The Empress Mazurka is a mazurka sequence dance composed by David Rollinson of Birmingham in 1954.
It's named after the famous Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, where it won its inventor the Bickerstaffe Shield at the Blackpool Festival of 1954.
The version below was described by Charles Crathorn in 1963.
Both facing LOD, holding inside hands.
Part I - Points and Rollaway (4 bars): Step forward (1), point forward (2), step forward (4), point forward (5), then five counts of waltz to rollaway along LOD (Lead turning left, Follow turning right), and close without weight (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Part II - Return to Place (4 bars): Holding opposite hands, repeat to return to place (1, 2, 4, 5 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Part III - Mazurka, Point, Waltz, Chasseé (4 bars): Mazurka (slide, cut, lift) along LOD (1, 2, 3), and forward (4), point (5). Then half waltz inward to face partner (1, 2, 3) and side (4) close (5) along LOD.
Part IV - Waltz (4 bars): Two full turns of waltz (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Repeat from the beginning.
Mazurka from Coppelia by Delibes.
© 2018 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.
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