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Walking Camel Anmation
Camel Walk Title

- The Camel Walk was a ragtime animal dance, came originally from Vaudeville shows. The Camel Walk was mainly done by college students and "flappers" during the Jazz age in the 1910's and 20's with the public as a social dance. It was basically done with a Staright Up (Posture) but otherwise was walking 1920's fox-trot from start to end while dragging your steps slightly, done to slow music and in a zigzag direction or rotary direction. The Camel Walk drew alot of displeasure among many mainly because the Girls woul rest their heads on the leaders shoulder while dancing which many frowned upon as vulgar dancing. Occasionally the dance was varied with Fox-Trot steps by those who disliked anything quite so extreme.

Another version was done in the 1950's/60's:
- The Camel Walk spin-offs of the 1910's became a popular retro dance to do at the time in the 1950's/60's, however these spin-off's were freestyle rather than couples. With such dances as the Camel Walk, Dance the Camel Walk, The Camel Walk Stroll etc ... It is said the the Horse dance was just another Camel Walk. The Camel Walk became the Stroll in the 1960's.

- The two signature step's of the Camel Walk was the ronde or fan (rotary-walk rather than a gait or a transverse walk?) of the leg, and the high slow lifting walking step forward. There is also the 'knee pop' variation with the leg hooking behind the other. Boogie Walks / Shorty George are related to the Camel walk.

Birth Place

Creation Date

Creator

Dance Type

USA 1920? Vaudeville Ragtime / Animal
 

Posters, Lobby Cards etc.

Sheet Music Covers

Music Titles ...

n/a n/a 1919 - Camel Walk Blues
            1921 - Camel Walk (Ted Lewis)
            1935 - The Camel Walk (Nichols, Smith-Brymn)
            1937 - Camel Hop (Goodman)
            1958 - Camel Walk Stroll (Mattice)
            1959 - Pink Camel Walk (Four Daddy'o's)
            1961 - Camel Walk
            1967 - The Camel Walk (James Brown)
            Camel Toe
 

Night Clubs

Theaters

Locations

Skinny's Shoeshine Parlor n/a n/a
     
     
 

Films / Videos

Ballets / Stage

1915 - Family Adopts a Camel, The n/a
1960 - American Musical Theatre      
$ 1988 - Hairspray [DVD]      
 

 

       
 

Other Related Dances of the time...

Aeroplane Waltz

Cantor Waltz

Hesitation Waltz

LuLu Fado

Shiver Shake

Apache Dance

Cartel Waltz

Hippohop

March

Shorty George

Argentine Ardor

Castle Walk

Honey Bug

Maurice Tango

Skirt Dance

Arizona Anguish

Charleston

Hooche Cooche

Maxixe

Slow Drag

Bacchanalian waltz

Chicken Flip

Horsetrot

Mooch and Sugar

Syncopated Canter

Baltimore Buzz

Collegiate

Hucklebuck, the

Necktie Waltz

Tango

Bambuca

Collegiate Fox-trot

Hug-Me-Tight

One Step

Terripan Toddle

Belly Dance

Collegiate Shag

Innovation

Ostrich Stretch

Texas Tommy

Black Bottom

Dewey Dip

Jazzarimba

Pavlova Gavotte

Toddle

Boll Weevil Wiggle

Dizzy Drag

Kangaroo Canter

Peabody

Turkey Trot

Boogie Walks

Fado Fox-trot

Kangaroo Waltz

Pickaninny Dandle

Two-Step

Boston Dip

Fox-trot

Kitchen Sink

Pollywog Wiggle

Varsity Drag

Break away

Fuzzy-Wuzzy

Lambeth Walk

Puppy Snuggle

Walkin' The Dog

Bunny Hug

Gaby Glide

Lame Duck

Quickstep

Waltz

Buzzard Lope

Gilda Glide

Lemon Squeeze

Salome dance

Whirlwind Waltz

Cabbage Clutch

Grizzly Bear

Lindy Hop

Shadow Dance

Wiggle-de-Wiggle

Camel Walk

Grizzly Glide

Love Dance

Shimmy

 
         

Dances using the word 'Walk'

Alligator Walk

Camel Walk

Duck Walk

Georgia Walk

The Syncopated Walk

Bear Walk

Castle Walk

Elephant Walk

Lambeth Walk

Walkin' the Dog

Cake Walk

Chimpanzee Walk

Fish Walk

Monkey Walk

 
 

Dancers

 

Political

Publications

      3/6/1921 - Kansas City Star (Alligator Glide Displaces Camel Walk)
      5/12/1921 - Syracuse Herald (Jury doesn't Like Camel Walk)
Al Minns     12/8/1921 - Bridgeport Telegram (Camel Walk Horrifies Lady)
Chicken Hicks ?     9/27/1922 - Syracuse Herald (Camel Walk, Tango)
Josephine Baker      
Leon James      
 

Books, Magazine Articles on the dance...

Title

Author

Date Published

Publisher

$ Jazz Dance: The Story of American ... Stearns, Marshall 1994 Da Capo Press
       
       
 

Musicians / Bands

Singers

Poets / Writers

Benny Goodman n/a n/a
Benny Gordon      
Bob Mattice      
Bobby Rush      
James Brown      
Johnnie And Jack        
Ted Lewis And His Band        
T.J. Fowler        

Woody Herman

       
 

Misc. Research Words that may be related ... to help your searches

Canter

Glide

Slide

The Stroll

Collegiate

Hassapiko

Step

Trot

Drag

Hop

Stomp

 

Flappers

March

Stroll

 

Gaite

Saunter

Strut

 
 

Other...

Basic Steps:
- This step is done with a long tension on every step, as if a heavy weight was attached to each foot, and the direction is diagonally back and forth and yet advancing at the same time. First measure of music, One walking step forward with left foot, then the right foot.

Second measure:
- The left foot takes a long step. (The Cam el Walk), dragging step to the right, the right foot then makes a half circle or pivot around to the left. The left foot then makes a sweeping pivot or semicircle (ronde) to the right and circling around to the left. The right foot again makes the sweeping pivot or circle, continuing the direction to the left and coming around in the half pivot or semicircle to the right.

Third measure:
- One walking step with the left foot to the right, second walking step with right foot toward the right, third walking step with left foot toward the right, fourth walking step toward the right, which gives a diagonal direction.

Fourth measure:
- Four walking steps forward commencing with the left foot. Then the Fox Trot Steps may be introduced and the Camel commences to stalk again or the Camel figures just given may be continued in a reversed direction. Any combination may be utilized following the will of the leader as long as it is slow and dragging in the Camel steps.

August 1, 2006
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