2 3 Throwback Thursday and Turkey Trot | Ballet Webb

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Throwback Thursday and Turkey Trot


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.

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