Rock N Roll Dance Classes

Rock n Roll was one of the most influential developments of the 20th century. Once it grabbed popular culture, it never let go. Music and dance go hand in hand. Music inspires dancing and Rock was no exception. It started a trend in dance that still has yet to end. That trend in the dance craze. Specific types of music or even single songs inspired the formation of new dances that caught the fancy of the young crowd and spread across the nation and the world like wild fire.

Rock n Roll is especially suited to dancing because it has irregular rhythm and backbeat. This revived older dances and put a new spin on them. The jitterbug came back strong and the Foxtrot never ceased to fit into the new music. But new dances came around as well. Dick Clark's American Bandstand was the TV show not to miss if you wanted to keep up with the latest dance styles. The evolution of dance in Rock continued through the twist, on to funk, disco, and techno. It will continue to inspire the next dance craze as well.

The dance craze is characterized by its short length of popularity but wide acceptance. During the period when Rock n Roll came into being, 1950-1970, there was a new dance craze nearly every week. As with most styles of popular dance these were inspired by the African American culture that was at the clubs in large cities frequently. Some of the most popular crazes included the Madison, the Swim, Mashed Potato, Twist, Frug, Watusi, Shake, Hitchhike, Pony, Dog, Chicken, etc. There was an amazingly fast standardization of these dances when they were printed in teen magazines. Some crazes were even choreographed to certain songs and published.

Some musical artists even composed specifically for the dance scene. The challenge was to write a song that would inspire a new dance craze. The most notable of these is The Loco-Motion. Even today, songs are written to inspire a dance craze. Today, crazes are aided by further media such as music videos. In 1971 the dance crazes were listed and there were nearly 100. The number has multiplied since then. Rock n Roll dance crazes of yesterday are still popular today. Dance studios often offer dance classes in these styles to the old tunes. Check out your local options today and start having fun.