Military Dip Waltz, a novelty dance for 1903

Do you know the Military Dip Waltz ?

No ?

I didn’t either!

Everything began while I was going through the Belgian newspapers from the Edwardian era. I am always looking for interesting stories to inspire some blog post.

Between countless ads for danse lessons, and the programmes of the Brussels theaters, a peculiar article draw my attention. Its title: « Les danses de Noël en Angleterre » (the Christmas dances in England).

On sait que Noël est, en Angleterre, le vrai temps des fêtes et des réunions mondaines. Chaque année, on s’efforce d’en renouveler le charme par quelque invention plus ou moins spirituelle ou plus ou moins originale. Les innovations de cette année sont trois danses : le « Military Dip », la « Coronation Waltz » et la « Cake Walk ».

We know that in England, Christmas is the true time for festivities and social gatherings. Every year, one endeavours to renew the charm of the season by some new invention, more or less witty or original. This year’s innovations are three dances: the “military dip”, the “Coronation Waltz” and the “Cake Walk”.

Le Petit Bleu du Matin, December 24, 1902, p. 5 « Les danses de Noël en Angleterre ». Re-published on December 25, 1902, ibidem, p.6

Well, that make three titles. Do you know them?

I confess that I only knew the Cake Walk.

But the good news is that my research bore fruit. So much fruit, in fact, that I had to split the article into several parts.

So this article is the beginning of a mini-series. Let’s begin with the Military Dip Waltz.

Military Dip Waltz according to Le Petit Bleu

What does the article from Le Petit Bleu tell us about the Military Dip Waltz ?

Le « Military Dip » (ou « plongeon militaire ») ressemble à l’ancienne valse, avec cette différence qu’au lieu de faire une légère inclinaison au premier pas, comme jadis, le couple qui la danse exécute une sorte de salut ou révérence au troisième pas, ce qui a pour résultat de produire un effet absolument nouveau dans la danse ; car au lieu de voir – comme dans la valse de nos mères, – tous les couples se mouvoir avec une précision rythmique à travers la salle du bal, il peut arriver que l’on voie un couple « plonger », tandis qu’un autre danse.

The Military dip resembles the old waltz, with the difference that instead of making a slight inclination at the first step, as in the past, the couple dancing it performs a sort of bow or curtsy at the third step, which has the effect of producing an absolutely new effect in the dance; for instead of seeing – as in our mothers’ waltz – all the couples moving with rhythmic precision across the ballroom, it may happen that one couple “dives”, while another dances.

Le Petit Bleu du Matin, December 24 1902, p. 5 « Les danses de Noël en Angleterre ». Re-published on December 25, ibidem, p.6

The word military usually indicates that the dancers start in open position, side to side. As in the Military schottische or Pas de Quatre.

However, here, the dancers do not use that position, according the the Belgian article.

« Dip » as a dance terms maybe reminds you the square dance Dip and Dive. In that dance, the “dip” is under arches formed by the other couples.

However, here, the dip is diffent. The dancers of the Military Dip Waltz create the illusion of a dip by leaning and bending the knees. Therefore the title.

Unfortunately, the text of the Brussels newspaper is not enough to give us an idea of what the steps in this choreography might have looked like. So I went in search of other sources for the Military Dip Waltz.

Dance manuals are relatively silent on the subject. The press, on the other hand, is much more prolix.

Military Dip Waltz according to the Tampa Tribune

An article from the Floridian newspaper Tampa Tribune, dated June 22, 1902, gives us more information. Its title: Some new Dances That may Be Seen Next Season.

The choregraphy of the Military Dip Waltz, by George V. Lovely got a third place during the convention of Normal School Association of Masters of Dancing of the United State and Canada.

The article gives us a rather precise instructions for the dance.

“The Military Dip Waltz – Side waltz position, gentleman facing in forward marching direction; lady facing toward rear, both with left foot in fourth position, front. Gentleman dips forward on left, lady backward on right, count 1-2-3; dip in another direction, count 1-2-3. Gentleman steps forward on left, count 1-2-3; forward on right, count 1-2-3, at the same time makes a quarter turn to the right, four measures in all for first part. Second part, waltz four measures, gentleman commencing with left foot. Repeat ad lib.”

Tampa Tribune, June 22,1902, p. 9 “Some new Dances that may Be Seen Next Season”.

Reconstruction for George V. Lovely’s choreography  

Dancers in close position, Lead facing LOD, Follow facing the Lead. Both have the Left foot in fourth position.

Bar	Move
1	Lead dip forward with L (Follow backward with R)
2	Lead dip backward with R (Follow forward with L)
3	Lead step forward with L (Follow backward with R)
4	As bar 3, Lead steps with R, end with 1/4 turn to the R
5-8	Waltz

And that’s it for the contemporary sources.

I thought that the dance was fallen into oblivion after its launch in 1902. And then I found Helen Davis.

The posterity of the dance

Twenty years after the Tampa Tribune article, Helen Davis’s Complete Guide to Dancing repeats the article of 1902 word for word. The author simply replaces gentleman and lady by man and woman. Perhaps a sign of the times?

Helen Davis adds a remark too:

The « Military Dip » differs from the old dip waltz danced a generation ago in having a dip to each move instead of every third movement.

Helen Davis, Complete Guide to Dancing, Regan Publishing Corporation, Chicago, 1923, p. 113.

So the dip waltz would have evolved in that direction:

• Before 1902, dip on the first step (Le Petit Bleu)
• In 1902, dip of bow on the 3rd step (Le Petit Bleu, Helen Davis)
• In 1924, dip on each step (Helen Davis)

I would not say that the Military Dip Waltz got a tremendous success though, as too few sources mention it.

I wouldn’t say either that is had a lasting success, even if the two sources referencing it are 21 years apart. Indeed, dance handbooks often include older, obsolete dance, to pump up their numbers.

Dip Waltz according to the Buffalo Courrier

Mindful readers would have noticed a discrepancy between the Belgian article and the Floridian one. Indeed, the Belgian newspaper spoke about « une sorte de salut ou révérence au troisième pas » (a sort of bow or curtsy at the third step). We find no trace of it in the American instructions.

Could another Military Dip Waltz exist?

Going further in my research, I stumble upon a Buffalo Courrier article (New York State), dated April 15, 1903. Its title: Growing Popularity of Dancing. It describes amongst other a Dip Waltz, by William Pitt RIvers. Here is an abstract:

Gentlemen slide left foot backward, pass right foot back; slide left foot forward, pass right in front of left to the side, following up with the left foot to second position. Waltz eight or sixteen measures. Counterpart for lady. Note. The lady, however, will pass her left foot back when moving to the side.

Buffalo Courrier, April 15, 1903, “Growing popularity of dancing”, p. 5.

I will not attempt a reconstruction, given that there is no indication of rythm or bar.

This is obviously a different choreography than our Military Dip Waltz. Strangely enough, there is no dip, despite the title. There is also no bow or curtsy on the thrid step.

On the other hand, there is a choice to dance 8 or 16 waltz steps between each turn of the dance. That would explain that some couples dip while other waltz – as per the Belgian article.

Conclusions

At the end of my research, I wasn’t able to identify with certainty the Military Dip Waltz introduced by the Belgian newspaper Le Petit Bleu.

I found two suspects, though.

The first one is named exactly Military Dip Waltz. George V. Lovely won a prize for its creation. It would have had some posterity in the United States.

But two choreographic elements contradict the Belgian article. First, there is no reverence or honour on the third step. Then, the couples beginning to dance all at the same time, it is not possible to create a discrepancy between the couples.

The second suspects bears a name a bit different: Dip Waltz, by William Pitt Rivers. It has still no honour on the third step. But, it is possible that a discrepancy is created between the couples, if they choose to waltz 8 or 16 bars between the laps.

My second question was about the popularity of that Military Dip Waltz, in 1902 and later. It seems that its success was very limited.

So the oracles of Le Petit Bleu lied: the Military Dip Waltz has not dethroned the two-step. What about the other dances mentioned, the Coronation Waltz and the Cake Walk?

The answer soon on Histoire de Bal! To be notified by email as soon as the next article is published, subscribe to our newsletter.

And don’t hesitate to add info and remarks to the comments!