A dance friend of mine, obviously very experienced, mentioned the other day that bronze foxtrot is not really for dancing. Maybe for use in a wedding scenario but that is about it. The rhythm changes from SSQQ to SQQ as you progress with the dance to silver level, so why do you have to learn bronze foxtrot ? Opinions ? Observations ? Obviously there must be a reason that it is part of the syllabus.

Hmmm...interesting thought. However, my take would be that you learn the basic fundamental technique in the bronze level. You learn your posture, body/head positions, connection, framework, all in bronze. Are you saying that you should just skip the basic steps and learn all that in silver? I definitely *hate* the basic foxtrot step.

I was talking to a well-heeled (pun intended), highly regarded pro about the basics of bronze smooth dances and he said that he will make his gold+ dancers revert back just to make sure they can still do it right. He said a lot of them don't.

Brozne Foxtrot has its place for many reasons.

For beginners it is easier to learn, because the basic step is 6 counts versus 4 counts in Silver. Two of the steps take 2 counts so it feels slower to the dancers and gives beginner dancers more time to think.

The basic starts out on a left foot each time for the leader so it is easier to remember the basic for beginners.

Quarter turns in Bronze Foxtrot translate over to Quickstep beginning moves.

Bronze foxtrot is very danceable in crowded dance floors when movement is limited. Rock steps work very well.

Because of the 2 slow steps and the consistant step pattern, the lead and follow for Bronze Foxtrot is very easy for beginner dancers to pick up, even in a social situation.

I can see why a dancer who is good that the SQQ version of the dance might hate the slower version, because it does not lend itself to the sway and swing of the harder version, but it definitely has its place on the social dance floor and for beginners getting used to the idea of dancing with another person. I personally like to dance it for its own qualities, but I am a dance generalist. I love to dance, no matter what type.

They say "A little knowledge is dangerous". This strikes me as one of those scenarios. Your experienced friend is at a place in his (or her) dancing where he sees Bronze Foxtrot as nothing more than a stepping stone to Silver, as though Silver were the ultimate goal above all else. And if that were really true, what indeed would be the point to Bronze Foxtrot?

Of course, with even more experience, your friend might start to see Bronze Foxtrot in a number of different ways. It can be thought of as an entirely separate dance, useful for specific situations and or styles of Foxtrot music, much in the same way you might choose EC over WC Swing (or vice versa) depending on the situation.

It can also be thought of as something to blend together with your Silver Foxtrot, since there's no law that says once you start passing your feet, you're never allowed to close them. I myself like to mix it up quite a bit. Actually, it's a pretty good measure of your leading and/or following skills to mix weight changing figures together with foot passing figures.

Whether I'm dancing socially or choreographing for a show, I don't like to be bound by the contrived notion that one has to either close or pass, or stick to any specific rhythm based on their "level". Part of Foxtrot's charm is its versatitlty both rhythmically and stylistically. As long as what you're doing looks and feels right to you, your partner, and (in the case of a show dance) anybody watching, then it's fair game.

Oh, and Silver isn't limited to SQQ figures. Continuity Basic, Grapevines, Standing Spins, Pivots, Chasses, Syncopated UAT's, Weave actions, Continuity Hesitations, and others are all perfectly valid examples of Silver-level figures with non-conforming rhythm.

Regards,
Jonathan

I think there may be a 'window of opportunity' during which bronze foxtrot is a usefull tool for teaching concepts like a good walking action and posture.

If it is presented well during that time early in someone's dance training, and presented in a way that stresses these lessons rather than an infinite number of empty variations, then it plays a usefull role.

But if someone dances for a few months without learning technique from bronze foxtrot, the opportunity for it to be usefull may be lost. It may make sense then to go ahead and teach continuity patterns, and really work on technique only if/when the student decides he or she would like to work on technique. At that point, it's possible to just teach the concepts in isolation, without having to make them up into a cute little dance like bronze foxtrot.

"I think there may be a 'window of opportunity' during which bronze foxtrot is a usefull tool for teaching concepts like a good walking action and posture."

I don't think of Bronze Foxtrot only as a tool for teaching concepts. I think of it more as a useful Dance to know, almost separate from higher level Foxtrot. When dancing in social situations where most dancers do not know LOD, let alone the Silver or Gold Foxtrot, it lends itself well to dancing amicably with a partner and the other dancers.

I live in a rural area where the social dancers predominantly dance Bronze level or a stationary cuddle. The dance floors are usually in Community Centers so they aren't large and trying to dance continuity in those situations is almost impossible. If you are going to dance it will be Bronze level.
I travel to nearby cities (1-2 hrs away)with larger venues to dance continuity.

If you are dancing only at venues where the majority of people are dancing Silver and above, then it will probably be seen as that "cute little dance". But as Jonathan has already mentioned, inserting Bronze figures into your higher level figues can make it interesting.