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Intermediate Foxtrot
by Tim Eum & Shirley Ray
The Foxtrot is one of the most popular of all the dance rhythms. It is
characterized by long, gliding, smooth steps that use ease of movement
and control to give the dance a lazy and unhurried appearance.
Roundalab has defined beginning foxtrot steps in Phase 3 of its
Standard Figures. This introduction to intermediate foxtrot will review
some of the Phase 3 foxtrot figures and the proper dance technique to
build on them for figures in the next phase, Phase 4.
One of the first foxtrot figures is "Forward and Run 2". It is three
steps: a forward (slow) step followed by two quick forward steps. This
normally starts in Closed Position (CP); the man steps forward with his
lead foot (left or L) while the lady steps back with her lead foot
(right or R). The couple continues in man's forward direction with two
quick steps (R, L for man and L, R for the lady).
All three steps may be done with a smooth, gliding action since they
all go the same direction. If the man uses the heel of his lead foot
when taking the first step and rolls onto the ball/toe of the foot by
the end of the first step, he can begin to get that gliding feeling.
The lady, on her first step, will reach back with the toe of her lead
foot and smoothly roll her weight fully onto it prior to taking her
second step. This figure may also be done with the trail foot going
forward first, instead of lead foot.
With heel/toe gliding styling and maintaining a good upper body dance
frame, the Phase 3 foxtrot Forward and Run 2 becomes the Phase 4
foxtrot "Three Step" figure. Another element of gliding styling is to
keep the knees "soft". Having "soft" knees which are relaxed and flex
easily from one step to the next enables a smooth roll from heel to toe
which gives the look of floating across the floor.
The Three Step can easily be converted to another figure called
"Feather". For a Feather, one starts the Three Step in closed position
(CP) and takes the first two steps in CP. The third step forward (back
for the lady) is taken outside partner to end in the banjo (BJO)
position.
The Waltz Box is a Phase 2 level waltz figure. For the Phase 3 foxtrot
“Box”, the steps are the same, but the timing is different, and there
is less rise and fall than in the waltz. The foxtrot Box is a
two-measure figure beginning in CP with the lead foot (left foot for
the man and right foot for the lady). Steps for the man are Forward, -
, Side, Close; Back, - , Side, Close. The lady’s steps are the opposite
with Back, - , Side, Close ; Forward, - , Side, Close. The rhythm is
Slow, - , Quick, Quick ; Slow, - , Quick, Quick. At the completion of
the Box figure, each dancer will end up at the starting position with
the lead foot free again.
The “Left Turning Box” figure includes two Box figures in succession.
The difference is that, with each half box, on the step that goes
Forward or Back, the dancers turn one quarter left face when taking
that Forward or Back step. Starting in CP facing Wall, the moves are
four half-boxes, each turning left one-quarter turn. The four moves are
as follows: Forward turning one quarter left face toward Line of Dance
(LOD), - , Side, Close ; Back turning one quarter left face so man
faces Center of Hall (COH), - , Side, Close ; Forward turning one
quarter left face toward Reverse Line of Dance (RLOD), - , Side, Close
; Back turning one quarter left face so that man faces Wall again , - ,
Side, Close. This figure, done in the Slow-Quick-Quick rhythm of
foxtrot, is a Phase 3 foxtrot figure.
With three changes, the Phase 3 Left Turning Box becomes a Phase 4
"Diamond Turn". The first change is a 3/8 turn on the first measure
(rather than ¼ turn). Thus, if the Diamond Turn begins with the man
facing LOD (Line of Dance), he finishes the measure facing DRC
(Diagonal Reverse and Center of Hall). Each of the following turns is a
1/4 turn, so the man ends the second measure facing DRW (Diagonal
Reverse and Wall); the third measure ends with the man facing DLW
(Diagonal Line of Dance and Wall); and the fourth ends with the man
facing DLC (Diagonal Line of Dance and Center). Dancing the diagonals
is what gives the Diamond Turn its name since the dancers move in a
diamond shape.
The second change is that the third step is not a closing step but is a
passing step instead. If one starts the measure with a slow Forward
(turning left) step, the second step is to the Side and the third step
is a Back step. If one starts the measure with a Back (turning left)
step, the second step is to the Side and the third step is Forward.
Thus, the Diamond Turn takes four measures as in the Left Turning Box,
but is done as follows for the man: Forward (turn left 3/8), - , Side,
Back; Back (turn left ¼), - , Side, Forward; Forward (turn left ¼), - ,
Side, Back; Back (turn left ¼), - , Side, Forward. The lady’s steps are
Back (turn left 3/8), - , Side, Forward; Forward (turn left ¼), - ,
Side, Back; Back (turn left ¼), - , Side, Forward; Forward (turn left
¼), - , Side, Back.
The third change is that each measure of the Diamond Turn ends in BJO
instead of CP. The Diamond Turn usually ends in BJO, and all quarter
turns begin and end outside partner.
Knowing the Diamond Turn makes it easy to learn "Reverse Turn". In
ballroom terminology, turning left face is a "Reverse Turn" while
turning right face is a "Natural Turn". Roundalab defines round dance
standard figures called "Reverse Turn" and "Natural Turn" at the Phase
4 level. For the man, a Reverse Turn is similar to half of a Diamond
Turn except that, at the end of the first measure, he leads the lady to
stay in CP and delays going to BJO until after the second (last)
measure of the Reverse Turn. The lady also does her steps like Half a
Diamond Turn except that, in the first measure, her second step is a
"Heel Turn”, and her third step is Forward into CP. Thus the man’s
steps for the Reverse Turn are Forward (turn LF), - , Side, Back (CP);
Back (turn LF), - , Side, Forward to BJO. The lady’s steps are Back
(turn LF), - , Side (heel turn), Forward (CP); Forward (turn LF), - ,
Side, Back to BJO. The Reverse Turn usually begins in CP with lead foot
free and ends in BJO with lead foot free, having turned over 1/2 left
face turn (perhaps as much as 3/4) over its two measures.
Phase 3 foxtrot includes the one-measure figure called "Maneuver". It
is three steps with standard foxtrot timing of Slow-Quick-Quick. It can
be done starting in Banjo or Closed Position with trail foot free
(man's right, lady's left). The first step of the Maneuver is for the
man to make a long forward step with trail foot around the lady (if
beginning in BJO), turning right face almost half around (lady steps
back with a short step with her left foot, turning right face), then
finishes with a quick Side and Close. The Maneuver can also be done
from Semi-Closed Position (SCP), where the man does the same steps as
when starting in BJO or CP, but the lady will begin by stepping forward
allowing the man to Maneuver to CP before both finish with a Side and
Close.
The "Natural Turn Half" begins with the same first step as in Maneuver.
The man's second step is still a little side but a little back as well.
The lady's second step is a "heel turn" which means she closes her
right foot to her left foot and turns on her heel right face. The third
and last step of the Natural Turn Half is for the man to step back and
the lady to step forward, ending in CP with lead foot free.
A full "Natural Turn" includes one additional measure after the Natural
Turn Half. Starting in CP (usually facing RLOD with lead foot free),
the man steps back, turning right face (keeping lady in CP in front of
him), - , Side finishing RF turn to face Diagonal Line of Dance and
Center of Hall (DLC), forward to DLC ending with trail foot free. The
lady, after the Natural Turn Half , steps Forward, turning right face,
Side, and Back in the second measure. The full Natural Turn is two
measures in length and is in CP throughout.
Happy dancing!
Tim
Eum has
prepared many Round Dance Tips for Calls 'n' Cues,
WASCA, for his weekly Rocket Rounds email reports, and for
other
publications. This article was prepared for the RAL Virtual Convention,
2021. DRDC is
grateful for permission to collect and reprint. A Tim Eum archive.
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