One of the lesser performed dances in modern ballroom today is the Peabody. Its curious history is shrouded in mystery. Although some say it was named after the Peabody Club (wherever that is) where it became popular, the better-known legend is that it was named after its creator, a fire captain (or police chief) from New York who had a penchant for patronizing the various dance halls on the island of Manhattan. The story goes that Brooklyn Captain (or Lieutenant, or Chief) William Frank Peabody was a rather portly gentleman. So large, in fact, that he could not dance with his partner in the normal fashion, so the women danced at his side. Given the look and feel of the dance, the story seems to be at least a definite possibility, however untrue it may be.
The Peabody began as a variation on the Foxtrot, which was created in New York by Harry Fox in a Manhattan theatre-turned-movie-house in 1914. Captain Peabody was said to be making the rounds at various Jazz clubs in the late teens to early 1920s. His derivative of a very fast Foxtrot is set to Dixieland Jazz or Ragtime music.
In many ways, the Peabody embodies the Golden Age of Ragtime. Its a fun, jaunty, even corny little dance that simply celebrates an evening out. Men traditionally wear old-style suits with derby hats and women wear long dresses as they jog around the room.
The steps can be quite intricate but basically follow an open box pattern and it requires a decent amount of uncrowded floor space. Although there is a definite structure to the steps, the Peabody also lends itself to great improvisation " something that attracts many dancers from Times Square to the City by the Bay and beyond. It can be quite addicting to ballroom enthusiasts who gravitate to it for that very reason.
Although not as popular today as it once was, the dance is considered part of the American Smooth dance category in ballroom competitions. Back in the day (April 21, 1934 to be exact), the Casa Del Rey Nightclub in Newark, New Jersey held a large Peabody contest. James Cagney and Loretta Young dance the Peabody to the music of Darktown Strutters Ball in the 1931 movie, Taxi (not to be confused with the TV series starring Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito and Andy Kauffman). Although the movie labeled the scene a Foxtrot contest, the rapid dance is indeed more of a Peabody. More recently, the Peabody was featured on the popular television show, Dance Fever, in the 1980's.
Sadly, theres no way to prove whether Police or Fire Captain, or Lieutenant, or Chief Peabody ever existed. There is no mention of him at the time the dance was developed in any of the dance literature or Press articles of the day.
It would be interesting to perform a search of the Brooklyn (or Manhattan, etc.) police and fire personnel records to see if a Peabody of any kind was ever a part of the force around 1920, assuming the records even go back that far. So far no one has found him, but thats no reason to let facts interfere with a great story.
The Peabody began as a variation on the Foxtrot, which was created in New York by Harry Fox in a Manhattan theatre-turned-movie-house in 1914. Captain Peabody was said to be making the rounds at various Jazz clubs in the late teens to early 1920s. His derivative of a very fast Foxtrot is set to Dixieland Jazz or Ragtime music.
In many ways, the Peabody embodies the Golden Age of Ragtime. Its a fun, jaunty, even corny little dance that simply celebrates an evening out. Men traditionally wear old-style suits with derby hats and women wear long dresses as they jog around the room.
The steps can be quite intricate but basically follow an open box pattern and it requires a decent amount of uncrowded floor space. Although there is a definite structure to the steps, the Peabody also lends itself to great improvisation " something that attracts many dancers from Times Square to the City by the Bay and beyond. It can be quite addicting to ballroom enthusiasts who gravitate to it for that very reason.
Although not as popular today as it once was, the dance is considered part of the American Smooth dance category in ballroom competitions. Back in the day (April 21, 1934 to be exact), the Casa Del Rey Nightclub in Newark, New Jersey held a large Peabody contest. James Cagney and Loretta Young dance the Peabody to the music of Darktown Strutters Ball in the 1931 movie, Taxi (not to be confused with the TV series starring Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito and Andy Kauffman). Although the movie labeled the scene a Foxtrot contest, the rapid dance is indeed more of a Peabody. More recently, the Peabody was featured on the popular television show, Dance Fever, in the 1980's.
Sadly, theres no way to prove whether Police or Fire Captain, or Lieutenant, or Chief Peabody ever existed. There is no mention of him at the time the dance was developed in any of the dance literature or Press articles of the day.
It would be interesting to perform a search of the Brooklyn (or Manhattan, etc.) police and fire personnel records to see if a Peabody of any kind was ever a part of the force around 1920, assuming the records even go back that far. So far no one has found him, but thats no reason to let facts interfere with a great story.
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