The waltz, perhaps the most beloved social dance of the 19th and early 20th centuries, provoked outrage from religious leaders and other self-appointed arbiters of social morality. Decrying the corrupting influence of social dancing on decency and health, they failed to suppress the popularity of the waltz or other dance crazes of the period, such as the Charleston, the Tango, and Ragtime dances such as the Turkey Trot, Grizzly Bear, and Bunny Hug. This book investigates the development and importance of these popular dances with particular attention to the waltz, evaluating in particular how their very existence as "taboo" cultural fads led to initial outrage while ultimately providing a catalyst for lasting social reform. Focusing on couple dances of the 19th and early 20th centuries, it reveals how they expressed this tumultuous period and the shifting social attitudes of the day. In addition to examining the impact of the waltz craze on fashion, music, leisure, and social reform, the text describes the opposition to the dance and the proliferation of both anti-dance and courtesy literature. It then explores these same issues as they relate to other dance crazes of the early 1900s.