Closely paralleling the 'dance craze' of 1914-19, the new crop of social dance trends which came into prominence during 1941 show a marked relationship to the turn of world events. Civilian nerves, frayed by screaming headlines, tense radio bulletins and vivid newsreels of the war, found in social dancing not only a valuable recreation facility but also an indispensable safety valve for the stored-up energy of trainees. The cumulative tension of watching the War gradually approach our own shores and finally, our entry toward the end of the year, produced a heightened popularity for social dancing since, among other socialized media of expression, it provides free activity for counteracting mental anxiety.
The widespread distribution of the 'juke box,' or coin-controlled phonograph, the boom in record sales, the rise to prominence of several popular orchestras, and of course, the radio, provided music practically at one's fingertips. Dancing achieved much of its increased popularity from the ubiquitous presence of new music and more from the tempo of the times.
During the year there were unprecedented demands for professional dance instruction, with the Arthur Murray schools alone enrolling more than 800,000 students at 45 centers throughout the country and at leading summer and winter resorts. Trained teachers were sent to army camps and service organizations' headquarters to provide free instruction, and classes for men in uniform were held regularly in New York.
In form, the new dances show unquestionable influence from actual history-in-the-making. Couple dances manifested more movement than in pre-war years; group-participation dances were brought back from the vigorous frontier era. And, at least one result of our fruitful 'Good Neighbor' policy was an unprecedented favoring of Latin-American dance rhythms and patterns.
It is interesting to note that the Argentine Tango fell slightly out of favor during the year; its languid and sophisticated rhythms seemed unsuited to the frenetic tempo of the time. The need for energetic steps helped to retain the Conga's popularity. Of Afro-Cuban origin, the Conga had already caught popular fancy in 1940, but during the past year it was considerably retailored to fit home and crowded public dance floor limitations. Also, though it rose to fame as an active line dance, it has lately been more widely performed by separate couples, thereby allowing more people on the same dancing space at one time. The one-two-three kick, pattern was changed to one-two-three pause, retaining favorite 'breaks' in which the separate partners may execute steps and improvisations as intricate or as simple as they wish.
Another South-of-the-Border dance, which also increased in public favor during the year, was the ballroom Rumba, a refined version of the Cuban Danzon. The Brazilian Samba, featured in several motion pictures of the year, was soon performed on the dance floors of leading ballrooms and hotels. Like the Rumba, the Samba is danced by couples in a two-four step pattern with a six-eight musical accompaniment. But, where the Rumba includes a syncopated pause on the fourth beat, the Samba substitutes a lift of the torso, accounting for the sense of greater airiness and bounce which, again, seems more in keeping with the tempo of the times.
Since the introduction of swing music there has been a popular fascination for Lindy and Jitterbug dancing. Last year saw the short-lived popularity of the Congaroo in the East. This combined elements of both Jitterbug and Conga, but proved, however, too exhibitionistic for regular public performance. The current trend toward sophisticated swing music has witnessed the rise of the more routine version of Jitterbug dancing, divested of much of its original abandon and improvisation. This was accepted readily at the better hotel ballrooms and sanctioned by army morale divisions and defense recreation authorities.
The country sensed a deepening of patriotism, and this is perhaps one of the most potent factors in the upward swing in popularity taken by American folk and group dances. Increased study of our native folklore and culture patterns had produced a general interest in these dances a few years ago; but in 1941 square and barn dancing became an integral part of urban dance affairs throughout the country. Traditional calls resounded through ballrooms, school gymnasiums and community centers while large groups were directed to:
'Balance to your partners, ladies, Salute your partners, all, Swing your partners, gents, And promenade the hall.'
The year also saw the Polka danced in both its original folk form and in the less breath-catching ballroom style which does not entail as much hopping. The Swing Polka was popular for some time, combining as it did, the Polka step and modern swing music.
Also considered in this group are game and group-participation dances. Since the innovation of the Big Apple there have been several variations of this group dance. The outstanding version in 1941 was the Coky Coky. This was performed in a circle, with the group acting out the movements included in such a verse:
'Now you're doing the Coky Coky, Now you're doing the Pepsy Coky. Coky Coky, Pepsy Coky, what's it all about?
'You put your right foot in, You put your right foot out, You give yourself a shake, shake, shake, And turn yourself about.'
Basically, the Waltz and Foxtrot retained their customary hold on the dancing public. But in this year of new dance forms, even these old standbys were varied with patterns stemming from the war. The middle of the year saw the creation of the V for Victory dance. A set of couples danced the ordinary Foxtrot, ending each number in a group V formation. Towards the end of the year came the Thumbs Up dance. In this, a line of open couples follow a leader, swinging their arms alternately to the left and right and pointing their thumbs upward on signal.
Before the close of the year another dance was inspired by social conditions. This was the Double-Partner Waltz, designed to meet the contingency brought about in civilian circles by the decrease in the number of men, and in army circles by the paucity of women. The Double-Partner Waltz is danced by groups of three — either one man and two women or a woman with two men. In the latter case, the trios begin by performing the basic waltz step with the men standing, each on one side of the woman. The woman then dances vis-à-vis with one man while the other dances around them. The woman soon changes partners, allowing the odd man to take up the solo improvisation.
Social dance trends during 1941 serve as a reliable index of the effect world events had on the country as a whole and as a gauge of popular reaction to each succeeding turn. Increasing collaboration with our South American neighbors was mirrored in our widespread favoring of Latin dances. The growing wave of patriotism witnessed a revival of indigenous group dances. The creation of our first peace time army brought about a new evaluation of social dancing as a recreational and relaxing activity for the boys in training. And to the civilian population, dancing loomed as a near-at-hand outlet for tension.
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