Doin' the Creep

I love Alvin Cash. When he's not urging you to "form a big boss line," exclaiming "lawd have mercy!" or moaning "aww baby!" he's getting berated by his backup singers. Alvin Cash records are great because you're right there in the room with him. "It's me, Alvin!" or "I'm back again!" he'll shout just in case you didn't know who you were listening to for a second. Alvin is always trying a new dance.

In this one, a genie-like voice busts him right from the beginning...creepin'

Failed Dance Crazes - Part XXIV

 

"The greatest new dance craze to capture the public's imagination is the Monkey Dance or Monkey Music. The dancers are allowed a great deal of freedom as they move about to exciting riffs and back beats. The Dials, a great new group out of Nashville, generate a new kind of excitement as they tear through 12 great songs with the authentic feel."

 
 Found at: Unearthed In The Atomic Attic

Ho! ... Ha!

Rather boring. But probably a good work-out.
Les Clodettes - Chinese Kung Fu

Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes: The Fish

How do you establish a solo career after worldwide acclaim in a jazz vocal trio? Annie Ross of Lambert, Hendricks, and opted to promote a cold and slimy dance craze that never hit the mainstream: The Fish.

Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes Part One-Derful: Do the Woodbine Twine!

From Chicago Soul by By Robert Pruter:
"The Jerk (the dance) was not very popular among blacks, at least in Chicago. When the did do the Jerk, they generally combined it with the Twine which was similar but with more fluid and sweeping motions".

Fluid and sweeping sounds like work to me, I'll stick with the Woodbine Twine which directs you to "arch your back and stomp your feet, make yourself comfortable..." ....and I stop with the "make yourself comfortable" part, and grab a frosty beverage in the process. Cheers to the Woodbine Twine!

Do The Limpy Limp

George Murphy & Joan Davis in 'Hold That Co-ed'.

Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes Part 1964: Do the Clyde

Le SNAP! ~ Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes

Dancer Le Snap (oui oui oui oui!)

Los Mustang - Le Snap

Stop! Op!

I am absolutely gobsmacked over this fabulous blog that gives me absolutely tons of failed dance crazes, Le Pinguin by Henri Salvador, and even one by my beloved Antoine!

But to celebrate this lovely blog, let's all study the back cover of the EP and do a feverish Stop! Op! with Aimé Barelli.

Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes Part QUACK QUACK Do the Peanut Duck! quack-ee quack-ee

Quack.

Sophisticated Sissy, the Not-So-Failed Dance Craze

If you live in New Orleans you may dance the Sophisticated Sissy on a regular basis, maybe they have Sophisticated Sissy classes through the park district the way many other places have Zumba. I imagine all that backbone slippage burns the calories, I wouldn't know, the only regular exercise I get is from complaining. Home of the Groove has a lot of info about the dance and a few Sissy songs by Curley Moore and The Meters.

Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes: Do the Napoleon!

Napoleon XIV sheds his straitjacket and hits the dance floor, to lead this failed dance craze from his album "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha Haaa!"

Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes: The Sputnik

I suppose if all the Martians were doing it, YOU would need to do it too, right? Right! It's the Sputnik, and since all you have to do it put you foot out and back, and then put your hand on your partner's back, I think we can all learn it. Yes?

Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes: The Eggbeater

Dead Wax offers up the tune and fledgling dance craze (that died in the nest) "The Egg Beater".


Billboard, March 3, 1962 :

Cincinnati
« The Egg-Beater, » new release by Dale Wright and the Wright Guys on the Starburst label and an accompanying dance originated by the lads, is taking off in this sector. WKRC-TV started the Egg-Beater Dance Contest on Glenn Ryle’s « Sub-Teen Dance Party’ several weeks ago, with finals held on the Ryle show before a studio audience Saturday (24). Bob Braun, at WLW and Bob Smith and Dick Provost, of WCPO, have also been spinning the new Wright release. Next Wednesday (28), Wright and his guys introduce the Egg-Beater tune and dance on the Dick Clark TV-er.

 Bonus track - Dale Wright "She's Neat":

Chi-Bi-Do-Wam

This is the Swedish rock and roller Jerry Willliams and his band The Violents doing "Just The Same (Chi-Bi-Do-Wam)" in 1963.
Clip taken from the Swedish cult movie 'Åsa-Nisse och tjocka släkten'

Uploaded by grandprix1963

Galeria of Failed Dance Crazes: Plip Plip!

Dance craze, or spontaneous mass neurological condition? I think they've all been eating leaded paint chips.

Failed Dance Crazes Part XII

"Are you a turtle?
You bet your sweet ass I am!"





Found at It's Great Shakes

Galeria of Semi-Failed Dance Crazes: The Letkiss

Finland's Letkiss may not qualify for a failed dance craze, because it seems to have persisted through at least 2001. Should this dorky little dance appeal to you, you can get a collection of Letkiss music that includes the Beatnik Letkiss, the Royal Letkiss, and the Swan Letkiss, which are virtually indistinguishable to my ear.

This is the Italian version:



Is this the pop Minuet Bunny Hop Letkiss? I am confused.

Galeria of Wet and Wild Failed Dance Crazes: The Duckie

Mr. Zulu and the Warriors have made room in their tub for you, what are you waiting for? Come on and do The Duckie with them.

Gallery of Failed Dances: The Turtle

"That won't happen with the turtle"

"C'mon Myrtle - let's Turtle"
Well, I guess there's not much that rhymes with it.
Audio only (obviously.)