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The Eccentric
dance style called the Snake Hips dance was made popular by Earl 'Snakehips Tucker'. Tucker was often times called the "Human Boa Constrictor" and the "Gelatinous Dancer." Basically the dance was just a contortion, twisting, shaking type of dance done around the stomach, hips and backside areas that Tucker took to extremes and based his whole act upon it.
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Duke Ellington produced a Musical Short entitled 'Symphony in Black' that features Earl 'Snakehips Tucker' doing the Snakehips dance as well as dancing the Breakaway (Lindy) with Bessie Dudley. The Snake Hips dance was also reportedly done in the more modern movie "Colors," (altho I have not seen it.)
The dance eventually became mainly a female dance with such females as Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Dudley and Evelyn Welch. Later moved into the Rock and Roll community like Elvis Presley and finally arrived into the Burlesque - Strip Tease world. Some remnants still exist in other forms of dancing like Ballroom, Dirty Dancing, Latin Dances, Macarena, Lambada etc, but are usually very subdued when compared to the original.
Other dancers would try to copy this dance, but none came close to Tucker. For more info and better description of the dance see Tuckers page ... Click Here |
Burlesque 
