The 1960s saw the rise of communal dances with vivid names like the mashed potato, fly, penguin, monkey, swim, and funky chicken. The Twist was the most popular dance, followed by other twist songs from various artists. The dances moved away from partner dancing. Other popular dances included the Locomotion, the Duck, the Hanky Panky, the Camel Walk, and the Do the Freddie. Some dances caused controversy, with BYU banning all “fashion dances” in 1966 and Buffalo banning the Twist in 1962.
Communal dances of the 1960s featured the ability to dance without a partner. The dances also shared vivid names. These unique dances included the mashed potato, fly, penguin, monkey, swim and funky chicken. Some sources state that as late as 1960 dances were introduced in the 1500s.
Just one of the 1960s dances that created the biggest craze was The Twist, which debuted, earlier in the decade, on The Dick Clark Show. The Twist originated with the song of the same name, originally released by Hank Ballard. ChubChecker, who only had one previous hit song, has released a new version of the song. Checker’s success continued with over a dozen hits that decade, many of which contributed to the most popular dances.
The simplicity of The Twist dance has made it popular with all ages. The movement was simple: put one foot forward and rotate it back and forth as you rotate your hips from side to side. More twist songs followed by artists including Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, The Beatles, Gary “US” Bonds, Sam Cooke and more.
The communal dances of the 1960s moved away from the touch partner dance that had been popular in previous decades. As a dance, The Mashed Potato originated from songs by Steve Alaimo, James Brown and Dee Dee Sharp. There are variations, but some descriptions of this dance involve both arms placed in front of the body. While alternately grinding each foot, the performer waves the arms one at a time. The concept was that the actor seemed to mash potatoes with his feet.
Just as you might imagine, the dance called the Monkey, another popular dance from this decade, mimicked the antics of the animal it was named after. The dancers grappled with their partners while waving their arms, bobbing their heads, scratching, and hopping. Major Lance introduced the dance in 1963 with the hit “The Monkey Time”.
Other popular dances of the 1960s included the Locomotion, the Duck, the Hanky Panky, the Camel Walk and the Do the Freddie. Many of the dances have caused controversy. In one case, Brigham Young University (BYU) banned all “fashion dances” in 1966 and Buffalo banned the Twist in 1962.
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