The Peabody dance is often a point of discussion with ballroom dance enthusiasts, because much about its history is a complete mystery. Some believe it is named after the Peabody Club, where many went to go dancing prior to the late 1920s, but no one has found much in the way of evidence about where this club existed, or if it did at all.
Another theory, and one that is much more popular, is that it was named after a New Yorker named William Frank Peabody. Peabody was a frequenter of Manhattan dance halls sometime between 1914 and the early 1920s, and due to his large size, his female dance partners needed to dance at his side rather than in the normal fashion.
Whether this is folklore or fact, the dance style would suggest this to be a legitimate foundation of history.
The Peabody is considered to be a variant form of the more popular Foxtrot, which was invented in New York in 1914. The Peabody derivative is a fast-paced Foxtrot, played often to jazz or ragtime music, which was very popular during this era.
In ballroom dance competitions, the Peabody falls under a type of dance genre known as American Smooth Dance.
The Peabody is thought to have originated around 1914, reaching the prime of its heyday in the early 1920s. In 1934, a large Peabody dance contest was held in New Jersey at a prolific nightclub, and a few years prior, the Peabody was danced in a 1931 movie called Taxi. The most recent example of the Peabody in mainstream entertainment was during a dance sequence on the television show Dance Fever, which was broadcast during the 1980s.
Today, the Peabody is more generally referred to as a fast Foxtrot, though it is still recognized in its more official form in expert dance circles.
While the Foxtrot is performed in ballroom dancing competitions throughout the world, the Peabody is regionally situated in the United States. It finds its roots almost exclusively in New York and New Jersey, with a few appearances on the Hollywood scene.
The Peabody must be performed in a large ballroom where dance space is not an issue, due to its fast and broad movements. While a Peabody can vary in exact choreography, it is usually performed as a fast one-step dance to ragtime music. Using a basic cross step and lock step, the body position is Right-Outside, similar to a promenade. Traveling speed is quick, and the lead changes sides during the travel across the dance floor.
Many of today's ballroom dancers adapt the Peabody for their choreography, while others still strive to capture it in its purist, original form.