Spotlight BallroomMidtown Stomp

Entrance on Boatman Ave · Directions916-649-3269

SMOOTH AND STANDARD · SPOTLIGHT BALLROOM

Foxtrot Lessons in Sacramento

Smooth walking steps in one long, flowing line around the floor

Foxtrot classes in West Sacramento: Level 4 Foxtrot, Sundays at 11:30 am. Levels on the schedule: beginner, intermediate, advanced. Private Foxtrot lessons with an instructor are available too.

  • 4/4 time
  • 112–120 beats a minute
  • travels around the room
See upcoming Foxtrot classesFeel the count
Couple in a smooth ballroom hold at Spotlight Ballroom, the woman in a turquoise gown with arms extended.
Foxtrot is a progressive dance with long, continuous movement around the floor.[2]

About Foxtrot

Dance Vision describes foxtrot as bright and upbeat, with a jazzy energy and easy, smooth transitions: think of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.[3] It flows across the floor in a wave-like motion, with rise and fall through the body.[6]

The basic is built from walks: slower walking steps forward or back, then quicker side steps that close the feet, which makes it one of the easier patterns for newer dancers.[3]

How Dance Vision describes Foxtrot, summarised in our own words. Dance Vision’s own articles: How to Dance Foxtrot · The 19 Different Types of Ballroom Dance

Feel the count

Foxtrot is counted in slows and quicks: a slow takes two counts and a quick takes one. International and American Continuity run slow, quick, quick in each measure; American Social runs slow, slow, quick, quick.[2][3]

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Time signature 4/4. WDSF competition tempo, Standard (2018 rules): 28–30 bars a minute (about 112–120 beats a minute)[4]. The slider runs from a slow practice speed (60% of the low end of that range, a way to learn a new pattern, not a rule) up to the fastest. The click sounds only after you press play.

  • The WDSF Smooth table gives 30–32 bars a minute (about 120–128 beats).[4]
  • NDCA lists 28 bars a minute (112 beats) for International foxtrot and 30 (120 beats) for American Smooth.[1]

Upcoming Foxtrot classes

From the studio schedule, in Pacific time. Confirm a class with the studio before you come.

Open these in the calendar

Also covered in

General classes that include Foxtrot among their dances. Each week can cover a different dance, so ask the studio which week is Foxtrot.

Songs to practice to

  • Witchcraft Frank Sinatra[5]
  • Nice ’n Easy Michael Bublé[5]
  • Dream a Little Dream of Me Des O’Connor[5]
  • Always Bobby Darin[5]

Titles only, taken from dance-music lists that teachers and DJs have matched to this dance. Use the slider above to hear the tempo first.

Where it comes from

Foxtrot arrived around 1914 and has been popular in Europe and America since. It is said to be named after the comedian Harry Fox, whose 1913 Ziegfeld Follies act included a trotting step, and the music grew from ragtime.[7]

Vernon and Irene Castle polished the dance after its 1914 premiere. The origin of the name is uncertain.[2]

Over time it split into a slow and a quick version, known today as foxtrot and quickstep.[2]

Where it appears: International Standard (Slow Foxtrot) · American Smooth (Social and Continuity)[1][2]

Where people dance it

American Social foxtrot is the only foxtrot style allowed at beginner level in American Style competition, and it suits crowded social floors. International foxtrot is one of the five Standard dances.[2]

NDCA lists foxtrot under both International Ballroom and American Smooth.[1]

International and American versions

International style requires body contact throughout and uses tight turns and many heel turns, which gives it a reputation as one of the hardest ballroom dances.[2]

American style comes in two forms: Continuity passes the feet at the end of figures, while Social tends to close the feet at the end of most figures.[2]

American Smooth foxtrot is danced to slightly faster timing than the International one, which gives it a more upbeat feel.[3]

Sources for this page (9)
  1. NDCA Rules & Regulations, January 2025 edition, section IX 'Dances and Tempi', B. Approved Tempi (International Style Ballroom and American Style Smooth) Read 2026-09-23.
  2. Foxtrot - Wikipedia (background only) Read 2026-09-23.
  3. How to Dance Foxtrot - Dance Vision Read 2026-09-23.
  4. WDSF Competition Rules (status: June 17, 2018 WDSF AGM, updated 01.09.2018), Rule E.3.2 tempi table and Rule M.1 Smooth Dance table Read 2026-09-23.
  5. Slow Foxtrot - The music of Dancesport (George Pytlik, DanceSportMusic archive) Read 2026-09-23.
  6. The 19 Different Types of Ballroom Dance - Dance Vision (DVIDA syllabus publisher) Read 2026-09-23.
  7. Fox-trot | Ballroom, Social & Smooth | Britannica Read 2026-09-23.
  8. DVIDA Directory | Dance Vision Read 2026-09-23.
  9. Dance Vision home page Read 2026-09-23.

Everything on this page is paraphrased from these sources, each read on September 23, 2026; nothing is copied.