A very smooth dance with both partners gliding effortlessly across the dance floor as if they have “ice skates” on without them.
Foxtrot began at the turn of the 20* century when influential African American musicians, such as Scott Joplin, began composing syncopated ragtime music. A new breed of dances quickly evolved in response to this fervent new music. First came the Turkey Trot (a one step that included flapping the arms like a turkey), the Monkey Dance, the Horse Trot, the Grizzly Bear, the Bunny Hug and the Kangaroo Dip.
In 1914, Arthur Carringford. a vaudeville performer and one-time professional baseball player, did his version of trotting on the stage of the Ziegfield Follies. He took on the name Harry Fox. and Fox’s fast and jerky trot became the hot new thing in New York.
Influential exhibition dancers. Vernon and Irene Castle also featured Foxtrot routines and greatly contributed to the popularity of the dance G K. Anderson brought Foxtrot to London winning many competitions with Josephine Bradley From there the British smoothed out the dance to produce “Slow Foxtrot" (“Slow Fox') which is sometimes called English Foxtrot’. It is this dance form that is now the International Style Foxtrot A faster version of Foxtrot - Quicktime Foxtrot - incorporated elements of Charleston (and even Lindy) to produce the dance we know today as Quickstep’. It now has the more familiar name Ballroom Foxtrot" reflecting its place amongst the International Style Ballroom' Dances.
As dance halls became more crowded, a more compact version of Foxtrot evolved. This newly developing form (sometimes known as “crush" or rhythm Foxtrot') is now known as "social dancing’.
Foxtrot s combination of Slows and Quicks, the use of many Waltz figures, and its application to a vast array of 4/4 time music, makes it one of the most significant developments in ballroom dancing.
