Following the immense success of his fi rst waltzes Émile Waldteufel decided to continue composing works only in this genre. As a result of this he was nicknamed 'The French Strauss'. He composed more than 250 dances, the best-known being the waltzes Les patineurs (Ice Skaters), Estudiantina and Espana. Espana was composed in 1886, based on the famous 1883 rhapsody of the same name by Emmanuel Chabrier.