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The Quickstep developed in the 1920s from a combination of the Foxtrot, Charleston, Shag, Peabody, and One Step. This dance is English in origin and was standardized in 1927. The Quickstep now is quite separate from the Foxtrot. Unlike the modern Foxtrot, the man often closes his feet, and syncopated steps are regular occurrences as was the case in early Foxtrot. In some ways, the dance patterns are close to the Waltz, but are danced to 4/4 time rather than 3/4 time.
The tempo of Quickstep dance is rather brisk as it was developed to ragtime era jazz music which is very fast paced compared to other dance music.
By the end of the 20th century the speed of Quickstep as done by advanced dancers has increased even more, due to the extensive use of steps with eighth note durations. While in older times quickstep patterns were counted with "quick" (one beat) and "slow" (two beats) steps, many advanced patterns today are cued with split beats, such as "quick-and-quick-and-quick-quick-slow".
Step1
Start in the South East corner of the floor with the man facing northeast and the girl facing southwest. The couple should begin dancing towards the east wall in a 45 degree angle.
Step2
Take a slow step with the right foot forward and begin to turn right at the same time if you are the male partner. Time you and your partner to the slow-quick-quick pace through out the dance.
Step3
Move the left foot to the side with a quarter turn to the right. The turn should be done to the tempo of your step to make it a natural turn.
Step4
Close the right foot to the left foot and make a quick 1/8th of a turn. Begin to turn right again while putting the left foot back.
Step5
Pull the heel while sliding the right foot and making a 3/8th turn to the right. You and your partner should again be at the slow part of the slow-quick-quick pace.
Step6
Put your left foot forward and you should be facing the wall diagonal from where you started. Repeat the steps again all in the tempo of the slow-quick-quick pace of the quickstep.
