Fad dances are dances which are characterized by a short burst of popularity.
Dance crazes have been a part of social dancing for some time. In the Renaissance and after, European monarchs and nobles played host to a long succession of dance fashions, many of which spread into wider society.
In the 20th century the advent of records caused novelty dances to arise and disappear much more frequently, spurred by printed media, radio, movies, television and the internet. As the pop music market exploded in the late 1950s successive dance fads were commercialized and exploited. From the 1950s to the 1970s new dance fads appeared almost every week.
There are fad dances which are meant to be danced individually, 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. Only some have survived to the present day, sometimes only as the name of a step or of a style 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.
It seems like every generation has their own dance craze. Whether it’s the Jitterbug of the 20’s, the Twist of the late 50’s/early 60’s, or the Macarena of the 90’s, many of these dance fads don’t last very long. In the clip from British Pathé, you’ll see 8 dance crazes that came and went, well before the above mentioned fads. Some of them you’ve probably heard of, but some of them are quite obscure.
What do you think of the 8 dance crazes that were mentioned in the video? What dance crazes do you remember? Use the comments section below and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear from you!
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