Waltz Away is the first half of the common figure Waltz Away and Together. However, Waltz Away can be used on its own, so it’s helpful to learn it separately.

To correctly dance Waltz Away, you need a sense of which direction you’re moving in a room. So, a few words about ‘moving around the room’ are in order.

Round Dance is so-called because dancers move around the floor in a circular (round!) or elliptical formation. The usual flow of Round Dance is counterclockwise, and this counterclockwise direction is called Line of Dance (abbreviated LOD). However, during a dance, figures may temporarily move in many different directions.

Not sure what counterclockwise means? Think of an ‘old-fashioned’ clock with minute and hour hands sweeping out the day—that’s the clockwise direction. Then, counterclockwise is the other direction!

Why all this talk about the direction a dance is moving? Here’s why. If a couple is not facing the direction the dance is moving when ‘Waltz Away’ is cued, then they must adjust smoothly at the beginning of the first beat.

In Waltz Away, dancers move away from one another, so the name ‘Waltz Away’ is appropriate. They typically hold inside hands, while turning outward. At the end of Waltz Away, dancers are in a slight back-to-back position, with inside hands still joined.