For centuries, dancing has brought people together to enjoy themselves (and occasionally manages to make large groups of people look a little ridiculous.) Here are some of the dance crazes throughout history.
1934
The Jitterbug
The Jitterbug essentially is swing dancing where a man twirls his partner away from him and back and boosts her into the air.
Early 1960s
The Twist
Chubby Checker recorded “The Twist” in June 1959, but it didn’t become popular until August 1960 when he performed it on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.”
Mid-1970s
Disco
In the mid-70s, discos were opening and closing across the nation. In late 1977, John Travolta and the movie “Saturday Night Fever” made the scene explode.
1979
The Y.M.C.A.
You can thank the Village People for this dance. “Y.M.C.A.” spent 26 weeks on Billboard’s Top 100 (the actual YMCA also threatened to sue the band before dropping the case).
1980s
Breakdancing
Historians say breakdancing was used by rival gangs as a substitute for violence. In 1980, the Rock Steady Crew started making it popular in the streets of New York.
1983
The Moonwalk
Michael Jackson first performed this dance at Motown’s 25th anniversary special. The Moonwalk gives the illusion that the dancer is walking forward while moving backward.
1989
The Electric Slide
The Electric Slide was choreographed in the 1970s for Marcia Griffith’s song “Electric Boogie.” But it caught on when it was re-released in the late ’80s.
