Word of the Day
quickstep
Quickstep
English
English pronunciation/ˈkwɪkstɛp/British pronunciation/ˈkwɪkstɛp/
“The quickstep was invented when American jazz bands played the foxtrot too fast for the original choreography — the dancers had to invent a new dance to keep up.”
The foxtrot, introduced around 1914, was danced to moderately paced music. But by the early 1920s, American jazz bands were playing at tempos the foxtrot could not accommodate. The smooth, walking steps of the foxtrot became impossible at 200 beats per minute. Dancers adapted by adding hops, skips, and runs — borrowing from the Charleston and the one-step. The result was a faster, lighter dance that the English ballroom establishment eventually codified as the quickstep.
4 stops · from New York / Chicago, USA to Global