Throwback Thursday and Turkey Trot
The Turkey Trot was a dance popularized during the early
1900s, but historians believe it originated long before. Some think it came from Central America in
the 1860s. The name “Turkey Trot” is
said to come from the song “Pas Ma La” that in 1895 urged dancers to go to the
World’s Fair and do the “Turkey Trot”.
This may indicate that the dance began as a folk dance.
Dancers John Jarrott and Louise Gruenning are credited with
introducing this dance in 1909 in Chicago, at Ray Jones Café. The Turkey Trot is a face to face dance in
which the dancers hold tightly to each other and move around the floor while
occasionally flapping their arms – hence the name.
At the time, many communities viewed the Turkey Trot as risqué and immoral,
and bans on the dance were attempted. One
New Jersey court imposed a fifty day prison sentence on any young women caught
doing the Turkey Trot. But these laws and bans simply made the dance more
popular.
The Turkey Trot was replaced in popularity by the Fox Trot
in 1914.
Happy Thanksgiving!
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid #56:
“The Turkey
Trot was a popular dance during the era of ragtime music.”
Links of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Be thankful for what you have;
you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will
never, ever have enough.”
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