# What were "one-steps" and "two-steps" (social dancing styles from ca 1900)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-one-steps-and-two-steps-social-dancing-styles-from-ca-1900/311196>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 5, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-one-steps-and-two-steps-social-dancing-styles-from-ca-1900/311196 "2005-07-05T21:52:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-one-steps-and-two-steps-social-dancing-styles-from-ca-1900/311196/1 "2005-07-05T21:52:04Z")

</div>

I’ve been starting to play Ragtime again, after having forgotten how to play virtually all of the forty-odd pieces I used to be able to play. I’m curious about the fact that many of Scott Joplin’s pieces are labeled, “…a Ragtime two-step”. What did that mean, to be a one-step or two-step? Was it the number of steps a dancer would take to each quarter note of the music? Would a two-step be faster than a one-step?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-one-steps-and-two-steps-social-dancing-styles-from-ca-1900/311196/2 "2005-07-05T22:33:12Z")

</div>

IANAD (dancer) There are [fast and slow two step dances](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Step).  
[Cajun two step (audio sample)](http://home.tiac.net/~cfiddle/bayou2step.html) is quite fast, but a two step waltz is slower.  
I don’t believe there was any dance called a "one step."[Here](http://www.eijkhout.net/rad/dance_specific/twostep.html) is a site with a history of waltz step names.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-one-steps-and-two-steps-social-dancing-styles-from-ca-1900/311196/3 "2005-07-05T23:09:58Z")

</div>

Thanks for the links.

Re “one-steps”, I’m sure I’ve seen music labeled as a one-step.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-one-steps-and-two-steps-social-dancing-styles-from-ca-1900/311196/4 "2005-07-06T01:54:39Z")

</div>

Me too.

Cite, just to prove I’m not having a Senior Moment. 😃  
[http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3onestp.htm](http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3onestp.htm)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-one-steps-and-two-steps-social-dancing-styles-from-ca-1900/311196/5 "2005-07-06T15:04:44Z")

</div>

You _must_ come and play at one of my tango teas, **Spectre**! I had a friend over, a former June Taylor Dancer, and we put James Reese Europe’s “Castle Walk” on the Victrola. She was Vernon and I was Irene, and she taught me to Castle Walk up and down my parlor. _Such_ fun!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-one-steps-and-two-steps-social-dancing-styles-from-ca-1900/311196/6 "2005-07-12T21:17:22Z")

</div>

I did use to play the ‘Castle House Rag’.

If I ever make it to NYC we’ll have to do a Dopefest. Does the Algonquin lounge have a piano?