Twist (dance)
A provocative rock-and-roll dance craze that swept the world.
The twist is a dance inspired by rock and roll music that became a worldwide craze from 1959 into the early 1960s. Its origins trace back to teenagers in Tampa, Florida, whose movements caught the attention of Hank Ballard. Ballard wrote the song "The Twist" as the B-side of his 1959 single "Teardrops on Your Letter" with the Midnighters. Dick Clark, observing the dance’s growing popularity among teenagers, recommended that Cameo Records have the more wholesome Chubby Checker record a new version. Checker’s rendition, released in 1959, became a number one hit in 1960. The dance eventually lost its appeal among teenagers as it gained acceptance with adults, leading to a re-release of the song that topped the charts again in 1962. In 1961, the craze peaked at New York City’s Peppermint Lounge, where patrons twisted to Joey Dee and the Starliters, whose "Peppermint Twist" became a number one hit in January 1962. Bo Diddley also released twist-themed tracks in 1962, including "Mama Don't Allow No Twistin'," which referenced parental objections to the dance’s pelvic motions. In Latin America, Bill Haley & His Comets fueled the trend with songs like "The Spanish Twist" and "Florida Twist." The dance drew criticism for being too provocative, yet it inspired numerous other dances—the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed Potato, the Monkey, and the Funky Chicken—though none matched its popularity. The twist is performed with feet roughly shoulder-width apart, hips and torso rotating as a single unit on the balls of the feet while arms remain mostly stationary. Moves include the mashed potato, swimming, and arm swing. A world record was set in DeLand, Florida, on October 11, 2012, when an estimated 4,000 people twisted along with Chubby Checker, surpassing the previous Guinness record for most people twisting in the streets at once.
- origin
- Late 1950s among teenagers, popularized by Chubby Checker
- associated artist
- Chubby Checker
Lore & Background
The dance originated among teenagers in the late 1950s. Dick Clark, noticing the dance's popularity among teenagers, recommended that Cameo Records have the more wholesome Chubby Checker rerecord the song. The twist is performed by standing with feet approximately shoulder width apart, rotating the hips, torso, and legs on the balls of the feet as a single unit while the arms stay more or less stationary. The feet grind back and forth on the floor, with very little vertical motion. Moves include the mashed potato, swimming, drowning, twisting, arm swing, and single leg twist. According to Time magazine, "the dancers barely ever touch each other or move their feet. Everything else, however, moves."
The use of the name "twist" for dancing goes back to the nineteenth century. A pelvic dance motion called the twist came to America from the Congo during slavery. The simple dance now known as the Twist was popularized by Chubby Checker in his preparation to debut the song to a national audience on August 6, 1960, on The Dick Clark Show.
Reader's Guide
The Twist's significance lies in its role as a defining dance craze of the early 1960s, bridging rock and roll music with a new, more physically expressive style of social dancing. It sparked controversy for its provocative pelvic motions, which many parents objected to, yet it became a worldwide phenomenon. The dance inspired a host of imitators—the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed Potato, the Monkey, and the Funky Chicken—but none achieved its level of popularity. The dance also appeared in films like Twist Around the Clock and Don't Knock the Twist, and was parodied on television shows such as The Alvin Show and The Flintstones.
Did You Know?
- The dance's name dates back to the nineteenth century, and a pelvic motion called the twist came to America from the Congo during slavery.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Twist (dance)?
The Twist is a rock-and-roll-inspired dance move that originated among teenagers in the late 1950s and quickly became a global phenomenon. It is characterized by a rhythmic twisting of the hips and shoulders, usually performed to upbeat rock music.
What other dances did the Twist inspire?
The Twist spawned a whole family of follow-up moves, including the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed Potato, the Monkey, and the Funky Chicken. None of those successors ever quite matched the original's cultural footprint.
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