1. Popular Dances

2. Popular Dance and the Youth Culture
-The discovery of new popular dance forms has long been a special interest of teens.
-This social trend had its roots in the earliest dance crazes of the 20th century.
-A parallel societal theme has been the reaction of adults to the new dance crazes – mostly disapproval.
-Each has been scorned by their parents generation as outrageous or irreverent.
-Each new dance has been viewed by teens as a reaffirmation of their independence.

3. -In the 1920’s, America started listening to Hot Jazz.
Charleston
-In the 1920’s, America started listening to Hot Jazz.
-A youthful rebellion against the straight laced standards of conduct was becoming viewed as old-fashioned:
-19th amendment – women were allowed to vote
-Laws prohibiting alcohol production
-The radio –a new invention – brought music into the homes of millions
-Young women wore skirts above the knee, rolled stockings, and cut their hair in short bobs
-The dance associated with this trend became a Jazz Age icon – the Charleston.
-It was danced everywhere including ledges of skyscrapers and wings of airplanes.
Hot Jazz Example:

4. -that was a characteristic of twentieth-century social dancing
-The Charleston is an athletic dance that includes kicks and inward leg rotations on syncopated beats of music.
-It was introduced in 1923 in the successful African American musical “Runnin’ Wild”.
-danced to the tune “Charleston” by pianist and composer James P. Johnson
-The Charleston represented a shift away from couple dancing toward individual expression.
-that was a characteristic of twentieth-century social dancing
Here’s an example of the Charleston:
Here’s how to dance the Charleston:

5. -American dance with roots in the African American community
Tap Dancing
-Tap dancing is a step dance in which foot movements produce audible rhythms emphasized by small metal plates on the soles of the dancers shoes.
-American dance with roots in the African American community
-originated in the rhythmic dances of enslaved Africans merged with the fancy footwork of the Irish step dance.
-Feet are used as percussive instruments.
-bright-sounding metal taps at the toe and heel of the shoe communicates complex rhythms
-Tap dancers improvise elaborate rhythms by shifting their weight nimbly from foot to foot.
-Tap dancers use their arms for balance and turn in space.
Basic Tap Dance Moves:

6. -The style featured fast and very difficult footwork.
-With the coming of ragtime music, a syncopated rhythm called “buck and wing” evolved.
-The style featured fast and very difficult footwork.
-Most famous dancer of this style was Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.
-grandson of enslaved African who sparked the tap craze when he was “discovered” in 1928.
-Was 50 years old when he was discovered
-danced on the balls of his feet which gave his tap dancing a feeling of lightness.
-Appeared in 14 Hollywood movies, including “Stair Dance”.
Bill “Bojangles” Robinson:

7. -White dancers, however, were able to star in Hollywood musicals
-Unfortunately, racial prejudice restricted the roles played in films by most African American tap dancers.
-White dancers, however, were able to star in Hollywood musicals
-Included Ruby Keeler, Eleanor Powell, Gene Kelly, and Fred Astaire.
-Fred Astaire partnered with Ginger Rodgers and was condidered to be one of the best dancers of his generation.
-He’s credited with introducing ballroom dance into a mix of tap, ballet, and other styles.
-He brought glamour and sophistication into the lives of Depression-era Americans.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers:
Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell:
Gene Kelly – Singin’ in the Rain:

8. -only 14 years old in the film
-From the 1940’s to the 1960’s, tap dancers found very little work in theaters or nightclubs.
-A tap renaissance began in the 1970’s with Broadway shows such as Eubie, featuring the music of Eubie Blake.
Eubie:
-The 1989 film Tap introduced the next tap dance superstar, Savion Glover.
-only 14 years old in the film
-Has appeared on “Monday Night Football” and “Sesame Street” bringing tap to diverse audiences.
-gained fame for choreographing “Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk” which portrays African American history through the medium of tap and other styles.
*Savion Glover:
Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk

9. -Great Depression of the 1930’s ended the prosperity of the Jazz Age.
Lindy Hop
-Great Depression of the 1930’s ended the prosperity of the Jazz Age.
-The Depression brought widespread unemployment and homelessness.
-Many Americans sought the escape from reality.
-Some found it in the overnight success stories told in movie musicals, which employed the new technology of synchronized sound.
-Many young African Americans in Manhatten’s Harlem section danced out their frustrations in the Savoy Ballroom
-this legendary ballroom had a dance floor a city block long.
-Featured two dance bands nightly including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and others.
-These bands developed a new style called Swing.
Count Basie – “Basie Boogie”

10. -Savoy dancers’ reaction to swing music was the Lindy Hop.
-A jazzy dance in which couples swing, balance, and twirl
-had an exciting feature – the breakaway – dance partners separated to freely improvise any movement they choose before coming back together.
Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood”:

11. The Latin Influence
-The dance music of Latin America, especially Cuba, became popular in American cities during the 1930’s and 1940’s.
-The Conga, and African-Cuban dance, gained popularity because of its catchy rhythm and because it’s easy and fun.
-Later, new Latin American dances – including the cha-cha, rumba, mambo, calypso, samba, and tango – captivated American dancers.
-The roots of many Latin American dance rhythms can be traced back to Africa
-music and dance of these cultures are generally inseparable.

12. -Through out the Americas, dance music shares some basic features:
-highly syncopated rhythms
-improvised drumming
-a variety of percussion instruments
-The mixture of African and Latin American rhythms has become the primary international influence on social dancing in the world today.
Steve Turre – shells and Latin jazz

13. The Tango
-The tango is a Latin American dance performed at a moderately slow, walk-like tempo in a 4/4 meter.
-The primary accents occur on beats 1 and 3.
How to dance the Argentine tango:
Argentine Tango dancers:

14. The Samba
-The Samba is an African-Brazilian dance that is faster, jazzier, and more syncopated than the tango.
-You can count the samba in a fast 4/4 meter, but you should feel it in strong two-beat groupings.
How to dance the samba:
Professional Samba dancers:

15. Rock n Roll
-As the 20th century reached its mid point, a phenomenon occurred that was to radically change the course of popular music.
-It was the introduction of a musical form that blended aspects of rhythm, blues, country, and gospel.
-It was played by small instrument combos with guitar and tenor saxophone and had strong backbeat accents.

16. -At first, he was only shown from the waist up.
-In 1951, Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed gave the new music a name that would stick: “rock n roll”. He borrowed the name from the title of the song; “My Baby Rocks me with a Steady Roll”.
-The performer still widely known as the “king” of rock n roll was Mississippi native Elvis Presley.
-He electrified American culture in 1956 with his appearances on national television.
-At first, he was only shown from the waist up.
-station executives thought his hip gyrations might offend some viewers
-emphasizing his hips and legs, this had actually been a feature of many African American dance styles.
-This was very new to other audiences.
Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock
Elvis Presley – Hound Dog

17. -The Twist is a solo dance, like other popular dances of the time
-Millions of Americans were soon swept up in a rock n roll dance sensation called the Twist.
-”The Twist” was both a dance and a song performed by rock singer Chubby Checker.
-The dance, which could be performed by anyone, was an international craze.
-The Twist is a solo dance, like other popular dances of the time
-included the Pony, the Frug, Mashed Potato, and the Watusi
How to dance the Twist and Mashed Potato:
Chubby Checker’s “The Twist”
The Wah Watusi:

18. Disco
-By the late 1960’s rock n roll became a music that was more often listened to than danced to.
-The new dance beat that took the world through the end of the war in Vietnam was called disco.
-eclectic mix of rhythm and blues, gospel, soul, and Latin Dance music.
-short for discotheque, meaning record library
-named for clubs where the music was played and danced to.
-music was from recordings – not a live band
-saved club owners money $$$ while permitting the club to feature the best dance music available.
-Discos created a new profession: the disc jockey
-job responsibilities include keeping the dance music flowing.

19. -Disco music was heavy on the beat and featured brass and other instruments that are seldom heard in rock music.
-It was high energy, upbeat music.
-Some disco dancing was free form with individuals dancing alone or joining groups.
-Most disco dancing, however, had set up patterns that brought dancers back into physical contact with their partners.
-Greatest hits:
-”I Will Survive”, by Gloria Gaynor
-”Stayin’ Alive”, by the Bee Gees