Everybody's Dancin'

Everybody’s Dancin’

By ARTHUR MURRAY

Famous International Teacher of the Dance

LESSON 2 — The Magic Step

THE FOX TROT is undoubtedly America’s most popular dance. It is distinguished by its slow, even tempo. If you can tap with your foot steadily to the music at a rate of about one tap per second—or even slightly less than a second—with no heavily accented beats, you can be pretty sure you are listening to a Fox Trot. Ninety percent of all popular songs are written to Fox Trot rhythm.

The two basic steps of the Fox Trot are:
1. The Walking Step – forward and backward.
2. The Chasse – or side step.

The line of direction on all dance floors is counter clockwise—you go around the room in the direction opposite to that which the hands of a clock take in traveling around the face.

Dance alone at first and study the charts accompanying each lesson. Don’t worry about the mistaken idea that it is impossible to learn to dance without a partner. By practicing alone at first, you will develop a surer sense of poise and balance than you would ever acquire by being draped on a partner.

BUT NOW, on to the Magic Step. We call it that because it can be done in 27 different ways. Before discovery of the Magic Step, all variations of the Fox Trot had to be learned separately. But with this step, you really learn a pattern. The pattern is based on two slow and two quick steps and it quickly becomes as automatic as walking.

Note in Mirror staff artist Lou Hanlon’s drawing that the first two steps are done slowly, and the last two steps quickly.

Study the four instructions: 1. Slow walking step forward with left foot; 2. Slow walking step forward, right foot; 3. Quick chasse—or side step—to left; 4. Draw right foot up to left quickly, weight on right.

Practice this for 30 minutes, singing as you dance. It is a simple step which any child can do, and perform in hundreds of variations.

The girl’s part is the reverse of the man’s.

Long backward steps make following easy, insure safety for dancing feet and enhance a girl’s appearance. She starts walking back with the right foot, then with the left, steps to the right side and draws the left foot up to the right, weight on the left foot.

After practicing for about 15 minutes, try getting a little swing in the step by swaying your body slightly in the direction of the side step on the third count.

[Next Month: Posture in dancing and proper way to hold a partner, plus more dance hints and illustrations.]

SAVE EACH LESSON AND MAKE A FOLIO OF THEM FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.