The Evolution of Dances

Story by E.J. Kruser

With all the buzz around Homecoming 2013, there are plenty of age-old traditions to discuss: the ceremonial bonfire, the pep rally, the big football game, but the most noteworthy event would have to be the Homecoming Dance. Now, we’ve all had grandma/grandpa pull us aside and tell us what life was like way back yonder in the good ol’ days of five cent moving picture shows. Once we learn to see past the freakishly long nose hair, we’re able  to uncover some insight into our American society’s progression. I remember Grampa Eldon telling me the story of his last high school dance before he was shipped off to the U.S. Army. From the details I was able to catch between my inevitable yawning fits, dances in the 1940’s were a formal, romanticized type of extravaganza full of jiving, swinging and chivalry. Upon recollecting my last dance, I remember being peer-pressured into joining what I heard was referred to as a “grinding train.” By no means could I, a staff writer for the PHS Voice, in good conscience condone such activity, but I would not condemn it, either. I’ll stay neutral in the debate over appropriate dancing techniques, and, instead of writing an opinionated article on why the act of teenagers “bumping uglies to the beat of the bass” is morally bankrupting America, I’d like to talk about the shifting of popular dance styles throughout the last century in our home: the Land of the Free, where it is up to us, the American people, to decide what is right and what is overly-sexualized.

At the turn of the 20th century, the most risque form of dance was a barefoot jig to the classical stylings of Chopin and Strauss. Shortly after, dances like the Foxtrot, the Shimmy, and the Charleston rose to popularity. In these times, scandal arose when a young lady exposed her shins on the dancefloor. Trends changed quickly, however, and by the time the 1940s rolled in, dresses were being acceptably hiked up to the knees for dances like the Jive, the Swing Trot, and the Harlem Shuffle. Fast-forward to the era of free love and disco, where dances like the Twist, the Robot, the Hustle, Moonwalking, the Worm, and breakdancing became common, and we can see just how rapidly the change in what is acceptable in American culture occurred. The Millenium brought few new options to dance, most notably the one-two-step and “krumping.” I don’t know what the term “krumping” means, but I do know this: the times are changing fast. For those of you who disapprove of the modern era’s choice of personal expression on the dancefloor, don’t  worry! According to trends, the newest provocative dance style is right around the corner! Just think, a century from now this “grinding train,” that I’m sure most of us are familiar with, will seem comparable to the famous 1911 “Bunny Hug” in terms of social acceptance. I, for one, am just glad to live in a country where we, the people, decide what is acceptable and what is not. You can dance if you want to.You can leave your friends behind. Because your friends don’t dance, and if they don’t, then they’re no friends of the American media.