Editing Vernon and Irene Castle (section)

{{short description|British-American ballroom dancing duo}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
[[Image:Vernon and Irene Castle2 crop.jpg|thumb|right|250px| Irene and Vernon Castle, {{circa|1912|lk=yes}}]]
'''Vernon and Irene Castle''' were a husband-and-wife team of [[ballroom dance]]rs and dance teachers who appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of [[modern dancing]]. Castle was a stage name: Vernon (2 May 1887 – 15 February 1918) was born '''William Vernon Blyth''' in England. Irene (7 April 1893 – 25 January 1969) was born '''Irene Foote''' in the United States.

The couple reached the peak of their popularity in [[Irving Berlin]]'s first [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] show, ''[[Watch Your Step (musical)|Watch Your Step]]'' (1914), in which they refined and popularized the [[Foxtrot (dance)|Foxtrot]]. They also helped to promote ragtime, jazz rhythms and [[African-American music]] for dance. Irene became a fashion icon through her appearances on stage and in early movies, and both Castles were in demand as teachers and writers on dance.

After serving with distinction as a pilot in the British [[Royal Flying Corps]] during World War&nbsp;I, Vernon died in a plane crash on a flight training base near Fort Worth, Texas, in 1918. Irene continued to perform solo in Broadway, vaudeville and motion picture productions over the next decade. She remarried three times, had children and became an activist for [[animal welfare]]. In 1939, her life with Vernon was dramatized in ''[[The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle]]''.