Dance Skating - The Rocker Foxtrot

The next dance I will be covering is the Rocker Foxtrot.  Trivia: this dance was first performed in 1934.  This is one of my favorite dances to watch, when well skated.  It can look so smooth and elegant.  This year it is being skated in the Junior World Class Solo event.  It was skated last year in the Junior World Class team event.  Like many of the other dances I have covered, there exist and American and an International version, and the International version is also skated on ice.

This dance gets its name from the one foot rocker turn that the lady does near the beginning of the dance.  It is a major judging point that she is on an outer edge before and after the turn.  Other than that step, the American and International versions look very different, although the influence from the original International style is apparent in the American steps.  The American version is skated at a 92 bpm foxtrot tempo, while the International version is skated at 104 bpm.  In addition, the American style is a border dance, and thus the steps change location on the floor, whereas the International style is a set pattern and thus the same step repeats at the same location on the floor.




First, the International style in team.  Although this video is old, and the music has since changed, and there is now only one team on the floor being judged at a time, the skating in this video is fabulous:

This ice skating video is also old, but again the quality of the skating shines through:

This year, however, this dance is being used in the solo event.  As is often the case, the woman's steps are being used:

Here is an example of the American style Rocker Foxtrot:

Sadly, this dance is no longer used in the American style.  It was last performed in the Classic Team division at the 2009 National Championships in Peoria, IL.  It is also no longer included in the American team or solo dance tests, so it is no longer skated, which is sad because it really is a fun dance to skate.

The International style is still used in the #10 gold International Solo and Team dance tests.

And, for fun - see if you can spot the Rocker Foxtrot in this performance by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir:

So there it is - the Rocker Foxtrot.  Lovely dance to watch, and fun to skate with a partner.  I do seem to have a thing for Foxtrots.  But then, I suppose we all want to feel like Ginger Rodgers every once in a while.  Perhaps some of us more than others.  In any case, up next - the final dance to cover before nationals - the Flirtation Waltz!