50’s Dance Steps to Teach Your Students
Sunday, 20. December 2009
If you are looking for a good idea for your next dance recital, search no further. The 1950s provide great ideas for costumes, music, and dance routines. There are many different styles of dancing, but here are a few ideas.
The Swing – Even though this dance was made famous in the 1920s, swing was still a popular choice is the 50s. Find some good jazz music from the era. Students will have a lot of fun with rhythm and energy swing dancing provides.
The Bop – The Bop, also known as Boppin’, uses a lot of heel and toe tapping. It’s normally a solo dance, but for a recital it can incorporate more dancers. Find Blues or Rockabilly music that will have your dancers dancing and tapping.
The Stroll – The stroll requires two lines of dancers, where dancers do a step pattern to advance the line forward. There can be solos done through out the lines, and eventually the lines can eventually join together at the end. You can continue this type of dancing through out the song, with a fun finale at the end tying it together.
The Hand Jive – This 50s dance works well with rock and roll or the rhythm and blues music of the 1950s. This style involves a lot of hand moves and claps, as well as sometimes imitating the percussion instruments of the movies. This dance is sure to be fun for dancing students due to the fun thigh slapping, fist pounding, and elbow touching moves. If you are looking for inspiration for your choreography, check out the movie Grease’s musical display of the song “Born to Hand Jive”.
The Cha Cha – This dance is named after its Cuban music under the same name. Use classic 50s Cuban music to make the dance more authentic. This is a fun dance that shows a lot of energy with its steady beat.
Rock and Roll – Rock and Roll dance is very athletic and originated from the Lindy Hop. Rock and Roll is choreographed, unlike the Lindy Hop, and is a great idea for a performance piece. This acrobatic style can work for all girl groups or couples. Use Rock-And-Roll music and let your dancers have fun.
The Madison – The Madison is a line dance made popular in the later 50s. It features a regular pattern of going back and forth, along with steps that are called out by a cuer. A good example of the Madison is seen on the movie Hairspray.
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