as NYC
and as far south as Washington, D.C.
In Philadelphia there were a number of
slop styles. The steps and count were all the same but the way
one did the slop was a dead giveaway as to what part of the city
of Philadelphia you were from. There was a distinct South Philly
style and distinct Kensington style. In Norristown there was a
west end slop style and an east end slop style. The kids from
the west end (mostly preppy) used more arm motion in
their style of slop (it was cool looking but no evidence of
bad-boy or bad-girl in the style.)
Now down in the east end, the guys slipped their hands in their
pockets and hiked up their pants when they did the slop (these
were the “hoods” who wore tight black pants and Italian
import shoes with Cuban heels). The east-end girls would slop
lifting their skirts with two fingers just a bit above one knee
to shoe either their slip or a “little leg.” In Norristown
there was also did a slop line-dance. Line-dances were huge in
the Philly and burb area in the mid-sixties.
One famous song of the 1950s
was 'At the Hop' by Danny and the Jr's. A main part in the lyrics
goes like:
"You... can roll it, You can "Slop it," and can
stroll it at the hop, When the record starts spinnin' You "Chalypso"
when you "Chicken" at the hop, Do the dance sensation
that's sweeping the Nation ... at the Hop."
American Swing dance has
a couple of steps borrowed from this dance, including The Lindy
Hop and West Coast Swing. During the 1960s gained some popularity
as a solo couples fad dance in Paris, France as well.
(Many thanks to Jim Fillman for much of the above info on the
slop)
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