Novelty and fad dances

Novelty and fad dances are dances which are typically characterized by a short burst of popularity. Some of them may get longer-lasting life. They are also called dance fads or dance crazes.

Dancing Twist, East Berlin, 17 May 1964

Fad dances

As the pop music market exploded 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, the Mexican-American 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 exploit recent successful novelties.

In the early 1970s the disco spawned a succession of dance fads including the Bump, the Hustle, and the YMCA. This continued in the 1980s with the popular song "Walk like an Egyptian", 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 survived to the present day, 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.

Notable novelty and fad dances

Pre-1950s

Year	Dance
1909	The Grizzly Bear
1926	Charleston
1930s	Duckwalk
1933	Carioca
1936	Suzie Q
1937	The Lambeth Walk
1940	Thunder Clap
1941	Conga
mid-1940s	Hokey cokey

1950s

Year	Dance
1950s	Bomba
1950s	The Chicken
1952	Bunny Hop
1957	Sock hop
1957	The Meatstick
1958	Madison
1958	The Stroll
1959	Hully Gully

1960s

Year	Dance
1960	Shimmy
1960	Twist
1961	The Chicken Walk
1961	Pony
1962	The Gravy ("On My Mashed Potato")
1962	The Loco-Motion
1962	Martian Hop
1962	Mashed Potato
1962	The Monster Mash
1962	The Swim
1962	Watusi
1963	Chicken Dance
1963	Hitch hike
1963	Monkey
1964	The Frug
1964	Jerk
1965	The Freddie
1965	Limbo
1966	Batusi
1966	The Shake

1970s

Year	Dance
1970s	Sprinkler
1971	Penguin
1972	Hustle
1973	Time Warp
1975	Bump
1975	Tragedy
mid-1970s	Grinding
1976	Car Wash
1976	Electric Slide
1976	Robot
1977	The Running Man
1978	Y.M.C.A.
1979	Little Apple

1980s

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

1990s

Year	Dance
1990s	The Carlton
1990s	Locomía
1990	Boot Scootin' Boogie
1990	Do the Bartman
1990	Hammer
1990	The Humpty
1990	Vogue
1991	The Urkel
1992	Achy Breaky Heart (Line dance)
1992; 1994; 1996	Macarena
1994	Saturday Night
1996	Tic, Tic Tac
1997	Thizzle
1998	La Bomba (not to be confused with Bomba)
1998	The Roger Rabbit
1998	Tootsee Roll

2000s

Year	Dance
2000	Cha Cha Slide
2001	Caramelldansen
2002	Algorithm March
2002	The Ketchup Song
2003	Dutty Wine
2004	Lean Back
2005	Letkajenkka (aka Letkajenka, Letkiss, Letka-Enka)
2006	Chicken Noodle Soup
2006	Daggering
2006	Laffy Taffy
2006	Lean wit it, Rock wit it (aka Snap dance)
2006	Shoulder Lean
2007	Crank That
2007	Cupid Shuffle
2007	Dougie
2008	Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
2009	Jerkin'
2009	Stanky Legg

2010s

Year	Dance
2010	Danza Kuduro
2011	The Creep
2011	Wobble
2012	Gangnam Style
2012	The Smurf
2013	Twerking
2014	Nae Nae
2015	Dab
2015	Hit the Quan
2015	Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)
2017	Dame Tu Cosita
2017	Shoot
2018	The Floss
2018	Level Up
2018	Skibidi
2019	The Git Up

2020s

Year	Dance
2020	Toosie Slide
2020	Laxed Siren Beat

See also

• Outline of dance for a list of general dance topics.
• Summer hit
• List of specific dances for a general, noncategorized index of dances

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.

External links

• Streetswing.com's Dance History Archives hosts a large information base about more than thousand dances.
• Dance Crazes of the 50s & 60s - by Dr. Frank Hoffmann
• sixtiescity - 60s Dance and Dance Crazes
• Go-Go Dancing - Fad and Novelty Dances from the 1960s at Little Miss Go-Go!