The quickstep is a fun, energetic progressive dance which is danced to lively, upbeat music. Quickstep music has the fastest tempo of all ballroom dances, at a speed of 48-52 measures (192-208 beats) per minute. Syncopated steps are also very common in quickstep, giving the quickstep the appearance of being even faster than the music may first seem.
Quickstep has a 4/4 time signature, which is common among all the ballroom and Latin dances with the exception of waltz. The quickstep would be counted as "1, 2, 3, 4", "1, 2, 3, 4". When learning the quickstep, it is common to count the music in "slows" (2 beats) and "quicks" (1 beat), which makes it easier to put the patterns of the dance to the music. You might therefore count a pattern as "Slow, Quick, Quick" instead of "1, 2, 3, 4". This adds rhythmic variation to the dance, as not all steps will take up the same amount of time.
Quickstep is often danced at ballroom parties and social events, ballroom dance competitions, and performances such as Dancing with the Stars. The liveliness and fun of the quickstep make it a great dance to learn by yourself, on a date, or with a friend. The music of quickstep and swing can be used fairly interchangeably, so you could even dance a quickstep around the floor at a wedding to the swing music which is commonly played.
When selecting a song to dance quickstep, finding music in a 4/4 time signature shouldn't be a challenge, as this is the most common time signature for songs. However, some songs are more suited to the character of the quickstep than others. As one example, here's the original version of "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeren, which is a beautiful but very soft and lyrical song. It would be more suited for dancing a romantic, emotional rumba than a lively, boisterous quickstep.
However, an artist named DJ Ice has reimagined the song "Thinking Out Loud" as a characteristic quickstep which is louder, faster, and more energetic than the original. If you play both versions of the song, you'll probably notice how different they sound from each other. If you want to learn more about what makes a song well suited for dancing the quickstep, our professional dance instructors can best teach you in person during your private lessons or group classes.
In the meantime, we've listed 10 of our favorite songs for dancing the quickstep below! All of these songs already have the correct time signature and speed to dance the quickstep. We've assembled songs from different genres to show the versatility of the quickstep. If you have any more questions about the quickstep and what songs it can be danced to, please contact us at info@aretedancecenter.com - we're happy to help!
10 Songs You Can Quickstep To
"Flying" - Nice Little Penguins
"Box of Secrets" - Zarif
"Friend Like Me" - Dimie Cat
"But Now I'm Back" - Pink Martini
"Waterloo" - Tanz Orchester Klaus Hallen
"It Don't Mean a Thing" - Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
"Star Wars Cantina Band" - Tanz Orchester Klaus Hallen
"Valerie" - Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse
"Billy-A-Dick" - Bette Midler
"When I Get Low I Get High" - DJ Maksy
Want more quickstep? DJ Ice Dancesport Music is known for remixing popular songs for ballroom and Latin dance. We have included his playlist for quickstep below. All of these songs should be relatively easy to count and have consistent timing, as they were designed especially for quickstep. (Click the icon in the top right corner of this video to open the full playlist.)
Click here to learn more about the quickstep, and how you can learn this dance at Areté Dance Center!
If you have any questions, contact us at info@aretedancecenter.com or (408) 824-0074. Enjoy your dancing!