Novelty and fad dances


Novelty and fad dances are dances which are typically characterized by a short burst of popularity. Some of them may get longer-lasting life. They are also called dance fads or dance crazes.

Fad dances

As the pop music market exploded in the late 1950s, dance fads were commercialized and exploited. From the 1950s to the 1970s, new dance fads appeared almost every week. Many were popularized versions of new styles or steps created by African-American dancers who frequented the clubs and discothèques in major U.S. cities like New York, Philadelphia and Detroit. Among these were the Madison, "The Swim", the "Mashed Potato", "The Twist", "The Frug", "The Watusi", "The Shake" and "The Hitch hike". Many 1950s and 1960s dance crazes had animal names, including "The Chicken", "The Pony" and "The Dog".
In 1965, the Mexican-American group Cannibal and the Headhunters had a hit with the 1962 Chris Kenner song Land of a Thousand Dances which included the names of such dances. One list of Fad Dances compiled in 1971 named over ninety dances. Standardized versions of dance moves were published in dance and teen magazines, often choreographed to popular songs. Songs such as "The Loco-Motion" were specifically written with the intention of creating a new dance and many more pop hits, such as "Mashed Potato Time" by Dee Dee Sharp, were written to exploit recent successful novelties.
In the early 1970s the disco spawned a succession of dance fads including the Bump, the Hustle, and the YMCA. This continued in the 1980s with the popular song "Walk like an Egyptian", in the 1990s with the "Macarena", in the 2000s with "The Ketchup Song" and in the 2010s with "Gangnam Style". Contemporary sources for dance crazes include music videos and movies.
There are fad dances which are meant to be danced individually as solo, others are partner dances, and yet others are danced in groups. Some of them were of freestyle type, i.e., there were no particular step patterns and they were distinguished by the style of the dance movement. Only some have survived to the present day, sometimes only as the name of a step or of a style in a recognized dance. Fad dances are in fashion at the time of their popularity. They come to be associated with a specific time period, and can evoke particular forms of nostalgia when revived.

Notable novelty and fad dances

YearDance
1909The Grizzly Bear
1926Charleston
1930sDuckwalk
1933Carioca
1936Suzie Q
1937The Lambeth Walk
1940Thunder Clap
1941Conga
mid-1940sHokey Pokey
1950sBomba
1950sThe Funky Chicken
1952Bunny Hop
1957The Hop
1957The Meatstick
1958Madison
1958The Stroll
1959Hully Gully
1960Shimmy
1960Twist
1961The Chicken Walk
1961Pony
1962The Gravy
1962The Loco-Motion
1962Martian Hop
1962Mashed Potato
1962The Monster Mash
1962The Swim
1962Watusi
1963Chicken Dance
1963Hitch hike
1963Monkey
1964The Frug
1964Jerk
1965The Freddie
1965Limbo
1966Batusi
1966The Shake

YearDance
1970sSprinkler
1971Penguin
1972Hustle
1973Time Warp
1975Bump
1975Tragedy
mid-1970sGrinding
1976Car Wash
1976Electric Slide
1976Robot
1977The Running Man
1978Y.M.C.A.
1979Little Apple
1980sMoonwalk
1980Cotton-Eyed Joe
1981Harlem Shake
1982The Safety
1983Lambada
1983Thriller
1986The Hunch
1987Cabbage Patch
1988Da Butt
1990sThe Carlton
1990sLocomía
1990Boot Scootin' Boogie
1990Do the Bartman
1990Hammer
1990The Humpty
1990Vogue
1991The Urkel
1992Achy Breaky Heart
1992; 1994; 1996Macarena
1994Saturday Night
1997Thizzle
1998The Roger Rabbit
1998Tootsee Roll

YearDance
2000Cha Cha Slide
2002Algorithm March
2002The Ketchup Song
2003Dutty Wine
2004Lean Back
2005Letkajenkka
2006Chicken Noodle Soup
2006Daggering
2006Laffy Taffy
2006Lean wit it, Rock wit it
2006Shoulder Lean
2007Crank That
2007Cupid Shuffle
2007Dougie
2008Single Ladies
2009Jerkin'
2009Stanky Legg
2011The Creep
2011Wobble
2012Gangnam Style
2012The Smurf
2013Twerking
2014Nae Nae
2015Dab
2015Hit the Quan
2015Watch Me
2017Dame Tu Cosita
2017Shoot
2018The Floss
2018Level Up
2018Skibidi
2019The Git Up
2020Toosie Slide
2020Laxed Siren Beat