This morning I am torn between admiration and despair, for I have seen some videos about the waltzing scene in Paris. A married couple called Charles and Hélène de Lauzun have a classical dancing school called La Maison de la Valse, and they organise spectacular balls.
Even if you can’t speak (or read; there are captions) French, you will be able to see in this video how beautifully Charles de Lauzun teaches young people–les débutants et débutantes–to dance. (For some subversive reason the documentary director decided to add a banal heavy metal-and-disco soundtrack, but hit mute and you will see delightful scenes.)
The 48 debs, both gentlemen and ladies, do not necessarily come from the ruling classes but are chosen for dance lessons after applying. Now, my French is of a very rusty order, if I understand this correctly, for 65€ a month, the debs receive 60 hours of instruction, supper, tickets to a grand ball and (the girls) a made-to-measure white gown. At first, I could not believe my ears (and the captions), but then I saw that the cost of tickets for the ball the debs open (Le Bal des Parisiennes) range from 85 € to 500€ (VIPs). Aha! Perhaps that’s how the Lauzuns can afford to train the youngsters.
The documentary shows a DJ showing up without a tuxedo and Charles de Lauzun dealing with this and other crises. My organiser’s heart was wrung when I saw this, for goodness knows how many little dance disasters I have confronted in the past two and half years.
Anyway, it is lovely to have a model to aspire to. My jaw dropped as I watched Charles de Lauzun showing the debs his choreography on powerpoint. He is my new hero. If I were of independent means and and polished French, I would rush off to Paris to learn both all the waltzes and how to teach them.
The waltz is such a treasure of European civilisation! As it has developed, it expresses so much about our shared culture: beauty, complementarity of the sexes, friendship between men and women, affectionate love,, intelligence, discipline, confidence, patience, endeavour, joy.