Harry Fox created The Foxtrot, as a way for women to be able to perform a more complicated ballroom dance. He believed that women had a harder time performing the two-step so he changed it by adding in two trots or stagger steps. The Foxtrot rhythm took on a slow-slow-quick-quick after. The dance was first brought to the public eye in 1914; Vernon and Irene Castle quickly took the dance to another level of style and grace. This was followed by Authur Murray who took it a step closer to the American Tango than the ragtime it started out as. The music for the Foxtrot is Big Band music that you hear with the swing.

Why is learning the Foxtrot important? When you learn the Foxtrot you are learning American History itself. You learn how we have evolved from a more conservative people to a more carefree and exciting people. You will see how some of the greatest dancers and minds mentioned earlier have helped to shape an entire county.

What do you get from it? You get many benefits from the Foxtrot, as you would learn any other Dance or exercise. What sets the Foxtrot apart is the American History involved. I have included below some examples of what benefits you get.

Social benefits, the Foxtrot demands it be danced with two people, it demands it be a woman and a man. By these two things alone the social benefits run from being around other people, spending more time with special someone, or maybe even meeting someone new. You learn how to be gracious and forthcoming in any situation.

The Health benefits from learning the Foxtrot include the exercise you get from dancing, but also the cardiovascular workout is amazing. You burn calories, and lower your blood sugar level. You develop strong bones, if you have limited movement sue to surgery or illness, dancing can get around that without hurting you more.

The Confidence you get from learning the dance will not only be evident to you but everyone around you as well. Your overall outlook on life will improve causing even your home and work life to seem brighter. Knowing that you learned something as complicated as Dancing and doing it well will also show you that you can accomplish any task you set before you.

Learning a new skill, is always beneficial as it causes the most important part of your body to increase, you brain. Some people may not realize the importance of putting new thoughts and memories in your head. However if you ever look at an Alzheimer patient you see the loss and devastation not having full function or control of your brain can cause. I firmly believer that doing anything that uses your brain for more than basic motor skills has to be a very good thing.

Exercise benefits, doing any form of exercise is always a good thing. Exercising increases your day to day life. Dancing has been proven to be a very heart conscious exercise, it is also good for those of us with limited mobility or cannot take too much more damage to our knees, back, and hips. With dancing you control the pace by changing the tempo of the music, not it controlling you. For us diabetics out there is lowers or blood sugar, and if you have a heart condition like I do, then you will find it helps the heart keep the blood flowing easier without causing a stroke.

Meeting new people is always a very good thing, you body needs and craves the touch of another human. One of the reasons why pets are so important is that it is another form of contact. Even newborn babies know the importance of touch; it has been said that human are a touchy feely bunch and you known they are right, we are.

Entertainment and fun, when it comes to having something fun to do you may find that you really don’t want to watch that movie on TV, or the idea of going out to a crowded restaurant isn’t what you are looking for either. Well then maybe you need a change of pace, do something new. If so then maybe you should look into dancing. Dancing the Foxtrot itself is an experience all on its own.

Non-verbal communication: Now I know you are thinking I can smile or frown and let someone know what I am thinking, but just imagine the expressions your body already says.