Waltz - connecting phrases HELP!!!

Hi,

I'm going to compose a waltz for my next composition. But I often have trouble linking phrases together. My teacher says I have a great imagination and I come up with some innovative and inspired melodies and such, but I just can't seem to make one phrase smoothly join on to the next, especially if it's going from major to minor or vice versa.

I understand the concept of waltzes, its a dance, and it has a distinct "oom pa pa" (or at least most do anyway) among other attributes.

Also, I was thinking of making one similar to something Tchaikovsky would compose (he is after all my favourite composer and his name springs to mind when I think of waltzes) and including russian folk style melodies.

Any help much appreciated,

thanks.

maybe on the last bar of your first phrase, you can play something on the third beat to "lead" it into the first bar of the second phrase or something.

and if you use imperfect cadences at the end of certain phrases, the listener would automatically know theres more to the music.

but i dont really know exactly what you mean by "connecting phrases"