Foxtrot - Definition and Overview

Foxtrot is a ballroom dance which takes its name from its inventor, vaudeville actor Harry Fox. According to legend, Fox was unable to find female dancers capable of performing the more difficult two step. As a result, he added stagger steps (two trots), creating the basic foxtrot rhythm, slow-slow-quick-quick. The dance debuted in 1914, quickly catching the eye of the talented husband and wife duo of Vernon and Irene Castle, who lent the dance its signature grace and style. It was later standardized by Arthur Murray, where it began to imitate the positions of American Tango.

At its inception, the Foxtrot was originally danced to ragtime. Today, the dance is customarily accompanied by the same big band music to which swing is also danced.

Over the time, Foxtrot split into slow (Foxtrot) and quick (Quickstep) versions.

In the context of International Standard category of ballroom dances, for some time Foxtrot was called Slow Foxtrot, or Slowfox. These names are still in use, to distinguish from other types of Foxtrot.