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The Watusi

    The Watusi is indigenous to southern Central Africa. The Watusi was a very popular solo dance done in the early 1960s. In 1962, Ray Barretto released the album 'Charanga Moderna.' The track "El Watusi" reached the Top 20 pop chart in the United States in 1963 and went gold. Its popularity was near that of the Twist dance. In a 1964 TV Guide, Fred Astaire and Barry Chase do the Watusi.

    What was leading the way for these dances you ask, the answer is "the 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.

Birth Place

Creation Date

Creator

Dance Type

Philadelphia 1961   1960's Fad / Dance Craze
 

Posters, Lobby Cards etc.

Sheet Music Covers

Music Titles

n/a n/a 1962 - El Watusi (Barretto)
            1962 - Wah-Watusi (Orlons, Miracles)
            1962 - Wild Watusi (Eddy)
            1972 - Watusi - Egyptian March (Sun Ra)
            Bossa Nova Watusi Twist (King)
            Mambo Watusi (Bloch)
            Shake It
            Watusi Boogaloo - (Rosario)
            Watusi Drums (Brubeck)
            Watusi Rodeo
            Watusi, the (Vibrations)
            Watusi Time (Vibrations)
            Watusi Walk (Cano)
            Watusi Zombie (Davis)
... Click Here for Fad Dance Music Titles List

Night Clubs

Theaters

Television

Batman A-Go-Go (CA) n/a American Bandstand
Club A-Go-Go       Clay Cole Show
Peppermint Lounge (NY)       Hullabaloo
P.J's (CA)       Rate the Records
Whiskey A-Go-Go (CA)       Ready Steady Go!
        Shindig!
        Toast of the Town (5/24/1964) #17.33

Films / Movies

Ballets / Stage

1950 - King Solomon's Mines (shows a Watusi Tribe) 1980 - Moulin Rouge; Watusi dans frenesie '80
1959 - Watusi      
1964 - Bikini Beach      
1964 - Get Yourself a College Girl      
1967 Double Trouble (Mary Hughes)      
Faster Pussycat! Kill! (Santana)      
Flashman (Watusi Music)      
Ghost in the Invisible Bikini      
Howie Mandell's N. American Watusi Tour      
       

Videos

Publications

n/a 7/22/1950 - Colliers Magazine (article: Watusi Congo King)
       
       
       
       
 

Other Related Dances of the time...

Alligator, the Bunny Hop, the Finger Poppin' Locomotion, the Shag, the
Bend It , the Bus Stop, the Fly, the Madison, the Shampoo, the
Big Bea, the (Frug) Calypso Freddie, the Mashed Potato Shoulder Shake, the
Bird, the Cavern Stomp Frug, the Monkey Bird Slop, the
Block, the Chalypso Funky Chicken, the Monkey Shine Stroll, the
Boogaloo, the Ching-A-Ling Harlem Shuffle, the Monkey Stroll Surf, The (Frug)
Bop, the Clam, the Hitchhike, the Monkey Walk Surfer Stomp
Bossa Nova Clapping Dance Hucklebuck, the Mule, The Swim, The
Boston Monkey Continental Walk Hully-Gully Philly Walk Thunderbird, the (Frug)
Bristol Hop, the Dog, the Jerk, The Pony, the Twist, the
Bristol Stomp, the Duck, the
Krunch, the Rebel Walk Ubangi Stomp, the
Bug, the Elephant Walk, the Limbo Rock (Limbo) Shadow Walk Watusi, the
Bump, the        
         
         
 

Dancers, Choreographers etc.

Political

Go-Go Dancers   n/a
Fred Astaire Barry Chase  
Mary Hughes Tura Santana, Haji and Lori Williams  
Ann Margaret Watusi Dancers, the (Toast of the Town)  
     
     
 

Books, Magazine Articles on the dance...

Title Author Date Publisher
$ Jazz Dance: The Story of American ... Stearns, Marshall 1994 Da Capo Press
Joe Bonomo's (Improve Your Dancing step by step) Joe Bonomo 1964
T.V. Guide Staff Writer   8/29-9/4/1964
       
       
       
 

Musicians/ Bands

Singers

Poets / Writers

Dave Brubeck Annette Funicello n/a
Duane Eddy      
Eddie Cano      
Freddy King      
Joey Dee      
Davis, Jan      
Gene Bloch      
Michael Ray      
Miracles, the        
Neneh Cherry (w/ Jools Holland)        
Orlons, the        
Peter King        
Ray Barretto        
Vibrations, the        
Willie Rosario & His Orchestra        
 

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

Dance Fads      
Dance Crazes      
Discotheques      
Go-Go Dancers      
       
Other...
Basic Steps:
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October 21, 2012
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