Can You Still Do These 10 Dances From The 1960s?

By | August 7, 2018

test article image
Chubby Checker leads Conway Twitty and Dick Clark through the dance the Twist, 1960. The vibrations' 'The Watusi.' Source: Getty, discogs.com

So many great songs of the 1960s inspired their own dances. Teeny-boppers were quick to adopt the dances moves that they observed on television dance shows, like American Bandstand, and added them into their repertoire at their local sock hop, helping to spread the popularity of these dances. Many of these dances have become ingrained in our society and have become symbols of the sixties American pop culture. In fact, a few of them are still staples at wedding receptions even today, and they are still just as popular, beating out some of the more contemporary dances like “The Macarena”, “The Harlem Shake” and “Gangnam Style.” 

Everyone Loves "The Twist"

test article image

Chubby Checker’s 1959 song, “The Twist”, was actually the B-side of the record with “Teardrops on Your Letter” by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters on the A-side. It was Dick Clark, the popular host of American Bandstand, that first observed teens in Florida doing the Twist and suggested that Ballard write an accompanying song. Cameo Records loved the tune but opted to have Chubby Checker sing it because Checkers had a more wholesome image that appealed to parents. The Twist was an enormous hit that swept the country. The popularity of the dance waned in the mid-sixties when parents started dancing to it, too, much to the embarrassment of their kids.