This 35-minute VHS videotape is the first in a series of "How To Dance Through Time" videos. It provides how-to instructions to help beginning dancers learn the mid-19th century ballroom couple dances. It introduces dancers to the basic steps, which accompany the romantic dance music of the past. Each dance segment is introduced by a brief presentation of historical information and includes verbal instructions combined with demonstrations and repetition. This collection of beginning-level dances includes the waltz, the gallop, the polka, the schottische, and the polka mazurka. This videotape is also available in DVD format. (SM)