Peabody (dance)
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The Peabody is an American ballroom dance that evolved from the fast foxtrot of the ragtime era of the 1910s and 1920s.[1]
Soon after the introduction of the foxtrot in 1914, two variations developed: a slow version done at about forty measures per minute and a fast version done at more than fifty measures per minute. In England, the fast foxtrot was called the quickstep; in America it was called the Peabody, named after a New York policeman, Lieutenant William Frank Peabody (1873-1939). He was a good-natured man, husband, father, who was light on his feet and who loved to dance. A popular member of New York ragtime dancing circles, he especially enjoyed dancing the fast foxtrot, which was gaining popularity in 1915. Because he was married, Officer Peabody would hold his partner on his right side in a manner known as the English or the right-outside position. The dance that came to be called the Peabody was thus based on an unusual dance position for the partners, which led to some unique steps and floor patterns. The dance of the International School known as the Quickstep evolved from the Peabody -- according to oral legend, dancers from England saw it while visiting the United States, in attempting to reconstruct it, composed new elements to fill in for what they didn't remember. Thus, the Peabody and the Quickstep bear little resemblance to each other, although some of the steps are the same.[2]