Quickstep is one of the most spectacular dances in ballroom — a high-energy, lightning-fast dance full of running steps, chassés, and sudden lock steps that makes audiences stop and stare. It is also one of the more challenging dances to learn, primarily because of its speed: Quickstep is danced at 50–52 bars per minute (200–208 beats per minute in 4/4 time), which is considerably faster than Foxtrot or Waltz. That said, the basic Quickstep patterns are approachable for dedicated beginners, and the dance is enormously fun once you get the feel for it.
This guide covers everything a beginner needs to know about Quickstep: where it came from, how it feels, the basic steps and timing, what music to practice with, and how long it takes to learn.
What Is Quickstep?
Quickstep is a smooth ballroom dance that developed in England in the 1920s, evolving from earlier dances like the Foxtrot and the Charleston. It was standardized as a competition dance by the 1930s and has been one of the five Standard ballroom dances ever since. The name captures the dance perfectly: it is quick, it has a step (or many of them), and the whole thing moves across the floor with effortless, joyful speed.
Quickstep is danced in a closed position around the line of dance (counterclockwise around the ballroom). The characteristic movements include running steps, chassés (where one foot closes to the other quickly between two steps), lock steps (where one foot crosses briefly behind the other), and hops. Despite the speed, skilled Quickstep dancers appear relaxed and buoyant — the dance has a light, playful quality even when covering tremendous ground.
The music for Quickstep is upbeat 4/4 time at 50–52 bars per minute. Big band swing, jazz, and many contemporary pop songs work beautifully. “In the Mood,” “Sing Sing Sing,” and classic Glenn Miller tracks are quintessential Quickstep music.
Quickstep Timing: Slow-Quick-Quick
Like Foxtrot, Quickstep uses a slow-quick-quick rhythm, but at a much faster tempo. The timing values are:
Slow = 2 beats
Quick = 1 beat
Quick = 1 beat
One slow-quick-quick pattern takes 4 beats of music (one full measure of 4/4 time). The Slows are full, deliberate steps with weight transfer. The Quicks are lighter, faster, and often involve the ball of the foot rather than the heel. The contrast between the sustained Slows and the crisp Quicks is the rhythmic engine of the dance.
Some Quickstep patterns use a quick-quick count only (two quick steps in a row, one beat each). The Quickstep chassé, for example, is counted as quick-and-quick or side-close-side in three rapid movements. Getting these rapid-fire patterns comfortable is the primary challenge for beginners.
The Basic Quickstep: Quarter Turns and Chassés
The foundational beginner pattern in Quickstep is the quarter turn with a chassé. It introduces the essential chassis movement and lets you feel the speed of the dance without attempting anything acrobatic. Here is the leader’s basic pattern:
Slow: Walk forward on the left foot (heel lead)
Quick: Step to the side with the right foot
Quick: Close the left foot to the right foot (chassé close)
Slow: Walk forward on the right foot (beginning the turn)
The quarter turn gradually rotates you 90 degrees across two sequences, allowing you to navigate corners on the dance floor. Combined with the forward chassé (where you travel forward rather than sideways), this gives you the basic vocabulary to move around a room in Quickstep.
The key technical point in the chassé: the “and” between the two Quicks is a preparation step, not a full weight transfer. Think of it as a quick collect — your feet come together, weight transfers momentarily, and you immediately continue into the next step. At Quickstep’s tempo, this happens very fast, which is why it requires drilling until it becomes automatic.
Posture and Movement Quality in Quickstep
Quickstep posture is similar to other Standard dances: upright, chest lifted, shoulders back and down, head erect. But the quality of movement in Quickstep has a specific characteristic that sets it apart: swing. Where Waltz has rise and fall and Foxtrot has a smooth, level glide, Quickstep has a flowing, swinging motion that propels you through space.
Beginners often make Quickstep feel stiff because they try to control each quick step individually. At the dance’s tempo, you cannot think your way through each step — the patterns need to be automatic so you can let the body swing through them. The running steps in Quickstep especially require you to trust the momentum and let the swing carry you forward.
The footwork in Quickstep varies by pattern. Walk steps use a heel lead. Chassé steps use ball-flat footwork. Some advanced patterns involve toe leads. Getting the footwork right is particularly important in Quickstep because incorrect footwork at high speed creates balance problems that cascade through the whole dance.
What Makes Quickstep Challenging?
Quickstep is considered one of the technically demanding Standard dances for several reasons:
Speed. At 200+ BPM, you have very little time to think. Patterns that feel fine at slow speed can fall apart at tempo. Beginners need to practice patterns slowly, then gradually build to full speed — and the jump from practice speed to competition speed can feel enormous.
Musicality. Quickstep music often has complex rhythms, syncopations, and accents. Advanced Quickstep dancers respond to these musical details in their movement, but beginners need to develop their basic timing before they can start listening that closely.
Navigation. Moving around a full ballroom floor at Quickstep’s speed, while avoiding other couples and maintaining correct line of dance, is a real skill. Social floor craft — the ability to shorten or lengthen patterns to accommodate the floor — takes time to develop.
Sustained energy. A competitive Quickstep round lasts about 90 seconds and covers hundreds of feet of floor. It is physically demanding in a way that Waltz and Foxtrot are not. Building the stamina for Quickstep is part of the training.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Quickstep?
Basic social Quickstep — where you can move around the floor with a few fundamental patterns — takes most beginners 8–15 private lessons. The added challenge compared to Waltz or Foxtrot is the tempo: getting the chassé and running steps comfortable at full Quickstep speed takes practice time.
Bronze level Quickstep, the beginner competition standard, takes most dancers 4–8 months of regular lessons. Silver level adds more complex patterns — the hover, the fishtail, the natural spin turn — and represents another 6–12 months of dedicated training beyond Bronze.
Many dance teachers recommend learning Waltz and Foxtrot before tackling Quickstep. The frame, footwork basics, and body movement quality you develop in those slower dances transfers directly to Quickstep and dramatically shortens the learning curve. If you try to learn Quickstep as your first ballroom dance, the speed makes everything harder than it needs to be.
Common Quickstep Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Rushing the Slows. At Quickstep’s tempo, the two-beat Slows feel like they disappear quickly. Beginners often cut them short, which throws off the entire rhythm. Exaggerate the hold on Slows in practice — be almost late to the next step — until the full 2-beat value becomes natural.
Losing the frame on fast patterns. Speed causes beginners to lean into the turn, drop their left arm, or collapse through the center. The frame must remain just as firm in Quickstep as in Waltz, even though the patterns move much faster. Keeping the frame engaged at tempo is a fundamental Quickstep skill.
Flat footwork on Quicks. Quick steps should be light and use the ball of the foot, not a flat-footed plod. Heavy, flat Quick steps slow you down and create a heavy, earthbound quality that is the opposite of what Quickstep should feel like. Light, springy Quicks on the ball of the foot keep the dance buoyant.
Trying to watch your feet. At 200 BPM, you cannot look down and also keep your timing. Head up, eyes forward, trust the patterns. Quickstep is one of the dances where drilling until the footwork is completely automatic is not optional — it is the only way to dance it at tempo.
Quickstep Music to Practice With
The best Quickstep practice music sits between 48–52 bars per minute. For beginners, start at the slower end (48 BPM) until the patterns feel comfortable, then work up to competition tempo. Some great tracks for beginners:
Big band classics: “In the Mood” (Glenn Miller), “Sing Sing Sing” (Benny Goodman), “Stompin’ at the Savoy” (Benny Goodman), “Jump, Jive an’ Wail” (Louis Prima)
Contemporary options: Many uptempo jazz and swing revival songs work well. Look for anything with a driving 4/4 swing feel and a tempo around 200 BPM. Avoid songs with unclear or syncopated beats when you are first starting — you need a clear, consistent pulse to count against.
Frequently Asked Questions About Quickstep
Is Quickstep good for beginners? Quickstep is manageable for beginners but is generally considered more challenging than Waltz or Foxtrot due to its speed. Most teachers recommend learning the slower dances first. That said, if you are drawn to Quickstep specifically, there is no reason you cannot learn it — just expect a slightly longer initial learning curve.
What is the difference between Quickstep and Foxtrot? Both use a slow-quick-quick rhythm, but Quickstep is much faster and includes distinctive chassé and running step patterns that Foxtrot does not. Foxtrot has a smoother, more level quality; Quickstep has more swing, more speed, and a lighter, bouncier feel.
Can Quickstep be danced socially? Yes, though it is less common in social dancing than Waltz or Foxtrot because it requires more floor space and speed. At events where a band plays swing or jazz, Quickstep is often the right dance. Many social dancers do a simplified version with just the basic chassé and quarter turn patterns.
Ready to Learn Quickstep?
Quickstep comes alive with a great instructor and a good practice partner. Find a ballroom dance studio near you on Ballroom Dance Directory to get started. Look for studios that teach the full Standard syllabus — Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep together — so you can build all three skills in parallel.