Developed in the 1910s, the foxtrot reached its height of popularity in the 1930s and remains practiced today. The dance is similar in its look to Waltz, although the rhythm is in a 4/4 time signature instead of 3/4. It is danced to Big Band (usually vocal) music and the feeling is one of elegance and sophistication. The dancers are Marcus and Karen Hilton, nine times Professional World Ballroom Dance champions.The Foxtrot or Fox trot or Fox-trot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. Slow Foxtrot: Basic steps demonstrated by a top-class pair.↑ "The Ballroom Technique", 10th ed., Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, London.↑ "Streetswing's Dance History Archives".Jazz dance: the story of American vernacular dance. ↑ Dannett, Sylvia and Rachel, Frank 1954.The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. The history of English ballroom dancing (1900–1945). ↑ Spelling may vary: fox trot, fox-trot.p226 Figures įor the International or English style foxtrot They went abroad and in mid-ocean sent a wireless to the magazine to change the Bunny Hug to the 'Foxtrot'. They introduced the 'Bunny Hug' in a magazine article. The Castles were intrigued by the rhythm. The Castles' music director would play the Memphis Blues during breaks from the fast paced Castle Walk and One-step. Handy's Memphis Blues was said to be the inspiration for the Foxtrot. The dance was premiered in 1914, quickly catching the eye of the talented husband and wife duo Vernon and Irene Castle, who lent the dance its signature grace and style. Where did the name 'foxtrot' come from? It is often said that Foxtrot took its name from its inventor, the vaudeville actor Harry Fox however the exact origins are not clear. The syncopation which is still common in the quickstep is an example of ragtime influence on modern dancing. The Quickstep (as it was soon called) was influenced by the Charleston, and the Slow foxtrot by ideas from the Boston. The difference in tempo allowed the dances to become, in time, different in style as well as music. So what happened was that the Foxtrot, which had started off as a mid-tempo dance influenced by ragtime, gradually split into two dances, a Slow foxtrot and a quick foxtrot. In their opinion, what was needed was separate dances for different tempos. p95 The English touch ĭuring the 1920s, English professional dancers and dance teachers set out to find ways of dancing to the new music. Almost all these dances originated in the black community in the United States, and some moved over into white society. These are a few examples: The Shimmy, The Grind, The Turkey Trot, The Bunny Hug, The Texas Tommy, The Cakewalk. p369 "From 1912 through 1914", said another, "over one hundred new dances found their way in and out of our fashionable ballrooms". "The decade between 19", said one writer, "was the period in which America went dance mad". Whiteman's bands were hugely successful (there were several). He played 'arranger's jazz', meaning, the band played from charts rather than by ear. After the war the big bands of Paul Whiteman took centre stage. Both the music, and the many 'craze' dances contributed. Ragtime and jazz came to Europe, and were great sensations. Crowded dance floors in wartime left no room for it, and new musical imports arrived from America. The Boston, like much else, was finished off by the First World War. "The Boston, surely, was the first true example of the smooth flow and natural walking movement of this form". The Boston also was the first ballroom dance to be done with feet parallel (rather than turned out, as in ballet). The Boston seems to have been the first dance to move the feet in this way. It is a characteristic of the Foxtrot that in the basic steps, unlike the other dances, the feet slide past each other rather than coming together. Influences from America The Boston Īn American dance called the Boston arrived in England about 1903. The Foxtrot and Quickstep were greatly influenced by American music. All ballroom dance competitions controlled by the World Dance Council include the Foxtrot.Īll the standard ballroom dances had their origins abroad, but were adapted and modified by English dancers into their modern style. It is now one of the international standard ballroom dances. The Foxtrot, or Slow foxtrot, is an English ballroom dance which developed from American band music. For other uses, see Foxtrot (disambiguation).
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