Dancin' Fools

RadishRose

RadishRose

SF VIP
Location
Connecticut, USA
Yes, I was one. Not only was I lucky enough have jazz and "ballroom" lessons as a child, but knew and danced all the current moves of our youth. How about you?

Remember doing the Bop? How about the Stroll, The Mashed Potatoes, The Limbo? What others do you recall?

How did you Slow-Dance; both arms around each other, or...?

Girls, do you remember the boy's body or hands trembling while you danced and sweaty palms? My mother explained they were very nervous and to try to ignore it.
 

I was a two left feet kind of klutz. Always stepped on my dates feet when he wasn't stepping on mine. I've got absolutely no rhythm whatsoever. I always enjoy watching people who can dance though.
 

Good topic RR :)

Anytime I hear rock n roll music my feet and body still move to the beat, more while I'm sitting down now, lol.....
always was a mover and shaker doing the the Jerk, the Twist, the Locomotion, Watusi, Hully Gully and any new dance craze that was hip and in....remembering a cousin who lived in the suburbs and I in the thick city....when I was invited to her high school dances, the kids would beg me to teach them the newest moves....I felt so special back then :)
 
The Jerk, Mashed Potatoes, Swim, Monkey, Shing-a-Ling, Pony, Philly Dog....those are the ones I remember most from the 60s. Funky Chicken came later and was a lot of fun.

My first real bf and I went on a regional TV dance show (someone had paired us up) and after that we actually began dating.

Slow dancing...aaahhh...that was a prelude to heavy making out in the car. :)

Nerdy guys who were good dancers became popular real fast, even if they were short. They were always first on the floor with the girls while the other guys stood and watched.
 
Every afternoon I remember watching all those dances in the late 50's and early 60's on Dick Clarks American Bandstand. I rocked with the best of them sitting in my Dad's old rocking chair. i have two left feet and have never danced a step in my life.
 
Speaking of guys' sweaty palms.....

My mother was the dancing queen of Norfolk during WWII. She belonged to three USOs (you were officially supposed to stick to only one, but.....) and went dancing 6-7 times a week with "the boys in blue". She was a secretary at the Naval Shipyards and since she lived at home and wasn't expected to pay any room and board, she spent every penny on clothes; beautiful long dresses to dance in, etc.

Because of rationing and the need for silk to be saved for the war effort, most of the dresses were made of cheap rayon. Before she figured out what happened, she said she could get about three wearings of a dress and then there would be holes at the waistline. She finally realized that it was the boys' sweaty palms; she might dance with as many as 30 boys in one evening and the perspiration from their hands was actually eating away at the rayon. So she had her mother run her up a bunch of wide sashes that she could wrap around her waist to save the dress material. She said she started a new fashion and everybody wanted sashes.

I've been a bad dancer all my life. I think it's because we had ballroom dancing classes in gym class on Fridays and I always had to be the male, because I was tall. So I learned to lead and couldn't ever "follow" after that. Besides the fact that I'm really clumsy and have no rhythm. Like Ruth, I came home and watched American Bandstand and tried so hard to learn to do the dances. Didn't work.

I was a good "twister" though, so I enjoyed the dances during my Freshman year in high school.

I did take ballet and tap lessons as a child. The teacher suggested to my mother that I take up piano instead.
 
Loved the twist, mashed potato,the stroll and all the rest of them. Up until my strike I loved country dancing also. I still have to move when those oldies come on!!
 
jujube said:
Speaking of guys' sweaty palms.....

My mother was the dancing queen of Norfolk during WWII. She belonged to three USOs (you were officially supposed to stick to only one, but.....) and went dancing 6-7 times a week with "the boys in blue". She was a secretary at the Naval Shipyards and since she lived at home and wasn't expected to pay any room and board, she spent every penny on clothes; beautiful long dresses to dance in, etc.


I was a good "twister" though, so I enjoyed the dances during my Freshman year in high school.

I did take ballet and tap lessons as a child. The teacher suggested to my mother that I take up piano instead.
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I loved this story about your mother.... thanks, Jujube.
 
How about the Frug? I won a dance contest doing that one.

If I ever tried any of those dances today, I'd probably end up in the hospital.... especially the Mashed Potatoes.
 
I'm a ballroom dancer, I go dancing every week, been doing it for years!

But all my life I've loved to move my body to music. I loved the fast dances, but enjoyed the quiet music tool. We'd call those by various names... slow dance/belly rub/prom hang.

Oooh! Remember the Bump? Loved that one!!

I line dance too. I live in nashville so there are all kinda music venues here. One that's been around for forever is called The Nashville Palace! It's country songs, house band, huge dance floor so there's lots of line dancing and country waltzes and such. It's not Ballroom, but I love that place for a fun change of pace!

nashvillepalace.jpg

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At our yearly high school dances, 1965 thru 1967, we all danced in a circle. I didn't go to my Senior Prom in 1968,, so don't know how they danced.

I got into Square Dancing in the middle 80's and got really good at Plus dancing. I was in a singles group that was filmed Square Dancing in high school gym and appeared on the tv show, Solid Gold. When I met my wife in 2000, she had just graduated from a Square Dance class. We invited some folks from two Square Dance clubs, and a Caller, to our wedding. We all "squared-up" and danced at our Reception.

Along with Square Dancing, I also learned some Country-Western dancing, as in, 2-Step and Texas Swing, and got very good at both. During that time, I'd actually have ladies ask me to dance at a nightclub. That really gave me confidence.

My wife has a blast dancing to some Motown Music, like music from The Temptations, at home in our living room. I can keep a descent dance beat to a good Classic Rock song.

But, today, due to my hip replacement and rotator cuff surgeries, almost all of our "dancing days" are gone. BUT, not all of it. We can still slow dance to a good Country-Western song...……..and LOVE doing it.

Almost forgot, I got pretty good at Disco dancing, way back in the day. John Travolta had nothing over me...…..LOL
 
ClassicRockr said:
Along with Square Dancing, I also learned some Country-Western dancing, as in, 2-Step and Texas Swing, and got very good at both. During that time, I'd actually have ladies ask me to dance at a nightclub. That really gave me confidence.
Click to expand...

This is the kind of dancing we do at the Nashville Palace, mentioned above!! I will happily dance any country dance that I'm asked to, but I do love 2-Step!!!
 
I loved dancing. My friends and I went to dances 3x's a week from when we were in 8th grade. I was in my 2nd year of high School when I met the love of my life. He didn't like to fast dance so I was allowed to dance them with his friends, but the slow dances were only for me and him.
 
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