Quickstep

A fast, bright Kilian-hold dance in 2/4, skated hip to hip with matching steps, a closed swing S step and quick crossed edges down the rink.

dance

Not checked yet. The mechanics on this page are a first draft by a non-expert, and no coach has seen them yet. Read them as a starting point and check them with a coach. Corrections are very welcome.

The dance

Quickstep in 2/4, 112 beats a minute. The hold is Kilian. Both partners skate the same steps. 18 steps and 28 beats to one pattern.

One sequence on a 60 x 30 metre rink, drawn upright as the rulebooks draw it, starting at the dot and travelling anticlockwise. The faint half is the same steps skated again. Rinks vary, and on a smaller one the pattern shrinks to fit. Measured from the diagram in U.S. Figure Skating 2026-27 Rulebook, page Dance-65.

Step	Hold	Both partners	Beats
1	Kilian	LFO	1
2		RFI-Ch	1
3		LFO	1
4		RFI-Pr	1
5		LFO Sw-ClSSt	4
6		RBIO	2 + 1
7		XB-LBI	1
8		RBI	1
9		XF-LBO	1
10		XB-RBO	4
11		LFI	2
12		RFI	2
13		LFO	1
14		RFI-Pr	1
15		LFO	1
16		CR-RFO	1
17		XB-LFIO	0.5 + 0.5
18		XF-RFI	1

The steps are in the rulebook's own notation: foot, direction and edge, with Pr for a progressive, Ch for a chassé, SwR for a swing roll, XB and XF for a cross step behind or in front, 3 for a three turn, CSt and SSt for C and S steps, Op for open and Cl for closed. From the step chart in US Figure Skating's 2026-27 rulebook.

The Quickstep is skated in Kilian hold from start to finish, both partners on the same steps, and US Figure Skating stresses that the couple must stay hip to hip throughout. The skating should match its fast, bright music. The pattern runs nearly the length of the rink, so the rulebook asks for a start near the midline at one end to keep the edges true.

After a chassé and a progressive, step 5 opens a closed swing S step, and the backward exit edge then changes from inside to outside with a distinct shift of lean. Steps 7 to 10 are deep crossed edges, and the closing run of steps 13 to 18, including a half-beat change of edge, should be light and well curved.

British Ice Skating lists the Quickstep at National 7, one of five dances to choose from. US Figure Skating tests it at Gold.

Appears in

No test syllabus recorded yet.

Where it sits in one country's grades is on that country's copy of this page: UK, USA, Australia or New Zealand.