Pas de Valse

A pas de valse is a waltz step, a flowing three-count movement that carries the dancer smoothly across the floor in time with waltz music. The name means “waltz step,” and it matches the gentle rise and fall of a waltz rhythm. A pas de valse can be performed on its own by female dancers, or with a partner, and it is often decorated with graceful arm movements.

How a Pas de Valse Is Done

In a pas de valse, the dancer steps forward onto one leg while the other leg brushes through to the front, and the movement continues in a three-step pattern that rises and lowers with the music. The stepping and brushing action gives the step its lilting, traveling quality. Throughout the step, the dancer usually adds a classical port de bras, moving the arms softly to complete the line and match the elegance of the waltz.

Where You See It

Because it travels smoothly and matches waltz music, the pas de valse appears in many classical ballets and in the traveling passages of variations. It can move forward, backward, or turn, and it links poses while keeping the dancer flowing with the rhythm. Learning the pas de valse teaches coordination between the legs and the port de bras, along with the sense of rise and fall that makes waltzing look graceful.