Page:Modern Dancing (1914) Castle.djvu/78

Rh sense of hesitation in the dance which has given it its name.

The lady starts forward—left, right, and back left, right—finally holding her weight on the right foot through the fifth and sixth counts. Then she goes back on her left foot for the next part of the step—left, right, and then forward, left, right—finally holding her weight as before on the two last counts. I might add here that a great many people start with the hesitating steps and finish with the Waltz. That is a matter of preference.

This measure could be continued indefinitely. By counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and holding or hesitating the 5, 6, you can't very well go wrong; and you are doing the Hesitation Waltz.

Of course, were this all, it would be a very tiresome dance. So you vary it slightly by doing either two or three ordinary Waltz measures—or some of the figures I am about to explain or some of your own. After you have a rough idea of this first step, I advise you to cease counting and try to do the hesitation when the music seems to "ask it"—if you know what I mean. Nearly every good Waltz has certain strains which, if you have a good ear for music, you will not fail to recognize as calling for some sort of hesitation or pause.

In my opinion it is much better to hesitate when the music hesitates, and, when it does not, simply