Digging into my new collection of soul CDs (https://theafterword.co.uk/gimme-a-holler/), Wilson Pickett was on the virtual wheel of steel this morning with this fantastically energizing song – hasn’t he got an amazing voice?
Then I wondered – are there a thousand dances? What are the really good ones? Who can I consult for guidance on this? Do Afterworders live in the land of 1000 dances – maybe they’ll fill me in on this?
Wikipedia thinks there are about 500…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dances
Was in a friend’s record shop t’other day. On the counter was the dance moves for ‘Do the Stanley’ by Stackridge.
Dance moves are
Wring your right foot
Wring your left foot
Wring both feet.
Miserable sod who won’t join in.
Would have put the photo on by not sure about the copyright issues now, so look it up.( That is if you want, I know @Beany won’t have to.
Did they count this one?
Is it me but my impression of this demographic is that dancing may not be a collective strength? And even if we do occasionally throw some shapes, I suspect most will be told to stop. I may be wrong but I doubt it.
Speak for yourself!
So you’re the old guy who always dances with his gloves on!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnSDqwtO0s4
I might wear those for pleasure but I prefer driving gives for work.
I doubt it too Retro. Few Travoltas or Beyonces among out motley crew. Although I’d be delighted that we have more than dad-dancers in our midst.
Only 500 sounds a little conservative to me. How do they count?
The national dance of Finland, for example, the Finnish tango is a very different beast to its Argentinian före-runner. Very slow, melancholic and I flamboyant. Finnish men are a nation of wallflowers and so there is little hope of them dancing at all, until they’ve had a skinful.
To ensure the survival of the nation, the dance halls introduced “naisentanssi”: a ladies’ excuse me session every dance night. This is not genteel. You say no to a Finnish lady who wants to tango at risk of your life.
Humppa, Jenkka and Finnish tango are all mentioned, @kaisfatdad, as well as Argentine,
Uruguayan, Ballroom, Brazilian and Chinese tango.
How do they count? 1-2-3, 1-2-3 – waltz time, of course…
Quantic played in Cologne tonight and I would have loved to have gone to see them (small children put a stop to that..) I bet there would have been a few dancers there. Not that I go to many gigs these days, but when I do, I’d rather be up the front, throwing myself around than standing, stroking my chin at the back. Isn’t it just a bit bizarre that people go to a live music event and just stand and stare?
Is the Pogo an “official” dance. It’s the only one I can do.
That, and the “walking round in a circle slow dance”
Oh yes! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogo_(dance))
“Pogo dancers have their choice of:
* Keeping their torsos rigid or thrashing them about;
* Holding their arms stiffly at their sides or flailing them;
* Keeping their legs together or kicking about;
* Jumping straight up and down, jumping in any direction, or spinning in the air.”
Of the accepted variants, I am strictly arms by the side and bounce up and down on the spot.
Bouncing is good
Goth dancing isn’t listed. I wonder why that might be.
Shouldn’t they be hanging round a war memorial somewhere?
Let’s throw to Soul Brother Number One.
That man was fluid!!
“More fluid than Jeff Beck.” (in-joke for Johnny-c)
Come on Punky, let’s get funky!
That Wiki list is rather impressively comprehensive. And is doubtless added to as new dances are created. The Novelty and Fad dance section would be fun to explore. The poor Twist is still a novelty dance despite the fact that it has been going strong for so long.
Chaps stroking their chins at gigs is such a widespread phenomenon it is almost a minimalistic dance form.
Agree about dancing at a gig. One of the highlights of Roskilde 2016 for me, Sal, was Andersson.Paak. The whole crowd was moving and grooving. Honourable mention also for LCD Sound System who are wonderfully funky in their own quirky way.
The Bryden Two-Step (for amphibians)?
The Funky Alphonso?
How about the dance invented by Loius XIV when he had a fever? Judging by the episode of Verailles the other night, it looked like something Adam Ant might have done. No idea what it was called?
The original version by Chris Kenner lays out a few more dances than the cover. But he doesn’t do the ‘na na na na’ chorus. That was added by Cannibal & The Headhunters (uncredited and unrewarded).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDxfCywWgaE