Dancing Twist, East Berlin, 17 May 1964

Novelty and fad dances are dances which are typically characterized by a short burst of popularity. Some of them, like the Twist, Y.M.C.A. and the Hokey Pokey, have shown much longer-lasting lives. They are also called dance fads or dance crazes.

Fad dances

As the pop music market got bombed in the late 1950s, dance fads were commercialized and exploited. From the 1950s to the 1970s, new dance fads appeared almost every week. Many were popularized (or commercialized) versions of new styles or steps created by African-American dancers who frequented the clubs and discothèques in major U.S. cities like New York, Philadelphia and Detroit. Among these were the Madison, "The Swim", the "Mashed Potato", "The Twist", "The Frug" (pronounced /frʊɡ/), "The Watusi", "The Shake" and "The Hitch hike". Many 1950s and 1960s dance crazes had animal names, including "The Chicken" (not to be confused with the Chicken Dance), "The Pony" and "The Dog".

In 1965, Latin group Cannibal and the Headhunters had a hit with the 1962 Chris Kenner song Land of a Thousand Dances which included the names of such dances. One list of Fad Dances compiled in 1971 named over ninety dances.[1] Standardized versions of dance moves were published in dance and teen magazines, often choreographed to popular songs. Songs such as "The Loco-Motion" were specifically written with the intention of creating a new dance and many more pop hits, such as "Mashed Potato Time" by Dee Dee Sharp, were written to cash in recent successful novelties.

In the early 1970s, disco spawned a succession of dance fads including the Bump, the Hustle, and the Y.M.C.A. This continued in the 1980s with the popular song "Walk like an Egyptian"[2], in the 1990s with the "Macarena", in the 2000s with "The Ketchup Song" and in the 2010s with "Gangnam Style". Contemporary sources for dance crazes include music videos and movies.

There are fad dances which are meant to be danced individually as solo, others are partner dances, and yet others are danced in groups. Some of them were of freestyle type, i.e., there were no particular step patterns and they were distinguished by the style of the dance movement (Twist, Shake, Swim, Pony, Hitch hike). Only some have remained to the modern day-era, sometimes only as the name of a step (Suzie Q, Shimmy) or of a style (Mashed Potato) in a recognized dance. Fad dances are in fashion at the time of their popularity. They come to be associated with a specific time period, and can evoke particular forms of nostalgia when revived.[3]

Notable novelty and fad dances

Pre-1950s

Year Dance
1909The Grizzly Bear
1926Charleston
1930sDuckwalk
1933Carioca
1936Suzie Q
1937The Lambeth Walk
1940Thunder Clap
1941Conga
mid-1940sHokey Pokey

1950s

Year Dance
1950sBomba
1950sThe Chicken
1952Bunny Hop
1957Sock Hop
1958Madison
1958The Stroll
1959Hully Gully

1960s

Year Dance
1960Shimmy
1960Twist
1961The Chicken Walk
1961The Pony
1962The Loco-Motion
1962Martian Hop
1962Mashed Potato
1962The Monster Mash
1962The Swim[4]
1962Watusi
1962Popeye Dance
1963Chicken Dance
1963Hitch Hike
1963Monkey
1964The Frug
1964Jerk
1965The Freddie
1965The Mouse
1965Limbo
1966Batusi
1966The Shake

1970s

Year Dance
1970sSprinkler
1971Penguin
1972Hustle
1973Time Warp
1975Bump
1975Tragedy
mid-1970sGrinding
1976Car Wash
1976Electric Slide
1976Robot
1977The Running Man
1978Y.M.C.A.

1980s

Year Dance
1980sMoonwalk
1980Cotton-Eyed Joe
1981Harlem Shake
1981Agadoo (aka Agadou)
1981Superman (aka Gioca Jouer)
1982The Safety
1983Thriller
1986The Hunch
1986Wig Wam Bam
1987Cabbage Patch
1988Da Butt
1989Lambada

1990s

Years Dance
1990sCarlton dance (Alfonso Riberio)
1990sLocomía
1990Boot Scootin' Boogie
1990Do the Bartman
1990Hammertime (MC Hammer)
1990The Humpty Dance (Digital Underground)
1990Vogue (Madonna)
1991The Urkel (Jaleel White)
1992Achy Breaky (Line dance)
1993 (1995 in US markets)Macarena (Los del Rio)
1994Saturday Night
1996Tic, Tic Tac
1997Thizzle
1998La Bomba (not to be confused with Bomba)
1998The Roger Rabbit
1998Tootsee Roll

2000s

Year Dance
2000Cha Cha Slide
2001Caramelldansen
2002Algorithm March
2002The Ketchup Song (Las Ketchup)
2003Dutty Wine
2004Lean Back (Terror Squad)
2005Letkajenkka (aka Letkajenka, Letkiss, Letka-Enka)
2006Chicken Noodle Soup (Webstar)
2006Daggering
2006Laffy Taffy
2006Lean wit It, Rock wit It (aka Snap dance)
2006Shoulder Lean
2006Pop, Lock & Drop It
2007Crank That (Soulja Boy)
2007Cupid Shuffle
2007Dougie
2008Single Ladies (Beyoncé)
2009Jerkin' (brought to mainstream by New Boyz and Audio Push)
2009Stanky Legg
2009Hoedown Throwdown (Miley Cyrus)

2010s

Year Dance
2010Teach Me How to Dougie (Cali Swag District)
2011The Creep (The Lonely Island)
2011Wobble (VIC)
2012Gangnam Style (PSY)
2012The Smurf
2013Twerking
2014Nae Nae
2015Hit Dem Folks
2015Dab
2015Hit the Quan
2015Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) (Silentó)
2017Shoot
2018The Floss
2018Skibidi (Little Big)
2018Take the L (Fortnite)
2019 Lottery/Renegade Dance (TikTok)

2020s

Year Dance
20202 Phút Hơn (Kaiz remix)
2021 Griddy

See also

References

  1. Encyclopedia of Social Dance. Albert and Josephine Butler. 1971 & 1975. Albert Butler Ballroom Dance Service. New York, NY. Table of Contents in 1971 edition.
  2. "The Number Ones: The Bangles' "Walk Like An Egyptian"". Stereogum. 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  3. "Centennial College - Seven dance fads that swept the 20th century off its feet". www.centennialcollege.ca. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  4. "Library of Dance - The Swim". www.libraryofdance.org. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
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