Tips for Choosing a Waltz Partner

Waltz is a well-known, melodic partner dance. One secret to successfully mastering dance moves is choosing the right partner. This choice will shape your attitude toward the dance—you'll either fall in love with waltz or grow to hate it with equal passion.

Since you'll spend a huge amount of time with your partner—traveling to the dance studio, training together, and eventually competing if things go well—you'll also make mistakes together and work to fix them. So, beyond physical compatibility, your partner must feel and understand you.

So what should you look for when choosing a partner? What should be your priorities?

First, your partner should at least not be repulsive to you—ideally, you should find them likable. That way, lessons fly by unnoticed, and any small difficulties can be resolved quickly through cooperation.

Second, your partner should match you physically—height and weight. It's very awkward to dance with a partner who is significantly shorter than the follower; the same applies in reverse—don't choose a partner much taller (a height difference over 20 cm). The ideal difference is considered 10–15 cm.

Third, the partner's skill level. Obviously, if you're just starting out, a world-class partner won't be a good match, even if they meet the two criteria above.

Fourth, where your partner lives. Few people enjoy a long commute across town for lessons. If this is the case, in the waltz world, it's customary for the follower to switch to the leader's club.

Fifth, practice schedule. If you plan to practice once a week for recreational purposes, don't choose a partner who plans to dance daily.

Now that the main questions are answered, let's look at how to find a partner. Here are the three most popular ways to choose a partner today:

1) Choose someone you already know
The advantages are obvious. First, it's easier to relax and feel confident in each move with someone familiar. Second, you can easily agree on a schedule and set common goals.

2) Choose someone from your dance group
A big drawback is that you won't know in advance if you'll be compatible. If the person isn't right for you, the dance organization should provide another partner and give you the right to choose.

3) Find someone with similar interests and goals on a dating site
This is quite controversial, as people may list random interests just to attract the opposite sex. But don't rule it out completely—only use this method if the other two options aren't viable for some reason.

Overall, learning a new dance is always an interesting and enjoyable process. By following the tips above, we hope you'll find a partner you click with and together dive into the magical world of dance.