Popular dances in the 1960s included dancers’ capabilities of dancing with no dance partners. The 1960s dances similarly shared vibrant names. The popular dances in the 1960s consisted of the Fly, the Mashed Potato, the Funky Chicken, the Penguin, the Swim and the Monkey. However, several sources still maintain that at least five hundred dances were launched initially in the 1960.
However, one of the popular dances in the 1960s in history that led to a large obsession was The Twist first appearing in the beginning of the decade on Dick Clark Show. This dance initiated a song by Hank Ballard that used the same title. A man called Chubby Chucker, who specifically achieved a single minor hit song, managed to release a newer version of the same prior hit song. Chubby’s triumph went on with more than twelve of his hit songs in the same decade. As a result, most popular dances in the 1960s got their styles from these hits.
The straightforwardness of the Twist dance made it well liked with all sorts of ages. Movements required was easy: place a single foot at the front then twist the foot backwards and forwards while moving the hips sideways. Extra twist songs performed by musicians such as The Beatles, Sam Cookie, Gary U.S., Bonds and Hank Ballard & the Midnighters followed.
The twist is normally done by dancers standing with their feet roughly shoulder width separate. The torso, squared to the hips and knees or similarly inclined at angles, must ensure that one foot is far away from the other. The arms on the other side ought to be away from the body and bent just around the elbow. The torso, legs and hips rotate around the feet balls as one component, with arms relatively immobile. The feet have to grind on the floor in a backwards, forwards movement- that way, the dance rate will vary, and there will be variance in the vertical height and intensity of the dance as well. From time to time, one leg has to be lifted away from the floor for additional style. Generally, dance postures are low, with floor in contact with the feet, using little vertical motions.
Popular dances in the 1960s did not really put into consideration the aspect of dancing partners being in contact, like in recent years. The Mashed Potato dancing style came along with songs performed by Dee Dee Sharp, Steve Alaimo and James Brown. To spice it all up, there are differences but quite a number of these dance descriptions engage all arms placed at the front part of dancers’ bodies. While alternately grinding every foot, performers flutter their arms, one after the other. The idea brought out from this dance is that the performers were mashing potatoes using their feet hence the name Mashed Potato.
Just as people would see in their minds’ eyes, The Monkey Dance, also part of the popular dances in the 1960s, emulated the tricks of monkeys. In this dance, performers face their counterparts at the same time as they bobbled their heads, waved their arms, hopped and scratched. With the hit song labeled The Monkey Time, Major Lance pioneered the Monkey Dance in 1963.
Some of the other popular 1960 dances consisted of Do the Freddie, the Locomotion, the Camel Walk, the Duck and the Hanky Panky. Since these dances were numerous, they created disagreements. In a certain case, Brigham Young University prohibited Buffalo and all the ‘fad dances’ and in 1962 and 1966 respectively. That aside, most of the popular dances in the 1960s remained ‘untouched’.