What is foxtrot?
Foxtrot is the smooth, gliding ballroom dance of swing-era standards. Social foxtrot uses slow-slow-quick-quick timing; the International Slow Foxtrot is famously difficult, with long continuous movement, the feather step and the three step. American Smooth foxtrot adds open positions and underarm turns.
History
The dance is named after vaudeville performer Harry Fox, who introduced a trotting step in 1914. Vernon and Irene Castle popularized it, and English teachers refined it into the slow foxtrot during the 1920s, while a faster form evolved into the quickstep.
Basic technique
- Slow-slow-quick-quick (social) or slow-quick-quick (International)
- Feather step, three step and reverse wave
- Heel leads on forward walks and continuous flow
Music & tempo
Big-band and crooner standards — Sinatra, Bublé, Nat King Cole — at 28–30 bars per minute (about 112–120 BPM) for competition; social foxtrot up to about 136 BPM.
Songs for foxtrot
| Song | Artist | BPM | Key | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Concentrate on You | Sophie Milman | 112 | A# major | 2009 |
| How Insensitive | Olivia Newton‐John | 112 | C minor | 2004 |
| Gee Baby, Aint I Good to You | The Oscar Peterson Trio | 112 | D# major | 1965 |
| Cryin’ Mood | Chick Webb and His Orchestra | 112 | C major | 1992 |
| What Will Tomorrow Bring | Abbey Lincoln | 112 | F major | 2004 |
| Until I Met You | Diane Schuur | 112 | A# major | 1990 |
| Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea | The Ranch Girls & The Ragtime Wranglers | 112 | G major | 2001 |
| Dein ist mein ganzes Herz | Palast Orchester mit seinem Sänger Max Raabe | 112 | C major | 2000 |
| Baby You’re Always on My Mind | Buddy Johnson and His Orchestra | 112 | F major | 2007 |
| Halloween Spooks | Lambert, Hendricks & Ross | 113 | C# major | 1962 |
BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.
All 872 foxtrot songs by BPM →
What to wear
Smooth-soled ballroom shoes.
How to get started
Social foxtrot is one of the first dances taught in ballroom studios and fits most wedding first-dance songs in 4/4.
We list 2 studios that teach foxtrot, or browse all dance studios by state.
Foxtrot in historic images
Openly licensed images via Europeana; rights statements on each item page.
Key partner-dance terms
Recent research
- Effectiveness of dance interventions for falls prevention in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. — Age and ageing, 2024
- Dance Is a Healing Art. — Current treatment options in allergy, 2023
- Effect of Ballroom Dancing on the Physical, Psychological, and Mental Well-Being of Oncological Patients: A Pilot Study. — International journal of environmental research and public health, 2025
- "I Hear the Music and My Spirits Lift!" Pleasure and Ballroom Dancing for Community-Dwelling Older Adults. — Journal of aging and physical activity, 2023
- Body Posture and Low Back Pain: Differences between Folk and Ballroom Dancers. — Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2024
Encyclopedia summary
The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a 44 time signature instead of 34. Developed in the 1910s, the foxtrot reached its height of popularity in the 1930s and remains practiced today.
Frequently asked questions
What songs can you foxtrot to?
Most medium-tempo songs in 4/4 between roughly 110 and 135 BPM — think Fly Me to the Moon, The Way You Look Tonight or Michael Bublé's covers.
What BPM is Foxtrot?
Foxtrot is usually danced to music between 112 and 128 beats per minute (28–32 bars per minute in competition). Browse 872 songs that fit on our Foxtrot music page.
How many calories does foxtrot burn?
About 441 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 6 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned foxtrot for every body weight.
Related styles
Quickstep
England (from the fast foxtrot and the Charleston)
Ballroom & DanceSportWaltz
Austria and southern Germany (from the Ländler)
Swing & Vintage Jazz DanceEast Coast Swing
United States (simplified from Lindy Hop by dance studios)
Ballroom & DanceSportViennese Waltz
Vienna, Austria
Ballroom & DanceSportBallroom Tango
England and the United States, adapted from Argentine tango
Ballroom & DanceSportCha-Cha
Cuba (cha-cha-chá music by Enrique Jorrín)
Ballroom & DanceSportRumba
Cuba (son and bolero-son); ballroom versions in the US and England
Ballroom & DanceSportSamba
Brazil
Last reviewed October 2026 · Editorial policy