I was wondering if any other posters, maybe especially those who have been teaching a long time or even operate a studio, can clarify something for me.
I have noticed in ads for various dance studios that they list "Slow Dancing" as a separate item from ballroom dancing or swing dancing. I've wondered what that might actually be. My instructor has never made any kind of differentiation between slow dancing, and say maybe, a slow waltz.
However, I have noticed that there are many slow songs that I wonder what dance would be best for it. It may have a bpm that isn't quite right for any standard ballroom dance, but I can't imagine you just stand there and hold your partner and slowly sway back and forth to tunes like that, or just sit them out.
Is there really a "slow dance" sequence of steps or a variation of something else I am not familiar with? For example, a ballad like the Beatles "This Boy" would be nice to dance to, but I can't figure out anything that works with it, or other songs like it.
Some of Secret Garden's tunes fall in this category, too. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts?

Nightclub two-step is a good dance for many ballad-type songs. But I don't know if that's what they mean by "slow dancing."

A Rhythm Foxtrot fits the bill, It was once part of a bronze medal here. It can be adapted even to a Tango if needed. Just about everyone who dances here would know this one.

One studio in this area teaches a dance they called Nightclub, it was losely based on rumba/bolero. Another teacher showed what they called slow dancing at a dance and it was completely different than Nightclub. I would call the studio for clarification, I don't think slow dancing is a specific dance, but a category of dancing.

..."but I can't imagine you just stand there and hold your partner and slowly sway back and forth to tunes like that, or just sit them out."......

There are some songs that are too slow for all the ballroom dances. Sitting them out is often an option. There is also a slow social dance that has a few simple steps that you can use for these. "Standing there holding your partner and slowly swaying", doesn't sound like much, but when you find that special partner, all a sudden you realize you have underestimated this dance.

Thanks for the feedback so far. I have not heard of Rhythm Fox Trot, though maybe I have done a variation of it without knowing. Would that just be a slower box step of S Q-Q S, or adding slow continuity steps?
I have seen other couples do some sort of promenade, or side-to-side step, to slower tunes, but haven't quite figured out how they count it or keep time.
And I would agree that being close to your partner for a slow tune is quite nice, but I was thinking maybe if it could have an elegant or classy look to it, that would be preferable. More so than anything else, I think, it has to do with wanting to be able to do something that looks nice to songs I really like.

The term was developed in the American chain schools-- its still used in their Ads . Its taught to music that fits the F/T mode-- very, very slow.
A/Murray studios invented a dance called the " Foxy " to fit the music .

The Rhythm Foxtrot (American Bronze Foxtrot) is one of the American versions of foxtrot, usually one of the first dances you learn in a chain studio. It works for foxtrot music, and it works better if the music is slightly faster than for Slow Foxtrot (or American Silver Foxtrot). This website has some examples of the steps.
https://www.ballroomdancers.com/Dances/dance_overview.asp?Dance=AFX

Although it is possible to do bronze foxtrot to very slow songs (because it has very small rise and fall), in my opinion, this does not work well for very slow songs. I started in a studio for a short while, and when they would play a very slow song for this dance, I used to complain that it looked like a funeral procession. For any song slower than bolero speed, there just doesn't seem to be any standard ballroom dance that will work well. That is the reason you have the Slow Dance, and the Foxy.

Someone else mentioned Nightclub and I think they were referring to Nightclub Two Step, which is a country dance. I also like country dancing, but I don't like the timing they use for this dance. It is done to very slow music but the steps are done 1 2 & 3 4 & (although it originally started as 1 & 2 3 & 4). I don't like the looks of either of these because it looks as if the dancers are not dancing to the music. Most very slow country music does not have any syncopations and the steps just don't match the music. You will sometimes see ballroom dancers doing Nightclub Two Step but doing it SQQ.

"The term was developed in the American chain schools-- its still used in their Ads . Its taught to music that fits the F/T mode-- very, very slow."

Interesting. I was at a venue Friday night where they played music from the 70s through 90s. Some of the songs were (to me) too slow to even dance FT, so my partner and I danced what we call The Penguin - sway from one foot to the other in close hold.

"Slow Nightclub" around here refers to a dance that is basically a (man's) whisk to the left and then a (man's) whisk to the right. You can do a lady's turn on the man's left whisk, etc. I believe the Nightclub 2-step is another name for that dance. It is not the same as the (Texas) 2-Step here.

dheun. Everywhere seem to have their own names. What we call rhythm dancing is actually a slow Quickstep... steps. Some call it a Social Foxtrot. The hold is not severe. The left hand can be down by your side still holding. It is done flat with very relaxed knees. The steps are. Starting on the mans LF. Forward, Forward Side together. Back Back Side together. Repeat. In other words simply a Quarter Turn and what would normaly be a Progressive Chasse all done flat and small and the flexing of the knees as the music tells you. Turns can be made as well as a Promenade Step and a few other moves. Hope this helps.