Quickstep

The Quickstep is the fastest and liveliest of the International Standard dances: a light, bright 4/4 dance full of chasses, locks, runs and hops that sweep around the floor. It is danced in International Standard only; there is no American Smooth Quickstep.

At a glance

Styles

International Standard

Time signature

4/4

Tempo

50–52 bars per minute (200–208 beats) · WDSF rules 50 bars per minute (200 beats) · NDCA rulebook WDSF publishes a range for each International dance. The NDCA publishes one figure for each dance it lists and lets the music director move it by one bar a minute (two for Nightclub dances). Where neither publishes a tempo, the range is typical, not a rule.

Hold

Closed hold

Competition levels

Bronze, Silver and Gold syllabus, then Open and Championship, for amateur, professional and Pro/Am couples

Origin

England 1920s

The Quickstep grew up in England in the 1920s. At the time the foxtrot was played at many speeds, and dancers wanted a clear difference between a slow, smooth version and a fast one. The slower form became the Slow Foxtrot, and the quick-time foxtrot developed into the Quickstep.

It is commonly said that the Charleston, popular in the mid-1920s, left its mark on the new dance, along with other fast American dances of the jazz age such as the one-step and the Peabody. Accounts differ on how much each contributed, but the kicks, hops and syncopated runs of the modern dance show that lively heritage.

English teachers standardized the Quickstep in the late 1920s, and it took its place among the four dances whose technique the ISTD Ballroom Branch, formed in 1924, set down first. Since then it has become steadily faster and more athletic, especially at the top levels. See the history of DanceSport for the wider story.

Quickstep looks joyful and effortless: couples skim across the floor with light, bouncy footwork, fast chasses and lock steps, then glide into smoother turns. Even at speed the dancers keep a steady frame and soft rise and fall.

The rhythm mixes slows (two beats) and quicks (one beat), and advanced choreography splits beats further for hops, runs and skips. The challenge is to stay light and relaxed while the feet move fast.

Basic count

slow, quick, quick, slow

Time signature

4/4

Tempo

50–52 bars per minute (200–208 beats) · WDSF rules 50 bars per minute (200 beats) · NDCA rulebook

Hold

Closed hold

The Quickstep is danced in closed hold throughout and travels quickly along the line of dance. Basic figures such as the Quarter Turn to Right, Progressive Chasse and Forward Lock are built on chasse and lock actions, mixed with smooth turns borrowed from the Foxtrot like the Natural Turn and Natural Spin Turn.

WDSF rules set the tempo at 50–52 bars per minute, the fastest of the Standard dances except the Viennese Waltz. Judges look for lightness, speed with control, clean footwork in the fast actions and a clear contrast between the gliding and the bouncy parts of the dance.

Basic figures

• Quarter Turn to Right
• Progressive Chasse
• Natural Turn
• Natural Pivot Turn
• Natural Spin Turn
• Chasse Reverse Turn
• Forward Lock
• Closed Impetus
• Back Lock
• Running Finish

Figure names are given as the syllabi write them, in English.

The Quickstep is the fifth and final dance of an International Standard event. It is danced by amateurs, professionals and in Pro/Am. American Smooth has no Quickstep. See the federations guide for who runs these events.

Bronze couples start with chasses, locks and simple turns, and Silver and Gold add hops, runs and syncopated figures. The levels and categories guide explains the progression.

The Quickstep is less common at casual socials than the Waltz or Foxtrot because it needs space and some training, but it is a favorite at ballroom-club evenings in Europe, Asia and Australia, and at studio parties where International Standard is taught.

1. Stay up on the balls of your feet for the chasses and locks, but do not tense up; lightness comes from relaxation.

2. Keep your knees soft so you can absorb the speed and stay smooth.

3. Learn the Quarter Turn to Right and Progressive Chasse first; much of the Bronze syllabus links through them.

4. Practice the basic figures slowly before you try them at full tempo.

5. Keep a firm, steady frame so your partner can follow quick changes of direction.

Quickstep music is fast, bright 4/4 with a bouncy feel. Typical choices are up-tempo big band swing, jazz, show tunes and lively pop arranged at a brisk swing tempo.

• Foxtrot

  Foxtrot explained: its 1914 New York origins, Slow Foxtrot in International Standard and Foxtrot in American Smooth, tempos, basic figures and differences.

• Waltz

  Waltz explained: where it came from, its tempo in International Standard and American Smooth, the basic figures, and how the two styles differ.

• Viennese Waltz

  Viennese Waltz explained: its Vienna origins, tempo in International Standard and American Smooth, the basic turns, and how it differs from the slow Waltz.

• Jive

  Ballroom Jive explained: its swing roots, the WDSF tempo of 42–44 bars per minute, the basic rock and chasses, and how it compares with East Coast Swing.

1. WDSF Competition Rules 2026, Rule E.3 Music (tempo table)
2. NDCA Rule Book, July 2026, Section IX.B Approved Tempi
3. ISTD: History of Modern Ballroom
4. ISTD: Modern Ballroom Professional Modular Examinations Syllabus Outline (2018)
5. Wikipedia: Quickstep

What this page was written from. DanceFlow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sanctioned by any of these organizations.

Last checked against its sources on November 3, 2026.

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