- The Peabody is a brisk dance that covers a lot of space on the dance floor. Danced to almost any 2/4 or 4/4 ragtime tune of appropriate tempo, it is essentially a fast one-step, with long, gliding strides and a few syncopations. The leader changes sides as he travels around the floor and adds promenades and simple turns as the dance progresses. The partners may also add slight dipping motions with their upper bodies once they master the rhythm and flow of movement.

Music suitable for dancing the Peabody includes "When the Saints Go Marching In," "Ain't She Sweet?," "Yes, We Have No Bananas," "Tiger Rag," "Bourbon Street Parade," and other ragtime tunes of New Orleans jazz men of the late 1910s and early 1920s.