The Dance Called the Foxtrot

Vaudeville actor Harry Fox originated the Foxtrot in the summer of 1914. Harry was a fellow who was out on his own at the age of fifteen. He joined a circus for a brief tour and he also played professional baseball for a short while.

A music publisher liked his voice and hired him to sing songs from the boxes of vaudeville theaters in San Francisco. But the San Francisco earthquake and the fire of 1906, put an end to Harry's career in that city and Harry Fox migrated east and finally stopped in New York.

The Fox-trot originated in the Jardin de Danse on the roof of the New York Theatre. As part of his act downstairs, Harry Fox was doing trotting steps to ragtime music, and people referred to his dance jokingly as "Fox's Trot." But the name caught on.

With the rise to fame of the Vernon Castles, exhibition dancers of outstanding talent and charm, there was no doubt that the Foxtrot was the most original and exciting of their various dances. They popularized the dance and the elite of the dancing world were soon trying to capture the unusual style of movement of the Foxtrot. When a very talented American, G.K. Anderson came over to London, and with Josephine Bradley won many competitions, he set the seal - so to speak - on the style of dance called the Foxtrot.

As a result of the great popularity which ballroom dancing was enjoying, it was necessary to evolve a form of dance that could express the slow syncopated 4/4 rhythm and yet could remain "on the spot", meaning dancers moved in a contained space on the dance floor. This did not mean that the "traveling" Foxtrot was dropped, but the "on the spot" dance did provide a means of enjoying the music in a setting which large numbers of people could afford and enjoy, and where various bands were all producing excellent and individual musicians, and experimenting with and perfecting all of the new sounds and beats from America.

The "on the spot" dancing was known appropriately as "crush", then "rhythm dancing". It is now called "social" dancing and possibly this conveys its purpose and limitations. It would be antisocial to attempt to stride around a ballroom crowded with dancers, to dance with only one partner when out with a group, or to be so engrossed with the performance of figures that any conversation is taboo. It can also create a very good base - should it be desired - for the Foxtrot.

The Foxtrot was the most significant development in all of ballroom dancing. The combination of quick and slow steps permits more flexibility and gives much greater dancing pleasure than the one-step and two-step which it has replaced. There is more variety in the Foxtrot than in any other dance, and in some ways it is the most challenging dance to learn! Variations of the Foxtrot include the Peabody, the Quickstep and Roseland Foxtrot. Even dances such as the Lindy and the Hustle are derived to some extent from the Foxtrot. Foxtrot is a wonderful way to experience your first dance with a partner at TC Dance Club.

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