Foxtrot


Foxtrot, dance born in the twenties was named so after an American performer Harry Fox. Initially it was danced at 48 bars per minute tempo. The tempo issue led to the breakaway of Quickstep at about 50 to 52 bars per minute and the continued slowing down of pure Foxtrot to 32 bars per minute by the end of the twenties. At the end of World War I the slow-foxtrot consisted of: walks, three-steps, a slow walk and a sort of a spinturn. At the end of 1918 the wave arose, then known as the "jazz-roll". The American Morgan introduced a sort of open spinturn, the "Morgan-turn", in 1919. In 1920 Mr. G.K. Anderson introduced the feather step and the change of direction, figures you can not imagine today's foxtrot without. Thirties had become the golden age for this dance. That is when Foxtrot tunes became the standards of its tempo.

The great fascination of Foxtrot is the amazing variety of interpretations there can be of what is basically such a simple dance. From swingers to trotters, from smoothies to ripples, from the military to the delicate steppers and more.

Syllabus:

Bronze

  • Basic Weave
  • Change of direction
  • Closed impetus
  • Feather step
  • Natural turn
  • Natural weave (IDTA: silver)
  • Reverse turn and feather finish
  • Three step

Silver

  • Closed telemark
  • Hover cross (IDTA: gold)
  • Hover feather
  • Hover telemark
  • Natural telemark
  • Open impetus
  • Open telemark and feather ending
  • Open telemark, natural turn, outside swivel and feather ending
  • Quick natural weave (IDTA)
  • Quick open reverse (IDTA)
  • Reverse pivot (IDTA)
  • Reverse wave (IDTA: bronze)
  • Top spin
  • Weave from PP

Gold

  • Back feather
  • Bounce fallaway with weave ending (ISTD)
  • Curved feather
  • Curved three step (IDTA)
  • Extended reverse wave (IDTA)
  • Fallaway reverse, slip pivot
  • Natural hover telemark
  • Natural twist turn (IDTA: silver)
  • Natural zig zag from PP


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