West Coast Swing The Madison The Stroll The Hand Jive Sock Hops How dance tied into the culture Works Cited

 It became a phenomenon during the summer of  The hand jive was a series of hand and arm movements done in a pattern.  You could do it standing up or sitting down.  While the hand jive was popular the song “Willy and the Hand Jive” came out in 1958 and stayed at the top of the charts for 16 weeks.  Click here for an example of the Hand Jive in “Grease” Click here

 Also called "Sophisticated Swing“.  Produced by Dean Collins.  It was danced to slower more Blues-style music.  It was smooth, polished and stylish.  Many ballroom teachers would dance Western Swing to entice students to take lessons.

 The Madison was several dance sequences with specific steps  It started in late 1950s and gained popularity in the 60s  It’s a group dance that was first danced in Columbus Ohio in 1957  For more information click here

 The Madison basic, danced in the film Hairspray, is as follows: › Step left forward › Place right beside left (no weight) and clap › Step back on right › Move left foot back and across the right › Move left foot to the left › Move left foot back and across the right

 The stroll was usually done by girls.  They are two lines of dancers with a large space in the middle. › Lead dancers on one side, partners on the other  It was performed to slow swing and rhythm and blues  How to do the dance: › You would do a step pattern to advance the line. › Leaders do a solo routine through the line joining at the end. › Click here to see this dance performed in Grease or here for another video of a stroll. Click here here

 It was an informal sponsored dance at American high schools.  Usually were held the high school's own gym or cafeteria.  The name sock hop came about because dancers were required to remove their shoes to protect the varnished floor of the gymnasium. For more information click the picture

 The music was usually records, sometimes presented by a disc jockey.  There were also live bands.  How they are different from our dances today: › They are informal. › Didn’t really have to attend with a partner. › It didn’t have to be held in the evening hours.

 The way people danced back in the 50s reflects their culture because in the dances their was not as much contact as there are now a days. If they saw the way we dance at our “sock hops” they wouldn’t believe it. Their culture was all about being adults, growing up quickly and being respectful and the dances reflected that perfectly by not being very touchy and having an exact way to dance.

 Steele-Carlin, Sherril. "Some Favorite 50s Dances." Fifties Sixties Fashion, TV, Movies, Hair, Food, Cars, 50's 60's Facts and History about 1950's and 1960's - Clip Art and Information. 14 July Web. 21 Feb  "_Group dances of the 1950s_." Swing and Lindy Hop in DC. Web. 21 Feb  Wikipedia contributors. "Hand jive -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 11 Jan Web. 18 Feb  Watson, Sonny. "West Coast Swing History." Street Swing. 27 Sept Web. 17 Feb  "West Coast Swing Canada - The History." Home. Web. 22 Feb