Foxtrot is a pair dance, which is part of the classic ballroom. He is considered young, as he appeared only in the first half of the 20th century. It is characterized by smooth movements, grace and playfulness, and most importantly - soft “fox” steps. Also note that foxtrot is a dance that has developed in two directions, including a fast pace of execution and a slow one. Therefore, now we will consider the history of this dance, its features and varieties in detail.
How did Fox's trot come about?
Traditionally, the name of this dance is associated with Harry Fox - a famous participant in various contests and vaudeville of the early 20th century. Then in New York, he performed at one of the dance floors with his troupe, and they performed ragtime. Judges and spectators drew attention to the unusually soft steps of the dancers, which were comparable to trot movements. So they attributed to this new movement the name of the main choreographer, which soon grew into the name of a separate dance. It is necessary to emphasize that in the view of the people of those years, the foxtrot is an energetic, vibrant and impressive show. It consisted not only of trot steps, but also of jumps, swinging legs, sharp transitions and changes in poses. After the First World War, his choreography has changed significantly. The steps became sliding, the movements were smoother, like the transitions, and the pace slowed down.
What is a foxtrot today?
If we draw an analogy with the rest, so to speak, “orthodox” ballroom dances, then the foxtrot is something free, without any specific rules and accuracy. Firstly, in this dance for the first time it began to use the direct position of the feet, instead of the eversion, which greatly simplified the work of the performers. Secondly, slow steps here alternate with fast ones, which makes its rhythm unique. Against the background of such a variety, minor errors and errors of the dancers remain invisible. Foxtrot is a dance that is performed in a 4/4 rhythm, and its pace depends on the type (see below). The sequence of steps is as follows: slowly, slowly, quickly, quickly, slowly.
Types of foxtrot
As we have already said, this dance in the classical version is divided into two types - slow and fast. Among the people there is a third type - "social". He is devoid of all choreographic wisdom and is based only on the rhythm, steps and improvisation of the performers. In all cases, the dance is accompanied by the following techniques:
- 1st connection. Step-feather, then left turn, triple step, then right turn follows, again step-feather and after 1-4 left wave weave.
- 2nd connection. Turn along the side of the hall (impetus), after a feather-finish, completed by DC, then a telemark open with feather-ending, 1-6 left wave, again impetus and feather-finish.
A slow dance
The king and one of the main “pillars” of the classical program is considered to be a slow foxtrot. Ballroom dancing previously had many differences with this new trend, because it was slightly modified, which allowed the inclusion of the new “Sloufox” in the classical program. The main characteristics are grace, lightness, smoothness, plastic and grace. When dancers perform slowfox, it feels like they are floating above the floor. It is important to carry out the inclination of the body, in particular to the sides, and maintain balance. It is believed that it is the slowest foxtrot that is most difficult to learn to dance , since at a smooth pace, all errors are more striking, and it is more difficult to maintain balance. Size - 4/4, tempo - from 28 to 30 beats per minute.
Fast foxtrot
This type of dance was known to everyone as Quickstep. Its development was greatly influenced by the rhythms of jazz, as well as the world-famous Charleston dance. For the execution of quickstep requires excellent technique and one hundred percent balance. Here the very “fox” steps were preserved, as in the original version of the dance, which alternate with jumping and swinging legs. Auxiliary movements - turns and progressive steps, chassis, turns and so on. Quickstep is performed in the same size - 4/4, but at the same time 50-52 measures are necessary for one minute. Thus, the number of strokes at the same minute is 200.
Folk Foxtrot
It is worth saying that this version of the dance is suitable for people who just like to relax and at the same time touch a little beautiful, but not go deep. In the variant "social" the rhythm and size, the sequence of steps, transitions and chassis were preserved. However, this type of choreography has lost its identity, since it does not show any progress. The fact is that foxtrot is a dance that requires a lot of space to disperse performers. Since the social option is performed in clubs, restaurants and other institutions not intended for ballroom dancing, there is no place there. Therefore, people simply left the basic elements of style, and everything else is already improvisation and a departure from the classics in order to make the dance easier and more accessible for everyone.