When I mention the Hearth’s monthly Waltzday event to people who’ve never waltzed before, they tend to imagine one of three options:

1.) Ballerinas in the Nutcracker:

2.) Dreamy princesses like Cinderella:

3.) Or the old school flirting of movies like Anna Karenina:

While all of these are true, they’re a small cross section of waltz music. Even if you’re staying in the classical era, there’s a lot more to it than the Nutcrakcer. Prokofiev, a Soviet composer, pianist and conductor, was one of the major composer of the 20th century:

After almost a year and a half of waltzing with The Hearth Community, every time I hear a song in 3/4 I immediately find myself starting to move to it. While many of our dances have come from the folk tradition, one of the greatest pleasures has been discovering how often this 3/4 beat is used in different genres.

So far at Waltzdays, we’ve had folk, classical, jazz, blues, and contemporary music. This month, we’re eager to throw in yet another twist: A Country Waltz with Hannah Baker Rose. Though she’ll be the first to throw some country onto our dance floor, and she’s far from the first to combine the genres:

Then in July, Amy Kucharik will be playing a night of live blues music with a waltz beat, something we’ve actually all heard before even if we haven’t realized it:

From classic folkies:

To the muppets:

To contemporary indie musicians:

After hundreds of years in the musical canon, the triple beat has worked it’s way into just about every genre. And if it’s there, we’re going to dance to it.