Slow Foxtrot
Smooth ballroom dance to jazz standards — 'slow-slow-quick-quick'. Originated in USA · 1914. Typically danced around 120-136 BPM (medium).
About Slow Foxtrot
- Ballroom (DanceSport)
- USA
- 1914
- 120-136 BPM (Medium)
- Partner
- Approachable
Long, gliding steps; slow-quick-quick or slow-slow-quick-quick timing; big-band or jazz music. Named after vaudeville actor Harry Fox.
What to expect: Long gliding steps interspersed with quicker ones. Forgiving and very social. Frank Sinatra music = perfect Foxtrot.
Lineage
Roots
Where to find Slow Foxtrot events
Going for the first time
Ballroom socials rotate through multiple dances each night — waltz, foxtrot, rumba, cha-cha, hustle, nightclub two-step. Many include a lesson up front. Studios often host their own socials; community events are friendlier to beginners than competition prep.
Ladies follow leads in line of dance; gentlemen lead. Modern socials are loosening these conventions, but the room culture still expects you to ask before joining a couple already on the floor.