The Foxtrot takes its name from its inventor, vaudeville actor Harry Fox. Originally danced to ragtime, it was the most popular social dance in the U.S. through the 1940's. The wonderful husband and wife duo, Irene and Vernon Castle, featured and popularized the dance in their routines. When rock and roll took over in the 1950's, record companies initially labeled the music as foxtrots, notably Bill Haley and the Comets singing "Rock Around the Clock." Like Swing, the Foxtrot rhythm is SSQQ (slow slow quick quick), but with different foot work. I'm teaching Foxtrot in my Tuesday night ballroom dance class, getting everyone ready to dance to the Albany Big Band at the Dance Palace on May 30.