The Foxtrot

The Foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance similar in appearance to the Waltz.

American Style Foxtrot (in a social style) is frequently one of the first dances taught to new students. American Style Social Foxtrot is similar to the ‘rhythm step’ used by many International Style instructors to introduce dancing to beginners. The Foxtrot can also be one of the most difficult dances to master, because the movements are slow and have to be smooth and flow with ease.

History & Origins of Foxtrot

The exact origin of the dance is unclear, but many believe it came from vaudevillian Henry Fox in the summer of 1914. This new dance style captured the interest of other professional dancers, in particular Vernon and Irene Castle, and quickly spread around the world. It became one of the most popular ballroom dances in history.

The Foxtrot is often associated with the smooth dancing style of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Ultimately, it evolved into what we see today at ballroom dance competitions and social dance floors.

Characteristics of Foxtrot

Foxtrot is a traveling 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 music.

The Foxtrot is similar to the Waltz in that it is danced smoothly, but in the American style Foxtrot, more ‘jazzy’ movements are added. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, and many steps in Foxtrot resemble Waltz patterns although the steps are danced to a different timing because Foxtrot is in a 4/4 time signature instead of the 3/4 of Waltz.

Timing and Music of Foxtrot

The timing is usually “slow, quick, quick” or “slow, slow, quick, quick.”

In the Foxtrot, the first and third beats are accented more strongly than the second and fourth beats. The foxtrot is typically danced to written in 4/4 time, with tempo around 120 to 136 beats per minute.

The Foxtrot is typically danced to the same big band style music to which swing is also danced but it may be danced to many types of music.