Foxtrot Dance Classes Jupiter FL (Palm Beach County)
American Smooth Foxtrot
International Standard Foxtrot
Foxtrot
Slow - Slow - Quick -Quick
Harry Fox, a vaudeville dancer and comedian, was believed to be the first to use the “slow step” which marked the birth of the Foxtrot. This first freestyle use of the “slow step” came into vogue around 1912, during the period of ragtime music. This marked a completely new phase of ballroom dancing where partners danced much closer together and ad-libbed to the new and exhilarating music. By 1915, new and melodic pop songs were being written, and the public was quick to adapt their dancing to a smoother, more rhythmic style of music.
By 1960, the International style of dancing was making its way into the U.S. ballrooms, and many of the techniques were implemented into the American Foxtrot. The main difference between the International and American styles of Foxtrot is that the International Foxtrot is danced entirely in contact maintaining the normal dance hold, while the American style allows for complete freedom of expression utilizing various dance holds and positions. Most figures are designed for the larger ballroom floor, but are also suited to the average dance floor when danced more compactly.
A beautiful, romantic dance, the foxtrot is composed of fairly simple walking steps and side steps. The dance combines slow steps, which use two beats of music, and quick steps, which use one beat of the music. The footwork timing is usually “slow, quick, quick” or “slow, slow, quick, quick.” The foxtrot must be danced very smoothly, with no jerking of the body. Timing is also a very important component of the foxtrot.