Twist & Shout: The 1960s Dance Party
An Autumn "Just for Fun" Dance for Families. :o)
Dance Craze? Dance Crazes!
The 1960s was THE era of Dance Crazes!
Don't know much about history when it comes to the dance craze era of the 1960s? That's alright. On this page, we'll get you introduced with plenty of boss info to read and many marvy links to dance videos to click and watch. Then, on October 14th, we have an entire evening of dance planned to immerse you in the experience!
In 1960, The Twist became the first dance craze of the new decade, an unprecedented national phenomenon which spread across the country and across generations to all ages, maintaining massive popularity with numerous Twist songs reaching the top tiers of the American record charts over a span of at least five years! The Twist 1960, Twistin' U.S.A. 1960, Peppermint Twist 1961, Let's Twist Again 1961, Twistin' The Night Away 1962 and The Beatles' Twist & Shout of 1964 are just a few notable examples. The Twist entered the political arena with "The Nixonettes" twisting for Nixon as he ran for Governor of California in 1962. Doing the Twist was even regarded as a fountain of youth, as according to the lyrics of Dear Lady Twist of 1962, "The doctors agree, so I've been told, do the twist and you'll never grow old!" Entire new Twist oriented markets sprung up, not only in music but also in fashion, movies, television, exercise and twist themed advertising for an amazing array of products.
The Twist certainly introduced a whole new way of dancing. Through the 1950s, other than a few exceptions such as "The Bop", dance partners had at least some degree of physical contact with one another, and usually quite a bit. Suddenly, the Twist ushered in an era of dancing apart from your partner at a short distance with no physical contact. As one young lady related at the time, the new distance freed her (if not "feeling romantic" about her dance partner) to simply dance and enjoy!
Many new lively and energetic dances suddenly emerged in the wake of the Twist, such as the Pony, Mashed Potato, Surfer's Stomp, Bristol Stomp, Frug, Swim, Jerk, Monkey and Hitchhike to name some of the more popular ones, each of which created popular dance crazes of their own. The Watusi was arguably the second most popular dance of the era behind the Twist. It gained a multigenerational awareness boost when President Johnson's daughter Luci spontaneously danced the Watusi with actor Steve McQueen at a 1964 campaign event, making the national news.
Many of these dances would evolve over time as dancers added new creative flairs and movements. The Frug particularly (a rhythmic back-and-forth shaking of the hips) could be combined with different patterns of arm motions to create many variations. Creative dancers would also often move in and out of several of these dance forms within a single dance or simply begin freestyling by combining various movements at will.
Most of the new dances of the early '60s were done with the feet remaining within a small area; but they were very active, often using the entire body - feet, legs, head, shoulders, arms, hands - and especially the hips!
The dance craze era of the '60s was very strong from 1960-1965, began to quickly wane through 1966, and then was gone as the cultural vibe changed dramatically and the hippie era replaced the fun, innocence and exuberance of the first half of the decade. But there have always been people who like to dance, and in the late '60s, Bubble Gum music emerged as light, fun, energetic - and danceable.
But what about the music of the Dance Craze era?
The early '60s began much like the late '50s with rockabilly (both vocal and instrumental) still popular, but things were changing. Even established teen idols such as Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson whose early hits had often straddled the pop / rockabilly line, began shifting into styles suited to the new sounds and dances.
Doo Wop music carried over from the late '50s and remained very popular for several years, arguably reaching its peak in the early '60s - with hits by Dion & The Belmonts, The Marcels and Randy & The Rainbows (to name just a few of many) though by the end of 1963 it was pretty much done.
Speaking of 1963, that may have been the peak year of the Surf Craze, a combination of surfing, the beach, hot rods, muscle cars and surf culture that spanned the early and mid 1960s. Both vocal surf music and instrumental surf music often dominated both the beach scene and the dance floors, capturing the national popular imagination through both chart topping music and a string of surf themed movies. Jan & Dean, The Beach Boys, The Chantays, Dick Dale & The Del Tones, The Ventures and many others helped spread the Surfin' Sound and Beach Dancing from the California Sun to all of America.
More and more songs began to appear that were designed for dancing specific dances and there is an early '60s beat and rhythm that is easy to discern.
Girl Singers such as Kathy Young and Linda Scott, Girl Groups such as the Angels, Ronettes and Shangri-Las, and Boy/Girl duos like Paul & Paula and Dale & Grace made big pop splashes in the first half of the '60s and had many memorable hits.
1964 upended the American popular music scene with the arrival of the British Invasion but the dance craze era continued unabated. Through '64 and '65 British bands such as The Beatles, Herman's Hermits, Freddie & The Dreamers and The Dave Clark Five simply took over America's pop music charts, often with very danceable tunes as the dance craze era continued forward. (British Invasion vs. American Response - What do you think?)
Hits such as Keep on Dancing, Let's Dance, Louie Louie, Hang On Sloopy, Doo Wah Diddy and I Fought The Law continued to fuel and propel the dance craze era into and through the mid '60s. Finally winding down circa the midst of 1966, fading out with the rise and influence of hippie culture, the Dance Craze era with it's excitement, fun and innocence had become a part of history.... at least until a sudden revival in the early '80s. But that is another story for another decade.
In the late 1960s, the vibe changed. Much of pop music and culture began trending away from fun, youth, love and romance toward political themes, social commentary and sadly, drug usage. Along with these trends, dancing decreased in popularity. But some fun, irrepressibly danceable music continued to be made! "Bubble Gum Music" by musical acts such as the Monkees, Archies and Bobby Sherman put out light, fun (and even silly) hit songs, many of which were great for dancing!
"Twist & Shout: The 1960s Dance" will give everyone an opportunity to "twist and shout" their way through the dance craze era while dressing (if they wish) as per this cute and fashionable period of 55-60 years ago. It is sure to be boss, marvy and cool! Don't be a drag. Don't be a square. Let's go-go-go!
So.... Do you wanna dance?
Here are a few more links to 1960s videos with music and dancing to help you get groovy!
Dizzy (Dance & Fashion of 1969)
Many of the dances of the era such as the Pony, Jerk, Sleepwalk, Mashed Potato, Stomp and Watusi can be seen in this famous scene from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" of 1965!
Fashion: The early to mid 1960s was a great time for fashion. Do a little research, use some creativity (and perhaps do a little vintage clothes shopping too) and show us your best impression of somewhere from 1960-1965! (See young people in 1962 here.)
Music & Dance: We'll be time-traveling to the 1960s. Use the many links above as a starter to learning the music and dance styles of the era. :o)
When: The evening of Saturday, October 14th, 2023 there will be social time beginning at 6:30 with the dance from 7 to approximately 10:30.
Where: Mesa Baptist Church at Alma School & Medina in Chandler.
Who: Homeschool Families & Friends. Parents, young adults, teens, and even middle schoolers all enjoy friendly, joyful, multigenerational We Make History dances! It is not at all necessary to be an experienced dancer or even a "good" dancer. We Make History dances aren't performance dances. They are friendly, engaging social dances for real, everyday people. Novices and first-timers are encouraged and very welcome to join in the fun!
Expect a room full of smiles!
Come & Welcome: Admission is open to a limited number of well mannered persons of grace and respect. We attract a very joyful and gracious group of people who know how to properly conduct themselves according to our House Standards. Since admission is limited, please do act quickly to secure your place!
Families: We welcome families to bring all members of sufficient social and physical maturity to enjoy the occasion. Well disciplined, attentive and respectful young people are typically ready (and tall enough) for the dances at some point from ages 8 to 12. Please do not bring children under the age of eight. Please do not bring children of any age who are not of adequate social maturity, who do not exercise self discipline, who have a bad attitude, who are disrespectful, who don't want to dance or who simply don't want to be there. We do ask that all children be attended by adults.
Reservations: Since admission is limited, please do act quickly to secure your place! In advance we ask only $18 each through October 11th or $25 each at the door. For advance registrations you may use the link below or may send a check with your name, email address and the number attending to We Make History, P.O. Box 1776, Queen Creek, Arizona 85142. Admissions are paperless, so there are no printed tickets. All who make advance reservations will have their name and the number of reservations made on a list at the door. (Advance reservations must be received by Wednesday, October 11th.) We do not offer refunds.
Filming & Photography: Nonprofessional photography of friends and family is welcome. We do not allow filming or videotaping (other than our house videographer) as some attending are not comfortable with being filmed and potentially placed on social media or elsewhere. Please respect everyone's privacy so that all may dance and enjoy the experience. :o)
A few notes... 1) We recommend that each person/family attending please bring your own hand sanitizer. 2) We will not be offering refreshments. Please bring a water bottle or hydroflask. There is a drinking fountain you may use to refill. 3) We ask any who have recently (within the past two weeks) had fever, cold or flu symptoms themselves or who have been near someone with such symptoms to please stay home. If you have advance admissions you may gift them to a friend. 4) **Please note that by attending Twist & Shout: The 1960s Dance, you voluntarily assume all risks, including risks related to exposure to Covid-19. **
