THE TWIST
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Streetswings Dance History Archives: The TWIST
Hank Ballard
wrote the original song to the twist in 1955 when he "saw" teenagers doing the dance (published it in 1958.) Kal Mann of Parkway records saw the teenagers on American Bandstand dancing to Hank Ballard’s record, “The Twist,” and hired Chubby Checker to performed it on Clay Cole’s TV show in 1959. On August 6, 1960 Checker
would debut the twist to the world on the "Dick Clark Show (American Bandstand)," this show set the whole world twistin' the night away with Checker's "cleaned up for TV version."
Chubby Checker
the
Peppermint Lounge
and American Bandstand would make this dance the most popular dance in the World by 1960. The Twist was basically a twisting motion back and forth with the hips. Unfortunately, the twist was also associated to racism,
payola, copyright infringement and the Mafia. What was leading the way for dances like the Twist you ask, the answer is "Television and SAND." Surfing was becoming extremely popular with the young and sand was replacing the dance floors.
This sand
would prove the Death Kill to any of the dances that required spinning or traveling while promoting stationary dances such as the Twist, Swim, Surf, Surfer Stomp, Frug, Ska,
Watusi
, and
Monkey
. These dancers could basically just stand in place on the beach and dance which lead the way for The Go-Go dancers. And now that Televisions were in most homes, people could watch shows like American Bandstand and learn these dances. The
Bossa Nova
was the new dance that was to replace the Twist ... It didn't.
Birth Place
Creation Date
Creator
Dance Type
USA
1955 (1920's)
n/a
Freestyle / Fad
Various Posters, Lobby Cards etc.
Sheet Music Covers
mp3 Music Titles
Don't Knock The Twist
Let's Twist Again
Congo Twist (Revels)
??
Beach Blanket Bingo
Lose Your Inhibitions Twist
$
Hey Let's Twist (Joey Dee)
MP3
Beat Generation, the
Twist Around the Clock
$
Let's Twist a la Paloma (Chubby)
MP3
Bikini Beach
1959 - The Twist (1 & 2)
$
Let's Twist Again (Chubby)
MP3
Elvis Posters
Let's twist - Let's Twist - Let's Twist
??
Hairspray
$
Mr. Twister (Shirelles)
MP3
Hullabaloo
$
Peppermint Twist (1&2) (Joey Dee)
MP3
$
Rubberleg Twist (Isley)
MP3
Twist CD's
$
Slow Twistin' (Chubby)
MP3
$
Soul Twist (King Curtis)
MP3
$ Bomb the Twist
(5,6,7,8's)
$
Teach Me To Twist
MP3
$ Let's Twist Again
(Chubby)
$
Texas Twist (Chubby)
MP3
The Fly, The Jet, The Mess-Around
??
$
Twist, the (Chubby)
MP3
Twist Along
??
$
Twist Along Without You Now (George Hudson)
MP3
$
Twist and Shout (Isley Bros.)
MP3
$
Twist It Up (Chubby)
MP3
$
Twist Mit Mir (Chubby)
MP3
$
Twist A St-Tropez
MP3
$
Twistin' U.S.A.
MP3
Your Lips & Mine
MP3
...
Click Here for full Twist titled Music List
Night Clubs
Theaters
Locations
Grecian Village Twist (Chicago)
n/a
Los Angeles
Lemon Twist West (Chicago)
New York
Lu Lu's (Ontario)
Paris, France
Mecca Nightclub (Rome & NY)
Rome
Peppermint Lounge
Starliter Club (di Niciola's /Dee)
The Roxy
Whisky-A-GO-GO
Films/ Movies
Television
Ballets / Stage
1961 - Continental Twist
American Bandstand
n/a
$
1961 - Hey Let's Twist [
Download
]
Clay Cole Show (1963)
$
1961 - Twist Around The Clock [
DVD1
|
DVD2
]
Dick Clark Show
1961 - Twist Craze
Hulabaloo
10/21/1961 - Fox Movietone #169-520
Laugh-In
Publications
$
1962 - a Ritmo de twist [
DVD
]
Ready, Steady, Go! (1959-1962)
11/1960 - Dig Magazine
1962 - Canzoni a tempo di twist
Rate the Records
1962 - Dell Comics "The Twist"
$
1962 - Don't Knock The Twist [
DVD
]
Shindig!
1962 - Sepia Magazine
$
1962 - Twist Again {?
DVD
?]
12/1964 - Look Magazine
1962 - Twist All Night (Louis Prima)
10/7/1963 - Fox-Movietone #189-39
$
1964 - T.A.M.I. Show (w/ Teri Garr &
Tony Basil
) [
DVD
]
1965-69 - 20th Century News Reel (GoGo Girls)
$
1975 - Folies (
Folies bourgeoises)
[
DVD
]
$1960s Fashions
The Twist
$ 1988 - Hairspray
[
DVD
]
$ 2012: Peppermint Twist
: The Mob, the Music, and the Most Famous Dance Club of the '60s
(J. Johnson)
$ 1993 - Twist
(
Mann Docu
) [
DVD
]
$
1994 - Pulp Fiction (Travolta) [
DVD
]
$ 1995 - History of R&R: Good Rockin' Tonight
$
Live with Chubby Checker [
DVD?
]
$ History of Rock and Roll V2
[
DVD]
Other popular Dances of the time...
Bunny Hop
Frug, the
Mashed Potato
Slop, the
Bossa Nova
Hitchhiker (Popeye)
Mess Around, the
Square Dance
Bristol Stomp, the
Hucklebuck, the
Monkey, the
Stomp, the
Bug, The
Hully Gully
Mule, the
Stroll, the
Calypso
Jelly Fish, the
Pony, the
Surf, the
Cha Cha
Jerk, the
Popeye, the
Surfer Stomp
Continental, the
Limbo, the
Potato, the
Swim, the
Elephant, the (Arm makes a Trunk)
Locomotion
Roach, the
Swing dance
Fly, the
Madison
Rock and Roll
Waddle
Freddie, the
Mambo
Shimmy
/ The Shake
Watusi
Dancers, Choreographers etc.
DJ's / TV Show Hosts
Ann Margaret
Harold Belfor (chorg)
Alan Freed
Cholly Atkins
Kenny Wetzel
Bruce Morrow
Chubby Checker
'Killer Joe' Piro
Clay Cole
Clay Cole
w/ Vickie Spencer [TV Host]
Larry Vernieri
Dan Daniel
David Brigati
Paul Anka
Dick Clark
Earl Barton
(Choreo.)
The Parkettes
Jocko Henderson
Elvis Presley
Toni Basil
Hal Jackson
Murray the K
Wolfman Jack
Books, Magazine Articles on the dance...
Title
Author
Date Published
Publisher
Twist Magazine
n/a
1960's
n/a
$ Let's Twist Again
n/a
1989
Hot off the Press
$ The Twist...The Story...
Dawson, Jim
1995
Faber & Faber
$ Twist and Shout...
Cotton, Lee
2001
Popular Culture Ink
Musicians
Singers
Poets / Writers
Hank Ballard
$ Bobby Darin
n/a
The Revels
Chubby Checker
David Brigati
Fat Boys
$ Isley Brothers
Joey Dee & the Starlighters
Larry Vernieri
Shirelles, the
Misc. Research Words that may be related ... to help your searches
A-Go-Go
The Rascals
-
TheBeatles
Fad Dances
December 10, 2012
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