50's Dance Steps To Teach Your Students

The fifties provided a lot of fun dances, and many of them can be used for children's dance recitals. Some of these dance moves are still regularly used, such as swing dancing. Here are a few dance ideas from the 50's that you may enjoy teaching your students for a dance performance.

The Swing- Students will have a lot of fun with swing dancing. Although swing originated from the 1920s, the Lindy Hop was still a popular dance in the 1950s. Swing dancing features the combinations or triple steps and a delayed approach to rhytmic timing.

The Bop - The Bop, also known as Boppin', uses a lot of heel and toe tapping. It's normally a solo dance, but for a recital it can incorporate more dancers. Find Blues or Rockabilly music that will have your dancers dancing and tapping.

The Stroll - This is a fun 50s dance that works with line dancers. A good idea for song choice would be "The Stroll" by The Diamonds. Have your dancers face each other and move with the music, and the audience will have a lot of fun watching them use more elaborate dance moves in between the two facing rows.

The Hand Jive - Remember the movie Grease? This musical is a great place to look for inspiration for the Hand Jive dancing style. Let your students have fun with thigh slapping, fist pounding, and elbow touching moves.

The Cha Cha - The cha cha was made famous during the 1950s. A blend of Latin American dance steps, the Cha Cha uses the hips a lot during the dance moves. The kids will enjoy shaking their hips while counting '1, 2, cha-cha-cha'.

Rock and Roll - Rock and Roll dance is very athletic and originated from the Lindy Hop. Rock and Roll is choreographed, unlike the Lindy Hop, and is a great idea for a performance piece. This acrobatic style can work for all girl groups or couples. Use Rock-And-Roll music and let your dancers have fun.

The Madison - The Madison dance was made popular in the late 1950s to mid 1960s. This line dance works well with recitals because of the regular back-and-forth patterns. Look for examples of this style and music inspiration with the movie Hairspray.