Ballroom dancing: The Fox Trot

About the Fox Trot

The foxtrot is described as a dance with smooth, long flowing movements as the couple glides across the dance floor. There are many forms of the American version of the Foxtrot. One version is the Bronze Level Foxtrot, which combines walks and chasses, making it a perfect dance for social occasions. This Foxtrot is most like that of the Harry Fox version, which is considered the original Foxtrot. Another American version is the Silver American Foxtrot, which is more like the international version. The Gold Level Foxtrot is a version of the American Foxtrot that is very much like the dance styles of both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.

The Foxtrot is known for its versatility in that it can be danced to many different styles of music with different tempos. The music preference in competition for the Bronze Foxtrot is the 4/4 big band (vocal) at a tempo of 30 to 34 measures per minute; for Silver versions and above, it is danced to measures of 29 to 30 per minute.

The Foxtrot was danced to the vocalists of the 1940's and 50's such as Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and Bobby Darin. HISTORY A man by the name of Harry Fox was responsible for introducing the Foxtrot into society in 1913. It is considered the most popular and long lasting dance of the 20th century, albeit with a few changes along the way. The Foxtrot would be considered simple and unrefined compared with the standards today; however, the dance fit in quite well with the music of its time.

The Foxtrot was known for it overall versatility, as well as its rhythmic distinction. It is the first dance to introduce the "Slow" count. The dances before that time, such as the Waltz and the One-Step, had a single count rhythm. During the 1930's the Foxtrot moves became smoother and more flowing, which created quite a contrast to the Latin dances that were becoming popular during that time period.

The English adapted their own version of the Foxtrot and called it the Slow Foxtrot, which is actually the technical foundation for the Foxtrot we have today. The dance contains long, smooth, flowing movements that could not be danced well in nightclubs due to their crowded conditions. In order to dance this new version of the Foxtrot you would need a lot of space on the dance floor. Also the patterned movements took a great of to learn and perfect. However, the Americans later adopted this more sophisticated international version of the Foxtrot for its more advanced program of the dance. The American version does not restrict its program to closed position dancing, but rather it takes on a more dramatic approach than its international counterpart. The Foxtrot is still the basis for the movements, but the choreography is more like the style of Fred and Ginger or Gene Kelly; and it sometimes reverts to its inception, that of the Harry Fox style.
 

Links 1: Informational articles, Shopping resources, Site map

Links 2: Resources, Apparel, Shoes, Fashion, Dance shoes, Gears