Foxtrot

The International style Foxtrot is one of the most deceiving dances. It looks very easy but, unlike the American style Foxtrot, it is one of the most difficult dances to do. The dance originated in 1913 when a vaudeville performer by the name of Harry Fox performed a little trot on a New York City stage which appealed to the social dance teachers of the city and thus the Foxtrot was born. The dance is noted for being the first to incorporate into the rhythm a combination of Slow and Quick counts. The European dance teachers however were not as enthusiastic about the “wild” character of the Foxtrot as were the American and started to polish it more to comprise more soft and fluid linear movements. Between 1922 and 1929 Frank Ford, with whom Josephine Bradley used to give demonstrations, developed the basic movements of the Slow Foxtrot. With his interpretation he won the 1927 “Star Championships” with partner Molly Spain. Many of the figures they danced are still used by today’s competitors as well as social dancers. It is also the foundation for many of the social dances that followed. The Foxtrot is characterized by smooth walking-style movements with many continuously forward or backward moving patterns which are straight and well aligned on the dance floor. Due to the continuous and flowing character of the Slow Foxtrot it is difficult to produce a smooth Rise and Fall, hence the difficulty of the dance. The dance can also be adapted to fit a variety of musical tempi and styles, or to fit small, crowded nightclub dance floors. In the American style Foxtrot remains the most popular social dance in the world today. It is enjoyed by all age groups for its ease of movement and smooth style. Foxtrot music is played by most social dance orchestras and is typically Big Band Swing-style music written in 4/4 time and with a music tempo ranging from 120 to 136 BPM.