Redowa
A redowa is a dance of Czech Republic|Czech] origin with turning, leaping waltz steps that was popular in European ballrooms.
History
The name comes from the Czech name rejdovák, derived from rej. Originally a folk dance, it first appeared into the salons in Prague in 1829 and fell out of fashion by 1840, though in the meantime it had spread beyond Bohemia.Thomas Hillgrove states that the redowa was introduced to London ballrooms in 1846. Like other popular ballroom dances of the mid-nineteenth century, including the polka, it was danced in Paris prior to its appearance in London.
Meter
Like most dances currently described as waltzes, the redowa is danced in time, with the couple performing a full rotation every six beats.Description
A basic redowa step contains one long reaching step and two small leap-steps. The long reaching step can be danced on either the 1 or the 2 of each bar of music, depending on what feels best with the tune that is playing.Cellarius describes a three-part redowa consisting of a pursuit part, followed by the style of waltz commonly described as the redowa, and ending with a particular type of valse [à deux temps]. During the "pursuit" the partners hold each other hands facing each other and moving up and down at will and doing the "balance" forward and back, with lady following the cavalier.