50′s Dance Steps to Teach Your Students
Looking for an idea for your next dance recital? Do a fifties theme and have a lot of fun with your students! There are many different dance styles during the 50s, but here we list our top favorites.
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’, is normally a solo dance step, though it can work to incorporate more for a recital. Boppin’ uses a lot on heel and toe tapping, and normally is danced with blues or rockabilly music from the 50s. Your dancers can alternate between 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 – 1, 2, Cha-Cha-Cha. This fun Latin dance shows off a lot of energy with its steady beat. Find some good classic Cuban music from the 50s to make this dance even more authentic.
Rock and Roll – Don’t forget classic rock and roll dancing, made famous during the 50s. Put on some Elvis songs and do the jailhouse rock. Partners no longer had to formerly dance together, but could dance in more twists and have choreographed dance moves similar to the Lindy Hop.
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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