The Fox Trot is the foundation for all dances and, therefore, is often called the "get-acquainted" or "first impression" dance.

In 1913, Harry Fox, a vaudeville comedian, introduced a trot to a ragtime song in the 1913 Ziegfeld Follies that pushed other trots into the background. It became America's most popular dance and remains so to this day as the standard of social dances.