Cross-step Waltz is a partner dance done to waltz music at the tempo of 107-130 beats per minute. It is generally regarded as a variant of the generic waltz. Its primary characteristic is the basic step, which involves starting on lead's right foot (follower's left) and crossing in front of the other foot, between the partners. This basic creates a very rich dynamic for the dance, enabling many figures. Cross-step waltz was originally popularized in dance classes at Stanford University, and has spread to many venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, with limited acceptance in other regions of the country. One fun twist on the traditional waltz is that this dance is often danced with non-traditional lead/follow (with women leading men, women leading women, men leading me, or people switching the lead/follow role in the middle of the dance). The noted Stanford dance historian, Richard Powers, is credited for popularizing this dance in his social dance classes at Stanford University. For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... For the dance, see Waltz Waltz is the name for the kind of music to which one dances a waltz. ... The first two measures of Mozarts Sonata XI, which indicates the tempo as Andante grazioso and the metronome marking as = 120. (Metronome markings were not used in Mozarts day. ... A waltz (German: , Italian: , French: , Catalan: ) is a ballroom and folk dance in   time, done primarily in closed position. ... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles northwest of San José in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. ... USGS satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area. ... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles northwest of San José in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. ...

The dance is usually done beginning in the closed position, with the lead's left hand pressed against the follow's right hand, the follow's left hand pressed against the lead's shoulder, and the lead's right hand right centered on the follow's upper/middle spine. To begin the dance, feed should be shoulder-width apart, with weight on the lead's left foot.

Count breakdown

Lead's Footwork

1. Leader crosses the right foot in front over the left foot, and steps onto it.
2. Leader brings the left foot out from behind the right, and steps onto it (so his/her feet are now parallel again).
3. Leader shifts the weight onto the right foot.

(same thing, but going back to the other side)
4. Leader crosses the left foot in front over the right foot, and steps onto it.
5. Leader brings the right foot out from behind the left, and steps onto it.
6. Leader shifts weight onto the left foot in preparation of count 1.

Follow's Footwork

1. Follow crosses the left foot in front over the right foot, and steps onto it.
2. Follow brings the right foot out from behind the left, and steps onto it (so his/her feet are now parallel again).
3. Follow shifts the weight onto the left foot.

(same thing, but going back to the other side)
4. Follow crosses the right foot in front over the left foot, and steps onto it.
5. Follow brings the left foot out from behind the right, and steps onto it.
6. Leader shifts weight onto the rightfoot in preparation of count 1.

References