The Romance of the Waltz
Never have I moved so lightly. I was no longer a human being. To hold the most adorable
creature in one's arms and fly around with her like the wind, so that everything around us fades away.
Emma's heart was beating faster when, her partner took her by the tips of
his fingers... then everything began... skirts swirled out and rustled
against each other... Everything was turning around them... the hem of
Emma's dress flared out against her partner's trousers... he looked down
at her... she raised her eyes...
To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love...
The waltz never quite goes out of fashion;
I looked hopefully around the room. After a few moments, my eyes met his and we walked toward each
other. We didn't exchange names or even speak, we both knew what was coming and somehow the
anonymity made the encounter more exciting.
- Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther
- Flaubert, Madame Bovary
- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
it is always just around the corner;
every now and then it returns with a bang.
It is sneaking, insidious, disarming, lovely...
The waltz, in fact, is magnificently improper.
- H. L. Menken
He took me by my hand and led me to the corner of the room, causing my stomach to somersault. As
he put his arm around me I admired the broadness of his shoulders and savored the sweetness of his
smell. Slowly, we began to move, tentatively at first, circling our bodies around each other with
the beat of the music. I noticed that his confidence was growing as he pulled me closer to him.
His warm hand on my back compelled me to give in to the strength of his arms, but I remembered that
it would be more gratifying if I resisted. Reluctantly, I gently pulled away with my body and
pushed with my hand, "it's better if we can look at each other," I whispered.
Our bodies moved in synch, rhythmically, our breathing escalated and the room began to spin faster
and faster into a blur of color. I closed my eyes to relish the euphoric sensation of his movements
guiding me. I felt like I was the only one he had ever done this with, yet he knew exactly what to
do. We moved together as one.
I wished we could continue like that indefinitely, but then, the music faded to silence.
"Thank you," he said. "It was my pleasure," I sighed. We parted to search for another
waltz partner.
- Mindy Lange, Social Dance II