The Quickstep dance has nothing to do with laminate flooring! In fact, it is a glamorous, smooth, effervescent ballroom dance that evolved from fast-paced ragtime era jazz, the Foxtrot, and the Charleston in the 1920's in England. The Quickstep dance is a very exciting, energetic, and fun dance to learn. The Quickstep dance travels counterclockwise around the dance floor in a very light, dynamic fashion with a lot of movement. From time to time there can be very bouncy moves included in the Quickstep dance. You can see the Quickstep dance demonstrated in the Quickstep video on this page.
Music for this dance is usually written in 4/4 time with the basic steps counted Slow-Quick-Quick-Slow (SQQS). There is a "rise and fall" in the Quickstep dance, very similar to the Waltz. There is also a swing movement (as in the Waltz, Foxtrot and Viennese Waltz), which is a way of moving the body from foot to foot created through the hips and is danced at a very fast pace in the Quickstep. Advanced Quickstep dance steps include hops, runs, small front and back kicks, side to side kicks, and slide steps that are all danced at a very fast momentum. The speed of the Quickstep dance has increased over the years and today, advanced dancers perform extremely fast patterns in the Quickstep dance. This is an International Style Standard ballroom dance which is danced in competition in a closed dance hold throughout the dance. The American Style competition dance program does not include the Quickstep. Again, you can see the Quickstep dance demonstrated in the Quickstep video on this page.