently it takes a lot of hard work to learn to look that effortless. “Ladies aren’t ‘resting’ their arms on their partners’ – they’re holding them,” he says. This means strong, lean arms and shoulders. “The waltz is also great for all-over body and brain work, including memory.”
The proof
A study presented at the American Heart Association researched 110 heart failure patients and found that dancing the waltz three times a week for eight weeks improved cardiopulmonary (heart and lung) function as effectively as spending the same amount of time on a treadmill or bicycle.