A waltz traditionally opens a quinceañera’s formal dance program. In Spanish-speaking contexts, this dance is often called a vals, the Spanish word for waltz.
The celebrant may perform the vals with members of her court, family members, or a designated escort. Choreography can be highly formal and rehearsed, although many families choose simpler routines or contemporary music instead.
The waltz connects the celebration with older European ballroom traditions that entered Latin American social customs through colonial and later cultural exchange. Its presence does not mean every quinceañera uses the same music or sequence.
A common confusion is assuming that salsa is the defining dance of the ceremony because salsa is strongly associated with several Latin American music traditions. Salsa may appear at the party, but the traditional formal opening is the vals or waltz.