Waltz for the Moon

Template:Sideicon

Concept of the scene by Yoshitaka Amano.

You're the best looking guy here. Dance with me?

Rinoa to Squall

The "Waltz for the Moon" scene in Final Fantasy VIII is a notable event due to its importance to the game's plot as well as its provision as an ample demonstration of the then new motion capture animation and graphics. The game's protagonist, Squall Leonhart, first meets his love interest, Rinoa Heartilly, in this scene in a way reminiscent of old style war-time romance movies.

The waltz is a standard ¾ time waltz with at least eight steps that are performed and repeated in time to the music, as is demonstrated in the scene. It is unclear how old the waltz is or how widespread; however, the song "Eyes on Me," the origin and base for the waltz's music, was created around eighteen years before the game's events.

Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

Squall and Rinoa dance to "Waltz for the Moon".

A recently graduated Squall attends Balamb Garden's SeeD inauguration ball out of necessity. Standing off to the side due to his anti-social nature, he makes no attempt to socialize until a girl in an ivory dress, Rinoa, approaches him and requests a dance.

Attempting to ignore her, Squall tells her that he can't dance. Rinoa remains persistent, however, and literally drags Squall out onto the dance floor, where she attempts to coerce him into performing the waltz like the other couples. Through Rinoa's determination and understanding, Squall learns the steps, and the pair quickly become proficient dance partners. However, as abruptly as she arrived, Rinoa departs, thanking Squall for the dance.

Spoilers end here.

Other appearances

Final Fantasy VIII technical demo

Waltz for the Moon.

The dance scene was used for a technical demonstration showing off the graphic card capabilities of the PlayStation 2. It should be noted that the demonstration features some additional steps to the waltz.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

The waltz scene.

The scene appears as as the Event Music Stage for Final Fantasy VIII.

This section in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game

Yoshitaka Amano's artwork of Squall and Rinoa dancing appears in a trading card. Like all of Squall's cards, it is ice-elemental.

Musical themes

Template:Listen "Waltz For The Moon" plays when Rinoa forces Squall to dance with her. It is a waltz version of "Eyes on Me", the game's vocal theme song.

Merchandise

Cold cast statue.

The Final Fantasy Cold Cast Collection was a limited edition collectible series featuring cold cast statues that display notable scenes from Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, and Final Fantasy VIII.

Issued by SquareSoft, only 3,000 of these cold casts were made, each coming with a card and card stand that had the statue's limited number and description. The series has been out of production since 1999.

Gallery

Storyboard of Rinoa's entrance.

Rinoa using her trademark expression of request.

Rinoa trying to hypnotize Squall.

Etymology

[view · edit · purge]Waltz, from German: "Walzer", is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple time, performed primarily in closed position.

[view · edit · purge]A natural satellite or moon is an astronomical body that orbits a planet or minor planet.

Trivia

• The scene's initially rocky beginning and, by the end of the waltz, the pair's synchronization, could be used as symbolism for the way the relationship between Squall and Rinoa plays throughout the game's story.
• As a tradition in Japanese schools, folk dances or waltzes are performed as an event near the end of a sports festival.
• This scene was depicted, among other Final Fantasy scenes, as a cold cast statue as part of Squaresoft's Final Fantasy Cold Cast Collection.
• In one of the windows outside the Artnia café is a display containing a crystal chandelier, a suspended wall mirror and a candle lit dresser in front of a red curtain. Beside the dresser is a silhouetted figure of Rinoa Heartilly in her "request pose" that she performed when asking for a dance with Squall Leonhart.

Template:FFVIII