The Empire Waltz is an advanced waltz sequence dance composed by R. M. Crompton in 1906.
In addition to being an interesting dance, it's notable because Crompton described the steps primarily for the lady. (At the time, almost all sequence dances were described primarily for the man.)
Both facing LOD, holding inside hands.
Part I (4 bars): Walk three steps forward along LOD (1, 2, 3), then glide inside foot forward (4), hop on it, with outside leg extended and slightly raised behind (5), and cut the outside foot under the inside one (6). Then Polka Redowa ("glide, cut, leap") straight forward along LOD with inside foot (1, 2, 3), then point outside foot along LOD (4).
Part II (4 bars): Slide outside foot forward (1), then extend inside foot slightly raised in front (2), and hop (3). Then repeat on the other foot (4, 5, 6). Walk six steps forward, turning slightly outward on the first three steps, and facing partner on the second three (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Part III (4 bars): Dance a full turn of right-turning rotary waltz (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), then balance back along LOD (1) and forward against LOD (4).
Part IV (4 bars): Finish with two full turns of right-turning rotary waltz (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Repeat from the beginning.
"The Empire Waltz" by Albert Renaud is the specified tune, but it doesn't appear to have been recorded, so any square, early 20th century waltz will do.
© 2019 Nick Enge
For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.
For full-length teaching videos, visit: University of Dance.
For help crafting a life you love, visit: Project Quartz.
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