A twist turn is an action that begins with one foot crossed in front of or behind the other, with the feet a few inches apart. The weight is held between the heel of the front foot and the ball of the back foot. Although the weight is over the heel, the front foot is kept mostly flat, while the heel of the back foot is raised. To begin the turn, the dancer will turn in the direction of the back foot, untwisting the feet as a result of the turn. This action will continue until the feet naturally come together, at which point the weight can be shifted completely to one foot or the other.

To set up the position for a twist turn, one can either cross the free foot in front of or behind the supporting foot. The choice of which direction to cross will depend on which foot is free, and in what direction the dancer intends to turn. The direction of turn must always be toward the foot that is crossed behind.

In the case of the Promenade Twist Turn in Foxtrot, the twist turn action belongs exclusively to the man. It begins in promenade position, with the man crossing his right foot in front of his left on the second step. The turn is to the left, or counter-clockwise. While he untwists his feet, the lady dances a small circle around him in promenade position, swiveling on the last step to end in closed position. For this reason, the figure is sometimes also called the Promenade Walkaround.

The lady's part begins similarly to the basic Promenade, with a slow walk on her right foot in promenade position. The next step is slightly unusual, in that her second walk will divert slightly leftward as she begins to step around the man, a smaller step than usual. She will then continue with two more small walks around him (right foot, then left foot), circling counter-clockwise in promenade position. The last step on her left foot finishes as a swivel to the left, with lady closing to man.

When danced with the normal alignments where the figure begins moving down line of dance, the Promenade Twist Turn ends with the man facing against the line of dance. Care must therefore be taken not to continue moving in this direction for too long -- preferrably for no more than one step -- in order to avoid interrupting the natural flow of traffic. Sensible follows incude the Hesitation Left Turn or Left Box Turn ended with man facing wall or diagonal wall, or a LF Forward Change to outside partner with 3/8 turn to left, leaving the man with his right foot free, facing diagonal wall, preparing to step outside partner into step 2 of Progressive Quarter Turns, a Natural Turn, or 4-10 Grapevines.

There are two commonly used interpretations of timing for this figure. The more commonly-used timing is the normal "Slow, slow, quick quick" timing seen in most bronze Foxtrot figures. The alternative timing "Slow, quick quick slow" is less well-known, but highly recommended, as it sets a more even pace for the lady's steps, and provides more time for her swivel at the end. With this timing, her footwork should be modified to Heel-toe on step 1 and toe on step 2. The rest of the footwork remains the same.

Like most promenade figures in bronze Foxtrot, the Promenade Twist Turn can be danced as written, starting with a simple walk in promenade, or it can be preceded by almost any other figure that ends in promenade, such as 1-3 Twinkle or Back Twinkle, Promenade with Underarm Turn to Right, or Promenade Pivot. In this case, the preceding figure is danced in lieu of the first step. For example, steps 1-3 of Twinkle would be followed by 2-4 Promenade Twist Turn. For a full list of preceding figures, refer to the "preceded by" tab.