History of the Quick Step Dance
The "Quick Step" dance, also known as the Quick-Step, or, more usually, the Quickstep, is a faster version of the Foxtrot with movements from a few other dance styles thrown in. However, the term "Quickstep" was originally used to describe something quite different: a "lively march." "Quickstep" referred to both the march itself and the music used to accompany it.
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Origins
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The Quick Step, also known as the Quick March, was originally a fast and lively march from the 19th century. It became popular around 1850, when it was often used in military contexts, to celebrate presidents, exhibitions and regiments. The "quick step march" appears in music records as early as the 1750s, when "Quick Step 17th Regiment" and "Quick Step 33rd Regiment" were both recorded as popular tunes for fiddlers. The metre is duple (2/4) or quadruple (4/4), and there are roughly 108 (marching) steps per minute.
Development
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The Quick Step we know today began life in the 1920s as a "fast Foxtrot," which came about when it became the fashion for bands to play too quickly for the large open leg movements which the Foxtrot requires. The dance soon began to incorporate elements of the Charleston, another jazz dance of the period, and was known as the "Quick-Time Foxtrot," or simply the Quick Step. There is some doubt as to when the dance was first performed, but it is certain that there was a performance at the Star Dance Championships in England in 1927, when the dance was standardized.
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Features
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With a quadruple metre, the Quick Step is danced at roughly 200 beats per minute. It is essentially a fast Foxtrot in form, but it incorporates elements of the Charleston, the Black Bottom, the Peabody and the Shimmy. It involves wild, swinging arms, hops, skips and side kicks, as well as the runs, chasses (a form of side-step) and turns of the original Foxtrot. Despite the speed of the dance, the Quick Step should appear smooth and sophisticated.
Reputation
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The dance originally had something of a wild reputation. The more sedate ballrooms of the 1920s banned it completely, whilst others put up signs reading PCQ: "Please Charleston Quietly." It was popularized in Europe by the performances of Josephine Baker, the first black dancer to star in the Folies Bergère (a Parisian music hall), who became notorious for dancing with only colored feathers around her hips.
The Quick Step Today
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The Quick Step is now one of the five main ballroom dances. The form of Quick Step danced at an advanced level today usually involves syncopation, where steps are taken on the half-beats, producing an unexpected rhythm. However, it is still very similar to the Quick Step of the 1920s. The Quick Step is still immensely popular; while it is no longer considered "wild," the speed of the dancing makes it an excellent way to keep fit, and the mixture of dance styles makes it perfect for ballroom dancers from any background--or for beginners simply looking to learn a fun and energetic dance.
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References
- Photo Credit latin dance image by TEA from Fotolia.com
