United States, 1910s
FOXTROT
The jazz glide of the grand ballrooms
Foxtrot was born in the United States in the 1910s, popularized by vaudeville and by the dance duo Vernon and Irene Castle. It synthesizes ragtime, the military march, and the glide of the Waltz to create a fluid, progressive four-beat couple dance suited to the new jazz orchestras.
Its two modern versions — the Slow Foxtrot codified in London and the American social Foxtrot — are found today in every ballroom dance school, and serve as the foundation for many variations (Quickstep, "social swing" dance, and so on).
How it's danced
Technique & figures
Foxtrot is danced as a couple, in closed hold, to four-beat tracks between 30 and 34 bars per minute (Slow Foxtrot). The classic rhythm alternates slow steps (2 counts) and quick steps (1 count), following the Slow-Slow-Quick-Quick formula.
Styles and fundamentals
The posture is tall, the body's axis stable, and the steps are glided, with constant contact with the floor. Travel always follows the line of dance.
Main figures
- 01
Feather step
Three progressive gliding steps, the basic building block of Slow Foxtrot.
- 02
Three step
A sequence of three quick steps used to resume progression.
- 03
Reverse turn
A progressive left turn, very characteristic of Slow Foxtrot.
Reading the music
American jazz and crooners (Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, big band orchestras).
Did you know?
Explore the rhythms
Same family
Standards & Latines de Salon