Dancing in 1940 proved to be the most highly colorful and varied in years. Owing to the reaction of this war, as in the war twenty years ago, dancing as an expression of relaxation, diversion and much needed gaiety has reached a new peak of importance.
Dances from all corners of the earth contributed varied motifs. The Rhumba from Cuba, the Conga, the Argentine's Tango, La Varsoviana from Warsaw, the Java from Australia, the Polka from Czecho-slovakia (once Little Bohemia), the Lambeth Walk, Chestnut Tree, Boomps-a-Daisy from England, the Hula-Formal (a ballroom version of the Hula-Hula from Hawaii), the Viennese Waltz of the old Vienna, and others — all have created the real dance stimulation of the American ballroom.
Dances born in America, such as all the old squares, have run the imports, as mentioned above, a good second — the squares, the ever popular fox trot, the waltz, and game-participation dances have also been highly popular in 1940.
Hill-Billy music, Back-to-the-Soil slogans, Gay Nineties trends, or possibly the ever-obvious evolution of everything brought back this definite vogue in square dancing. Dances like the Oh Susanna, the Virginia Reel, Captain Jinks, and many others were being done in all the swank hotels and night clubs on both coasts.
In complete contrast to the dignity and romance which accompanied the dances which came from other countries to America, and in definite contrast to our own fondly-remembered square dances, the Lindy Hop became acceptable to both the jitterbugs and the socialites. Seen on Broadway this dance took on almost an acrobatic form; seen in a country club in Westchester it had a jumpy elegance. On the whole, and to every type of person, the Lindy Hop offered both exercise and amusement.
The participation dance — or the game-dance — grew in popularity in 1940; the idea being that participation dancing was completely sociable. Exhibition dances, or watching others dance, became less popular as the dining and dancing crowd developed the desire to take part in the party themselves. This feature, during 1940, was possibly the most definitely new one in dancing. Through this development, the 'Champagne Hour' was introduced in hotels all over the country, when the teachers would first demonstrate the dance then ask the guests to take part, the guest winning the most applause would then be awarded the prize. This 'hour,' or Interlude, would generally end in participation dances, such as the Oh Susanna, the Koky-Koky, etc., when all the contestants would take part.
La Varsoviana, a dance known west of the Mississippi as the Little Foot, became popular during 1940. With a strange history — coming out of Warsaw, into Paris, then Mexico with Maximilian, then into our Southwest, the Little Foot made its own history, Combining the old Mazurka and Schottische steps, this dance offered the American ballrooms a new flavor of an old country.
The Latin-American dances had reached a high peak that was hard to retain; 1940 found the Rhumba accepted practically as one of our standard four: Tango, Fox Trot, Waltz and Rhumba. The Conga did a lot to wear itself out.
Hawaiian music and dancing came into the foreground, many Hawaiian night clubs opened, and the Hula-Formal — a ballroom adaptation of the Hula — gave Hawaiian dance music a new importance.
A 1940 summary of ballroom dances, as endorsed and participated in by over 750,000 pupils of modern dancing would be: the Fox Trot, Rhumba, Waltz, Tango, Conga, Americonga, Rhumba-reel, the Hula-Formal, Little Foot, American Waltz, the Java, Polka, all square dances and game dances, Lindy-Hop, and numerous ideas that come under the heading of Participation Dances which are 1940's outstanding gift to America's dancing public.
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