September 18, 2026 • 40 mins
How do ballet shoes keep dancers balanced on their tippy-toes? Why do so many kids learn square dancing in gym class? And if Michael Jackson didn't invent the Moonwalk... who did?!
This episode originally aired on September 21, 2018.
Got a question or idea for the show? Call our hotline at (302) 405-5925 or email higeniuses@gmail.com.
Follow us on Instagram @parttimegenius and Bluesky @parttimegenius.bsky.social!
Photo by Aditya Ali via Unsplash. Thanks, Aditya!
Learn more about your ad choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Guess what, Mango?
Speaker 2 (00:03):
What's that, Will?
Speaker 1 (00:04):
All right. So when we decided to do today's episode
on different dances, I started thinking back to all the
dances that we learned as kids and all the songs
where every kid in school felt like they had to
master the dance moves. So when you think about this,
what dances come to mind?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
So you know what's strange is I was actually thinking
about this recently, and obviously there are moves like the
Roger Rabbit or whatever, but I actually kind of feel
grateful that we grew up in this era when there
weren't a lot of great dances. And at least when
we were in middle school, like all the break dancing
and moonwalking was over by then. And then all the
songs seemed to be just about jumping. Like House of
Pain was jump around. Criss Cross had that song, Jump.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Even Dancing to Nirvana was just bouncing up and down
and bumping into each other.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
You were totally right about this. I didn't think about that.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
So much easier than watching what my kids have to
go through just to keep up with the shoot and
the whip nae nae and practicing how to floss all
the time.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Yeah, I mean, I get what you're saying, but a
few others do come to mind for me and probably
two stand out above the others. The first of these
was definitely Michael Jackson's Thriller. And I know I've mentioned
this before, but My sister was a few years older
than me. And so when she was out with friends
or still at school, I would often sneak into her
room and listen to tapes on that fancy double cassette
(01:21):
boombox that she had. And I might pop in some
Duran Duran or the Bangles or any number of other
tapes that she had. But my favorite was definitely Michael
Jackson's Thriller. And I was terrible at dancing to that song,
but it didn't stop me from trying to master it.
But the other dance that comes to mind, and you
might argue this one was a little bit easier to master,
(01:42):
that was the electric slide.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So I remember going into the school dance in sixth grade,
and suddenly everyone was doing the electric slide. And I
couldn't figure out, had I missed a class where this
was taught? Because everyone knew how to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, it might have felt like everybody mastered it, but
my guess is the dance's creator, Richard Silver, he might
not agree with that, especially if you weren't doing all
22 proper steps of the dance. Now, this may seem
a little bit silly, but he was serious about this.
So Silver was this well-known dancer in the New York
City disco scene, and he came up with the electric
(02:18):
slide in 1976. And he was more than a little
particular about people doing it just right, especially because there
was this version of the dance that caught on that
only involved 18 of the 22 steps that he'd choreographed.
And he'd get so angry about people doing it wrong
that for years he would threaten to sue people who
(02:38):
were doing it incorrectly. And he even convinced YouTube to
take down several videos of like weddings and bar mitzvahs
and other parties that involve people butchering his creation. Is
this not nuts?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
But he finally gave up on trying to police the
world on behalf of his dance when this other civil
rights organization, they actually sued him on behalf of a
man who's Party clips had been taken down from the
web because of Silver. But anyway, this bizarre incident got
us thinking about the unusual and often controversial origins of
(03:12):
some of the most well-known dances in history. And that's
what we're going to be talking about today. So let's
dive in.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Let's dive in.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Hey there, podcast listeners. Welcome to Part-Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson,
and as always, I'm joined by my good friend, Mangesh Hatikader.
And on the other side of the soundproof glass, practicing
the steps for the official Arch Deluxe Line Dance. That's
our friend and producer, Tristan McNeil. Now, I have to admit,
I'd never heard of this, but apparently this dance was
part of a McDonald's ad campaign back in the mid-90s.
(04:01):
Do you remember this, Mango?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, the Arch Deluxe. It was a giant failure from
what I remember. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
And I guess the company was trying to attract older
customers by introducing what they build as, quote, the burger
with the grown-up taste, which is such a weird line.
And you're right. It sounds like nobody liked it. I
don't think the dance fared that much better either. But
Tristan actually dug up the steps on the old Arch
Deluxe website, which You can apparently still access, and I
(04:29):
think everybody should do this because it's just as ridiculous
as you might imagine. I mean, listen to some of
these dance moves, and they describe them in detail for
you here. It says, right arm rolls up and down
twice like the wave in an ocean, then step forward
and form the golden arches with your arms. What could
be cooler than doing these dance moves? But unsurprisingly, this
(04:53):
did not catch on, and that's despite McDonald's bold claim that, quote,
People across America are McSteppen to the beat of the
newest dance craze.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
So I looked into this and it seems like the
whole idea was meant as a way to capitalize on
how popular the Macarena was at the time. And the
company went all out to try and make this the
next big thing. And I read that they actually shuttled
a bunch of employees to McDonald's headquarters for do the
deluxe dance lessons. And then there was a giant pep
rally right there after. And the village people attended and
(05:24):
performed for some reason.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
What do you mean for some reason? I mean, they
were mixed step into the beat, Mango.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, I mean, nothing gets you more excited than a
mandatory pep rally. Exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Well, you know, today's show is about more than Berger-inspired
dance moves, because for too long now, we've been plagued
by some pretty important questions. You know, things like, did
Michael Jackson really invent the moonwalk? And why are good
ballet shoes so hard to find? And why do we
teach kids to square dance in gym class? That's a
big one that I feel like we should answer. But today,
(05:57):
we're going to hit the dance floor and see if
we can finally unravel some of the weird and surprising
mysteries of dance. And I feel like I'm going to
let you take the lead on this one, Mango. So
where should we start?
Speaker 2 (06:08):
So you remember that one Gloria Estefan song, The Rhythm's
Gonna Get You?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
I'm a little insulted that you would ask if I know.
The rhythm is gonna get you. Of course I do.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, so my question is basically why? What is it
about watching people dance that makes you want to dance yourself?
Speaker 1 (06:27):
It's a good question. And I will also say that
that line always sounded a little ominous to me, like
something was coming after me.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
It is going to get you in a very catchy way. But,
you know, we talk about all kinds of things going
viral on the Internet now, but dancing in particular has
a really long history of being likened to a virus.
So you and our listeners have probably heard of that
so-called dancing plague that struck Europe in the early 1500s.
And this is when hundreds of people started compulsively dancing
(06:54):
for days on end without resting. And within a month
or so, many of them had collapsed or even died
from exhaustion. And today, researchers have all kinds of ideas
about what brings on these bizarre forms of mania. Everything
from like food poisoning to psychosis, but there still are
no hard answers. Like the rhythm simply got them.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Boy, did it. Yeah, I mean, the dance plague is
a pretty extreme case. I think about times when you're
just watching a performance and You know, you may start
to move your shoulders or bobbing your head and just
kind of dancing along a little bit in your seat. Like,
did you come across any answers for why that happens?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
So nothing concrete, but there's a good deal of evidence
to suggest that our bodies are attuned to the movements
of others because of responses in our brains. So the
idea is that whenever we make a certain movement, a
corresponding region of the brain is activated. But this is
where it gets weird because that region of the brain
is activated not only when we perform the movement ourselves,
but when we observe someone else performing it.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
So you're saying like when we watch somebody dance, our
brains are sort of simulating the dance steps internally? Is
that what you're saying?
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Exactly. And this unconscious response is actually strong enough in
some people that they will actually start to you know,
act out the movements they're internalizing, how heightened your response
is depends on how familiar you are with the movements
and how much enjoyment you get from making them yourself. So,
for example, like the motor regions of a professional dancer's
brain will actually become much more active when they watch
(08:25):
someone dance compared to someone who doesn't dance themselves.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Yeah, that's pretty interesting. But I mean, there is one
form of dance and that would probably be ballet that
my brain just throws in the towel. Like those are
movements I can't even think through, but much less perform myself.
And that's especially true of the moves where the ballerinas
are on their toes. And I've always just found this
so interesting. And I thought I would look into the
(08:48):
background of this. And it turns out ballerinas first started
dancing on their toes in the late 1700s, but not
in the way that we're used to. At first, the
dancers were actually lifted off the stage by the system
of wires so that it would appear like they were
hovering on their toes. And years later, this system led
to the invention of pointe shoes, which were then sturdy
(09:08):
enough for the dancers to actually balance on their toes
without the aid of these wires.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
So I've actually been curious about this. So do pointe
shoes have like solid wood in the tips or how
are they so hard there?
Speaker 1 (09:20):
You know, I always thought that they did, but it
turns out they're actually made from layers of fabric and
paper that have been hardened and they harden them with
a flour paste. So it's a little bit more like
paper mache. And then once that shape is set, the
shoes are wrapped in satin, and then the tips are
flattened with an actual hammer. And that kind of forms
that platform for the dancers to stand on. But the
(09:43):
initial process is really just the tip of the iceberg
when it comes to modding pointe shoes. Because before a
ballerina can debut a fresh pair on stage, she first
has to spend several hours cutting and ripping and scraping
and crushing and often even burning these shoes in order
to make them fit just right.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I mean, that sounds insane, but why can't shoemakers just
make the shoes the way dancers like them from the start?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Well, I was wondering that too, but if you think
about it, there's just way too much variation between the
shape and size of a dancer's feet for these manufacturers
to be able to cover that. And they'd have to
specially make these shoes for each and every dancer, which
isn't really financially feasible when you consider that some dancers
wear out a pair of points after a single performance.
And many of these dancers may go through over 100
(10:31):
pairs of shoes over the course of a season. So
while it's certainly time-consuming for the dancers to alter their
own shoes, it's probably the most practical solution.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
So what kind of benefits do the ballerinos get from
these specialized modifications?
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Well, it depends. Like each dancer likes their shoes a
little bit different. So the methods, you know, vary based
on what they may be looking for. So, for example,
some ballerinas cut the soles out of their shoes to
improve that flexibility, and then they may super glue them
back together again. And others outfit their shoes with a
product called Ouch Pouches, which are basically these silicone gel
(11:08):
caps that provide a little extra padding for their toes
and I even read about one ballerina who likes to
rip out the sole and lining of her shoes and
then mark the spot where her arches are and then
break the shoes in half with her hands from there.
But the other thing I thought was really cool about
this is that these rituals, they're really passed down from
(11:29):
one generation of dancers to the next. So when a
ballerina first starts out, she'll often have a more experienced
dancer that'll show her the tricks of the trade and
kind of help her craft her own.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
I mean, that is pretty cool. And I also like
how all that labor is sort of representative of ballet
as a whole. Like on the outside, the shoes look
polished and flawless, just like the dance moves. But beneath
the surface, there's this insane level of hard work and
struggle that goes into making them so perfect.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yeah, that seems like a good way to think about it.
And it's often easy to forget just how painful ballet
dancing can be because of how graceful the final product looks.
But Just reading up on points, I mean, I saw
that even for all the effort that goes into making
the shoes fit perfectly, it still hurts so much when
a ballerina dances on the tips of her toes most
(12:18):
of the time. And apparently the pain can get so
bad that some dancers even soak their feet in alcohol
or apply tooth numbing gel just to make it through
a single practice session.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Oh, that's brutal. But, you know, speaking of pain, would
you say we head back to school for a minute
and talk about the all-too-familiar pain of being forced to
square dance in gym class?
Speaker 1 (12:38):
You know, the only thing more painful than dancing in
those pointe shoes may be square dancing. It's such a
bizarre practice, and it feels like the kind of thing
that's bound to have some really weird story behind it.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, and it actually does, because while square dancing dates
back to colonial America— The modern revival that led to
it being taught in schools is actually thanks to none
other than Henry Ford.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Seriously?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Ford?
Speaker 1 (13:02):
So what does he have to do with it?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
So, I mean, the first thing to know is that
Ford despised jazz music and everything related to it. So
that's like the flappers, the Charleston, swing dancing. He hated
all of it. But that wasn't all that Ford hated.
He also hated Jewish people.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Oh, that's right. And he was pretty outspoken with his anti-Semitism, right? Like,
didn't even write a bunch of propaganda pamphlets about it.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
That's right. So in the early 1920s, he put out
a four-volume series of booklets called The International Jew. And
while I hate to quote from something so baseless and hateful,
there's one excerpt of the third volume that really explains
Ford's thinking on jazz and why he would be so
interested in square dance revival. So here it goes. Ford writes, quote,
Many people have wondered whence came the waves upon waves
(13:48):
of musical slush that invade decent homes and set the
young people of this generation imitating the drivel of morons.
Popular music is a Jewish monopoly. Jazz is a Jewish creation.
The mush slush, the sly suggestion, the abandoned sensuousness of
sliding notes are all of Jewish origin.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Wait, so Ford really believed that Jewish people invented jazz music?
I mean, give me a break.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yeah, I mean, I guess he somehow convinced himself that
it was all part of a secret plan to corrupt
the masses and to get them to take up drinking
and smoking and all sorts of other vices that, you know,
Ford being approved, disapproved of. But there's at least one
form of dancing that Ford and his wife could get behind.
And that's what they referred to as, quote, old-fashioned dancing.
So this included square dancing, but also other Anglo-Saxon dances
(14:38):
like waltzes and quadrilles. And most of the country, including
the rural parts, had moved on from old-fashioned dances like
this in favor of jazz or swing. But You know,
the Fords thought they could counteract these bad influences by
rekindling the country's passion for square dancing. So to that end,
Ford poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into square dancing
and other forms of country music. And he funded fiddling contests.
(15:00):
He paid radio shows to promote old-time dancing music. He
started square dancing clubs all over the country. He even
made a requirement for all his employees to attend special
square dancing events that he organized for them.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
And let me guess, he then campaigned for square dancing
to be taught in public schools.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah. So according to Ford, square dancing would make this
super valuable addition to physical education classes because, as he
put it, it would teach children, quote, social training, courtesy,
good citizenship, along with rhythm. And while you could probably
argue that there are better ways to teach that kind
of stuff, plenty of schools agreed with Ford's way of thinking.
And by 1928, nearly half of the schools in America
(15:39):
had started teaching their students to square dance, which is
a trend that's continued right up to today.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
I mean, it's impressive just how widespread this was, how
effective he was at getting this taught in schools. And
I can't say I've ever been a fan of square dancing,
but I like it even less now that I know
it was basically foisted on us by a white supremacist.
And it just doesn't feel like a good look.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Yeah, I mean, I've told other people about this before,
but like the two worst sections of gym class for
me in middle school were wrestling when they would take
all the boys and put them in the small gym
and you would line up around by your weight. And
from lowest to, so I was always like the second person.
And then they would call out your name with another
person and you'd have to wrestle in the middle. And
(16:23):
it was barbaric and awful. And then the other thing
that I hated was square dancing. I was like, why
can't we just play regular sports?
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Why does it have.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
To be an exhibition? But, you know, when you look
at the actual history of square dancing, it is pretty
ironic that Ford viewed it as this sort of intrinsically
white way to beat back the influence of Black and
Jewish music. Because, you know, the truth is that Black
people played a huge role in the development of square
dancing as we know it today.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
But wait, though, isn't it rooted in European dances that
the colonists brought over?
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, I mean, that's true. Like a lot of the
dance moves and terminology were adapted for the French, which
is why you can go to a square dance today
and hear them use words like promenade and do-si-do, which
is actually a corruption of the French phrase back to back.
But You know, when white colonists were dancing these steps
in the early days of America, it was enslaved African-Americans
who provided the music. And it's through these musicians that
(17:20):
square dancing really gained one of its most recognizable features,
having a performer call out the dance figures to the audience.
And at the time, many white dancers memorized the steps,
you know, with the help of private instructors. So there
really wasn't a need to have the steps called out
to them. But when enslaved blacks began adapting these dance
moves for themselves, they needed a way to keep track
of the steps. So they started calling out the moves
(17:41):
to one another. And eventually this call and response pattern,
it was adapted by white dancers. And pretty soon it
became a crucial part of square dancing tradition.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Well, it seems a little bit convenient of Henry Ford
to overlook that bit of history. But all right, well,
let's stick with the seedier side of dance for just
a minute and take a look at a few other
dance-related controversies that have come up over the years. But
before we do that, let's take a quick break. You're
(18:29):
listening to Part-Time Genius, and we're talking about the surprising
histories and controversies behind some of the world's most famous
dance moves. So, Mango, you remember back in the early
90s when Madonna had that hit song called Vogue? You
remember Madonna?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yeah, I've heard Madonna. It feels like everyone was striking
a pose back then. I remember the video had all
those hand movements and fancy twirls and it's still probably
one of her most famous dances.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Oh, it definitely is. And you know, it's interesting because
the popularity doesn't sit well with some people because while
Madonna typically gets credit for the song and the dance,
she actually didn't come up with the moves herself. And,
you know, by most accounts, Vogue was invented in Harlem
in the 1980s, and it was first danced by these
black drag queens that were in the LGBTQ club scene.
(19:15):
And these drag queens were inspired by the glamorous women
that they might see on Fifth Avenue, as well as
fashion magazines. You think of Vogue, of course, which is
where the dance gets its name. But Vogue was more
than just a series of these elaborate hand movements and
runway model poses and things like that. I mean, these
drag queens were actually using it as a storytelling device.
(19:39):
And So they'd get up on stage and act out
these little scenes and they'd use their hands to show
how they'd gotten dressed in drag or maybe how they'd
applied makeup or tease their hair and so the net
result was really this string of poses that was often
very revealing and very personal about how a performer was
thinking about themselves and how they might live their life.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
I guess. Which is pretty awesome. And I do know
a little bit about that, like, Harlem ballroom scene and
the dance clubs where this came out of. But, you know,
how does Madonna fit into all of this?
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Well, supposedly she was introduced to Vogue by some friends
who happened to be members of the drag community at
the time. And this was sometime in the late 80s.
And the singer really fell in love with the moves
and wanted to showcase them in a song on her
next album. And of course, she did this. And, you know,
while Madonna likely saw this exposure as is somewhat of
a gift to the voguing community. There were lots of
(20:34):
people who didn't see it that way. I mean, they
believe Madonna was co-opting their dance and their experience and
was doing all of this really for her own commercial gain.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Yeah, I mean, I can see the arguments there. But honestly,
whether it's fair or not, Madonna is definitely the person
who comes to mind when most of us think about voguing.
And it makes sense that the drag community would bristle
at having this straight white pop star become the symbol
of something they came up with.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Yeah, and as one drag scene veteran put it, you know,
Madonna took, quote, a very specifically queer, transgender, Latino, and
African-American phenomenon and totally erased that context. She was taking
in tons of money, while the queen who actually taught
her how to vogue sat in the club, strung out, depressed,
and broke.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, and like a lot of these things, there really
are two sides to this, right? Like, if you think
back to the dancers in that Vogue video, it seems
like Madonna was pretty good about representation in it.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Well, she definitely brought a few people from the Vogue
scene along for the ride and not just in the video,
but also on the tour she did for the album.
So there's no doubt she ended up benefiting some of
the people who originated the dance. And like you said,
it's always a little bit tricky. And the real question
is whether that's enough to absolve her of what many
people saw as kind of a form of cultural appropriation.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
Well, I mean, I do think she deserves some points
for taking this decidedly queer art form and giving it
mainstream exposure in America. if nothing else, that had to
mean a lot to these people in these underserved and
underrepresented communities. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
And to go to bat for Madonna for a little
bit here, if you think about this, she's been a
friend to the LGBTQ community for decades now. And she's
employed a ton of gay dancers and instructors over the
years and become a close friend and ally to many
of them. And she spearheaded fundraisers and awareness campaigns to
help combat the AIDS epidemic. And This was at a
time when neither the government nor really the public at
(22:26):
large were doing that much else to help with the problem. So,
you know, even if we do take her to task
for co-opting the Vogue, it's worth remembering that she's also
given back to these communities where she drew so much
of that creative inspiration.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Well, I want to switch gears a little and tell
you about the time Serena Williams drew heat for borrowing
some controversial dance moves of her own. And this was
back during the 2012 Olympics, right after her gold medal
singles victory against Maria Sharapova.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
I remember this, actually. She did the it's called the
Sea Walk, right?
Speaker 2 (22:57):
That's right. And this is a big deal for some
people because the C in the name actually stands for Crip.
And of course, the Crips are a pretty notorious gang
that grew out of L.A. County.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
You know, I knew that was the name, but I've
always been a little hazy on the association. Like, is
the dance really connected to the gang or is this
more of an urban legend kind of thing?
Speaker 2 (23:17):
No, there's definitely a connection. So supposedly the gang invented
the dance about 40 years ago in Compton. And it
was actually a way for them to disrespect their rival gang,
the Bloods. So the Crips would spell out the other
gang's name on the sidewalk, you know, in chalk or something.
And then they'd cross it out by using the dance
to spell out their own name with their feet.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
But I mean, that was a long time ago, right? Like,
isn't the Seawalk pretty divorced from the gang ties by now?
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah, I mean, the connection was tough to shake for
a while. And in the early 2000s, the dance was
even banned from schools in certain areas. But since then,
a ton of performers have used the dance without issues,
including everyone from Snoop Dogg to Justin Timberlake. Like a
couple other dancers have spun out the sea walk, too.
Like there's the clown walk and the crown walk. And actually,
some people maintain that Serena was really doing one of
(24:02):
those after her win anyway.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Yeah, I mean, it always seemed like the blowback she
got was a little more about the fact that she
was celebrating it all rather than Maybe like the specific
dance that she did. And it does feel like a
bit of a double standard because she's a black female.
And I mean, if Justin Timberlake can get away with
doing it, I feel like she should be able to
as well.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
So there's actually another reason why I think Serena's dance
should get a pass. And a lot of people don't
know this, but the Williams sisters used to have a
half sister named Yatunda Price. And tragically, back in 2003,
Price was shot and killed by an active member of
the Southside Crips gang. So, you know, when you consider that,
if Serena feels like the dance step is far enough
removed from gang violence for, you know, for her to
(24:46):
feel comfortable doing it, then really, who.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Are we to argue with her? Yeah, that's a good point.
Pretty compelling. But, you know, one thing I noticed while
digging into dance history is that dances often fall in
and out of favor over time and they never really
stay fixed. I mean, they're kind of always evolving and
may take on new shades of meaning as different generations
and cultures kind of put their own spin on them.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yeah, I know what you mean. And the example I
always think of is capoeira. Like, is it a dance
or a martial art? Is it Brazilian or is it African? Like,
the truth is somewhere in the middle because over the years,
capoeira has been all of these things and more to
so many different people.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Oh, that is definitely something I feel like we should
talk about. But before we get to that, let's take
one more quick break. Okay, Mango, so give us more
(25:46):
background on capoeira, because I don't think it's an art
form that a lot of people know that much about.
And it's kind of like the precursor to breakdancing, though,
isn't it?
Speaker 2 (25:56):
So that breakdancing connection is actually a whole can of
worms that I'll get into in a minute. But Yeah,
on the surface, the two practices do have a lot
in common, like the footwork, the upside down movements, the
way the performers interact with the ground, like it's all
pretty similar. But while breaking had this pretty definitive start
in the Bronx during the late 70s, capoeira's history is
(26:16):
a little hazier. So what we do know for sure
is that capoeira was developed in Brazil by enslaved Africans
sometime between the 1500s and the 1800s. And as you
might remember, Brazil was a colony of Portugal for that
300-year span. And during that time, an estimated 4 million
enslaved people were brought across the Atlantic to Brazil. The
majority were forced to work in gold and diamond mines
(26:38):
or in the country's vast sugarcane fields. But some managed
to escape inland and hide out in the rainforests. And
Some historians think that that's where Capoeira got its start.
So over time, the theory is that these escaped Africans
were able to find each other. And as they did,
they began to form these independent communities. It was rooted
in expressions of African culture. And Capoeira is thought to
(26:59):
be one of those expressions, like a form of defense
that relies on these rhythmic movements to disarm and confuse
and ultimately defeat an opponent.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
All right, I see. So the dance elements are really
kind of meant as a way to distract an opponent
or throw them off balance or something?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
So that's definitely one theory. There's another theory that capoeira
emerged before the Africans escaped, and that to hide this
new form of fighting from the slave masters, they started
camouflaging it as a dance. And that way they could
train for potential revolt right out in the open. And
if you go by this theory, it also explains why
instruments were later added to capoeira. I mean, what better
(27:37):
way to complete this dance disguise than by adding music
to the mix? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
And, you know, it starts to make sense what you
were talking about before with capoeira being really kind of
morphed to fit the needs of different people, different time periods.
But I do want to go back to that breakdancing connection, though,
because I know capoeira made its way stateside in the 1970s,
and that was around the time that breakdancers were getting started.
(28:02):
But with all the similarities that you mentioned, it feels
like there's got to be some kind of connection, though, right?
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Well, I mean, a lot of people think so. Actually,
do you remember this? When we used to go for
hip-hop shows at the Cat's Cradle, sometimes there'd be a
group of break dancers and a group of capoeira enthusiasts,
and they'd kind of dance off.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
It was amazing. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
But, you know, you'd assume they're sort of linked in
some greater way, but I really couldn't find anything to
support the idea. And like you said, capoeira came to
the U.S. in the mid-' 70s, and that was largely thanks
to two veteran practitioners who who started touring the country
and teaching the techniques at various colleges. But there doesn't
seem to be much, if any, evidence of overlap between
(28:42):
capoeira and the earliest breakdancers. And instead, most breakers will
actually tell you that they took their early moves from
kung fu movies more than anything else. But of course,
even if capoeira didn't give birth to breakdancing, it's safe
to say that both practices have inspired each other in
the time since.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Well, and besides that, I mean, capoeira and breakdancing are
still both rooted in African tradition. So even if they
did develop centuries and thousands of miles apart, I mean,
maybe their connection is less like a parent and child
and more like that of maybe two distant cousins or something.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, definitely. Like origins aside, these are two forms of
expression that definitely have a lot in common.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
All right. Well, I know we're running out of time here,
but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a milestone
in dance history that I was just reading about this week,
because As it turns out, this year is actually the
35th anniversary of Michael Jackson's moonwalk. Can you believe it's
been that long?
Speaker 2 (29:35):
I mean, I can't, but you do know that the
moonwalk is like way older than that, right? Well, I.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
said it was the 35th anniversary of Michael Jackson's moonwalk,
not the first ever moonwalk. But while we're talking about that,
refresh my memory, though, like who beat MJ to the
punch on this one?
Speaker 2 (29:50):
So there are more people than I'd remembered. David Bowie
did his own take on the move during his 1973 tour.
Back in the 50s, both Cab Calloway and Bill Bailey
included moonwalks in their performances. And probably the earliest case
I've heard of is actually that famous French mime, Marceau Marceau.
And he actually had this act in the 40s called
Walking in the Wind. where he would pretend to brace
(30:12):
himself against this imaginary wind. And so he would act
like he was struggling against the wind. And as he
did this, he would slide backwards. But the interesting thing
about him is that he was actually friends with Michael
Jackson for decades. And Jackson said multiple times that the
mime's work had this huge influence on his performance style.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Oh, that's interesting. I mean, Jackson was probably influenced by
each of those performers in one way or another. But
You know, from what I've read, it actually looks like
MJ patterned this moonwalk after these two breakdancers that he'd
seen on an episode of Soul Train. And this was
a few years before all of this. And their names
were Jerron Casper Candidate and Cooley Jackson. No relation here.
(30:51):
And the story goes that MJ remembered their performance and
wound up arranging a meeting with the men while he
was prepping for his big Motown special. Now, this was
in 1983. And so the guys taught them this backslide
move and Jackson practiced it until he had it down pat.
He wanted to debut this moonwalk during the Motown special,
(31:12):
and this was a very strategic move on his part.
So at the time, Michael had already released two solo albums,
but he wasn't completely out of the shadow of the
Jackson 5. In fact, the bulk of his performance during
the special was devoted to this Jackson 5 reunion of sorts.
But Michael only agreed to appear at all because he
(31:32):
was able to convince the producer to let him do
this solo performance. And he wanted to do one especially
of a non-Motown song. And the producer agrees to this.
And so Jackson ends up performing Billie Jean on stage
that night for a television audience of 34 million people.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
And so, of course, you think about this. How did
Jackson ensure the performance was a memorable one? Well, it
was a few seconds of sliding backwards across the stage,
and that did it.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
Well, I mean, clearly it worked, and it's basically become
his signature move.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah, and crowds just ate it up. And I'd read
that even Fred Astaire apparently called Jackson after the Motown
performance to congratulate him. The move was a game changer
for Jackson's career and the world of dance, and it
seemed like everybody knew it. And Of course, one of
the drawbacks to that is that everybody then tried to
replicate the move themselves and usually very unsuccessfully.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
You know what's funny is that I've actually heard that
Jackson's pet chimpanzee Bubbles got pretty good at the moonwalk. Really?
Which is way more than I could say. I feel
like the Arch Deluxe is probably more my speed.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Well, I'm sure Tristan will teach it to you anytime
you want. But in the meantime, though, I think there
are a few more dance moves that we haven't gotten
to yet. So What do you say we slip on
our dancing shoes and bust out a couple of quick
moves in the fact off?
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Definitely. All right.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Well, earlier this year, New Orleans was the home to
a revival of this 1894 show called Tabasco, a burlesque opera.
And yes, it is that Tabasco. So There's a conductor
named Paul Moffrey, and he stumbled into this program for
the old show while doing some research on the history
of New Orleans music. Now, the opera is about this
(33:23):
Irish traveler who gets lost at sea, and he ends
up landing in Morocco and is forced to become a
chef for this military officer there. Now, the military officer
there happens to love spicy food. And so in his
effort to come up with just the right dish for him,
Tabasco sauce comes to the rescue. Now, I had no
idea that Tabasco had been around that long, but it's
(33:45):
apparently celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
So back to this original performance back in 1894, the
Louisiana-based company, Tabasco, they actually agreed to underwrite part of
the cost of the show. if they would give out
tiny bottles of the stuff at these performances when it
debuted in Boston. And it turns out the show had
a pretty good run across a bunch of U.S. cities,
(34:10):
but they ran into some legal battles over the use
of the product and kind of the rights around the show.
And so the show closed down and it almost disappeared
completely until Moffrey discovered it more than 100 years later.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Wow. So I know we've talked about prison reform and
unique prisons in previous episodes, but there's one I don't
think we talked about, and that's Iwahig Prison and Penal
Farm in the Philippines. So this is where inmates dance
with and for tourists. And the place sprawls over 64,000 acres,
(34:44):
and the inmates pretty much move freely across it. Tourists visit,
and they stop by the recreation center to see 10
to 20 inmates perform multiple songs. And then the tourists
stick around to check out and purchase various crafts the
inmates have made. And it's definitely unlike any prison you'd
find in the States.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Yeah, I haven't heard of anything like that. That's very interesting. Well,
we couldn't do an episode on dances without covering the
chicken dance. You had to know this one was coming
at some point. And it turns out it was kind
of named this by accident. So the melody for the
song was written more than 60 years ago, and it
was written by this Swiss musician named Werner Thomas. Now,
(35:22):
Thomas used to make a living by playing accordion at
these various holiday resorts in Switzerland. And as he came
up with the melody, he gradually began putting dance moves
to it. But weirdly, the moves weren't inspired by chickens,
but by skiers, which sounds a little bit surprising. But
many of the motions of skiers flying down these mountains
(35:43):
there really reminded Thomas of different birds. And so he
started to put some of these motions into a dance
that They started to call it Dance Little Bird. So
how did it become the chicken dance? Well, it's tough
to say, but it may have something to do with
this Oktoberfest celebration that actually happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, back
(36:04):
in 1981. There was a German band there that decided
to play the song. And the organizers of the event,
I guess they were super excited about this song for
some reason, but they thought it would be fun to
find a costume to go along with the dance. And
the best thing they could find was a chicken suit
that a local TV station had. And so, of course,
the rest is history.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
That is amazing. I feel embarrassed that I didn't look
up a chicken dance fact. That's so good.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Beat you to it.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
So back in the late 20s and early 30s, a
certain type of dance hall started popping up in big
cities like Chicago and New York City. And these were
dance halls where men could dance with hired women dancers
for 10 cents a song. And by the early 30s,
there were over 100 of these so-called taxi dance halls
in New York City. Something like 50,000 men would visit
these each week.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
And thanks to this sociologist named Paul G. Cressy, we
know some of the lingo in history, and that's how
it's been preserved. So the dancers were often referred to
as nickel hoppers, since they usually made half of the
10 cents the men would pay. And weirdly, the trend
stuck around until the mid-1900s. But that's when law enforcement
began cracking down on things like prostitution, mob activities, and
(37:14):
all of that stuff that had been sort of associated
with these dance halls. Okay. All right.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Well, recent studies have shown the benefits of dancing for
Parkinson's disease or for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. And
in fact, several studies have looked at this and they
found that dancing helps really on two fronts. Now, the
first is more on the physical side where this rhythmic
movement from dancing can actually help reduce the motor control
difficulties that are often accompanied by Parkinson's. And The relief
(37:43):
isn't necessarily immediate, but over time, it does seem to
help train the brain and the body for more fluid motion.
And not surprisingly, the other major benefit of dancing for
those with Parkinson's is reducing some of that social isolation
that many of the patients often experience. And as one
dance instructor put it, their mood changes within a few
(38:04):
minutes of being there. They're no longer patients, but dance students.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Well, speaking of dance classes, back in 2011, this nearly
40-story mall in Seoul, South Korea, started shaking. And it
did so for nearly 10 minutes. And the weird events
caused this two-day evacuation and, of course, this investigation. And
you won't believe what cost it, or maybe you will.
It turns out that a couple dozen middle-aged people in
(38:30):
a Taibo class started dancing to The Power by the
band The Snap. And you know the song.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
It's like, I've got the power. Yeah, I've got the power.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
So the investigation revealed that it wasn't the weight of
the people dancing. It was just their rhythm. And as
Professor Chong Lan of Dan Cook University explained, Quote, it
just happens to be that the vibration set up by
the Taibo coincided with a resonance frequency unique to the building.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Wow. There is no way to top that. And actually,
the fact that Tristan is now out of his chair
doing some of his own Taibo moves, I mean, this
is a total blowout. I'm going to have to give
you today's trophy, Mango.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
Thank you so much, Will.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
And thank you guys for listening. We'd love to hear
your great dance stories or dance facts. You can always
email those to parttimegenius at howstuffworks.com. or hit us up
on Facebook or Twitter. But as always, thanks so much
for listening. again for listening. Part-Time Genius is a production
(39:37):
of How Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible without several
brilliant people who do the important things we couldn't even
begin to understand.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
Tristan McNeil does the editing thing.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
Noel Brown made the theme song and does the mixy-mixy
sound thing.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Jerry Rowland does the exact producer thing.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Gabe Luzier is our lead researcher with support from the
research army, including Austin Thompson, Nolan Brown, and Lucas Adams.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
And Yves Jeffcoat gets the show to your ears. Good job, Yves!
Speaker 1 (40:00):
If you like what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe.
And if you really, really like what you've heard, maybe
you could leave a good review for us.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
Did we forget Jason?
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Jason who?
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Thank you.
Guess what, Mango?
Speaker 2 (00:03):
What's that, Will?
Speaker 1 (00:04):
All right. So when we decided to do today's episode
on different dances, I started thinking back to all the
dances that we learned as kids and all the songs
where every kid in school felt like they had to
master the dance moves. So when you think about this,
what dances come to mind?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
So you know what's strange is I was actually thinking
about this recently, and obviously there are moves like the
Roger Rabbit or whatever, but I actually kind of feel
grateful that we grew up in this era when there
weren't a lot of great dances. And at least when
we were in middle school, like all the break dancing
and moonwalking was over by then. And then all the
songs seemed to be just about jumping. Like House of
Pain was jump around. Criss Cross had that song, Jump.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Even Dancing to Nirvana was just bouncing up and down
and bumping into each other.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
You were totally right about this. I didn't think about that.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
So much easier than watching what my kids have to
go through just to keep up with the shoot and
the whip nae nae and practicing how to floss all
the time.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Yeah, I mean, I get what you're saying, but a
few others do come to mind for me and probably
two stand out above the others. The first of these
was definitely Michael Jackson's Thriller. And I know I've mentioned
this before, but My sister was a few years older
than me. And so when she was out with friends
or still at school, I would often sneak into her
room and listen to tapes on that fancy double cassette
(01:21):
boombox that she had. And I might pop in some
Duran Duran or the Bangles or any number of other
tapes that she had. But my favorite was definitely Michael
Jackson's Thriller. And I was terrible at dancing to that song,
but it didn't stop me from trying to master it.
But the other dance that comes to mind, and you
might argue this one was a little bit easier to master,
(01:42):
that was the electric slide.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So I remember going into the school dance in sixth grade,
and suddenly everyone was doing the electric slide. And I
couldn't figure out, had I missed a class where this
was taught? Because everyone knew how to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Well, it might have felt like everybody mastered it, but
my guess is the dance's creator, Richard Silver, he might
not agree with that, especially if you weren't doing all
22 proper steps of the dance. Now, this may seem
a little bit silly, but he was serious about this.
So Silver was this well-known dancer in the New York
City disco scene, and he came up with the electric
(02:18):
slide in 1976. And he was more than a little
particular about people doing it just right, especially because there
was this version of the dance that caught on that
only involved 18 of the 22 steps that he'd choreographed.
And he'd get so angry about people doing it wrong
that for years he would threaten to sue people who
(02:38):
were doing it incorrectly. And he even convinced YouTube to
take down several videos of like weddings and bar mitzvahs
and other parties that involve people butchering his creation. Is
this not nuts?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
That's amazing.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
But he finally gave up on trying to police the
world on behalf of his dance when this other civil
rights organization, they actually sued him on behalf of a
man who's Party clips had been taken down from the
web because of Silver. But anyway, this bizarre incident got
us thinking about the unusual and often controversial origins of
(03:12):
some of the most well-known dances in history. And that's
what we're going to be talking about today. So let's
dive in.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Let's dive in.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Hey there, podcast listeners. Welcome to Part-Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson,
and as always, I'm joined by my good friend, Mangesh Hatikader.
And on the other side of the soundproof glass, practicing
the steps for the official Arch Deluxe Line Dance. That's
our friend and producer, Tristan McNeil. Now, I have to admit,
I'd never heard of this, but apparently this dance was
part of a McDonald's ad campaign back in the mid-90s.
(04:01):
Do you remember this, Mango?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, the Arch Deluxe. It was a giant failure from
what I remember. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
And I guess the company was trying to attract older
customers by introducing what they build as, quote, the burger
with the grown-up taste, which is such a weird line.
And you're right. It sounds like nobody liked it. I
don't think the dance fared that much better either. But
Tristan actually dug up the steps on the old Arch
Deluxe website, which You can apparently still access, and I
(04:29):
think everybody should do this because it's just as ridiculous
as you might imagine. I mean, listen to some of
these dance moves, and they describe them in detail for
you here. It says, right arm rolls up and down
twice like the wave in an ocean, then step forward
and form the golden arches with your arms. What could
be cooler than doing these dance moves? But unsurprisingly, this
(04:53):
did not catch on, and that's despite McDonald's bold claim that, quote,
People across America are McSteppen to the beat of the
newest dance craze.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
So I looked into this and it seems like the
whole idea was meant as a way to capitalize on
how popular the Macarena was at the time. And the
company went all out to try and make this the
next big thing. And I read that they actually shuttled
a bunch of employees to McDonald's headquarters for do the
deluxe dance lessons. And then there was a giant pep
rally right there after. And the village people attended and
(05:24):
performed for some reason.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
What do you mean for some reason? I mean, they
were mixed step into the beat, Mango.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Yeah, I mean, nothing gets you more excited than a
mandatory pep rally. Exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Well, you know, today's show is about more than Berger-inspired
dance moves, because for too long now, we've been plagued
by some pretty important questions. You know, things like, did
Michael Jackson really invent the moonwalk? And why are good
ballet shoes so hard to find? And why do we
teach kids to square dance in gym class? That's a
big one that I feel like we should answer. But today,
(05:57):
we're going to hit the dance floor and see if
we can finally unravel some of the weird and surprising
mysteries of dance. And I feel like I'm going to
let you take the lead on this one, Mango. So
where should we start?
Speaker 2 (06:08):
So you remember that one Gloria Estefan song, The Rhythm's
Gonna Get You?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
I'm a little insulted that you would ask if I know.
The rhythm is gonna get you. Of course I do.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, so my question is basically why? What is it
about watching people dance that makes you want to dance yourself?
Speaker 1 (06:27):
It's a good question. And I will also say that
that line always sounded a little ominous to me, like
something was coming after me.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
It is going to get you in a very catchy way. But,
you know, we talk about all kinds of things going
viral on the Internet now, but dancing in particular has
a really long history of being likened to a virus.
So you and our listeners have probably heard of that
so-called dancing plague that struck Europe in the early 1500s.
And this is when hundreds of people started compulsively dancing
(06:54):
for days on end without resting. And within a month
or so, many of them had collapsed or even died
from exhaustion. And today, researchers have all kinds of ideas
about what brings on these bizarre forms of mania. Everything
from like food poisoning to psychosis, but there still are
no hard answers. Like the rhythm simply got them.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Boy, did it. Yeah, I mean, the dance plague is
a pretty extreme case. I think about times when you're
just watching a performance and You know, you may start
to move your shoulders or bobbing your head and just
kind of dancing along a little bit in your seat. Like,
did you come across any answers for why that happens?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
So nothing concrete, but there's a good deal of evidence
to suggest that our bodies are attuned to the movements
of others because of responses in our brains. So the
idea is that whenever we make a certain movement, a
corresponding region of the brain is activated. But this is
where it gets weird because that region of the brain
is activated not only when we perform the movement ourselves,
but when we observe someone else performing it.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
So you're saying like when we watch somebody dance, our
brains are sort of simulating the dance steps internally? Is
that what you're saying?
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Exactly. And this unconscious response is actually strong enough in
some people that they will actually start to you know,
act out the movements they're internalizing, how heightened your response
is depends on how familiar you are with the movements
and how much enjoyment you get from making them yourself. So,
for example, like the motor regions of a professional dancer's
brain will actually become much more active when they watch
(08:25):
someone dance compared to someone who doesn't dance themselves.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Yeah, that's pretty interesting. But I mean, there is one
form of dance and that would probably be ballet that
my brain just throws in the towel. Like those are
movements I can't even think through, but much less perform myself.
And that's especially true of the moves where the ballerinas
are on their toes. And I've always just found this
so interesting. And I thought I would look into the
(08:48):
background of this. And it turns out ballerinas first started
dancing on their toes in the late 1700s, but not
in the way that we're used to. At first, the
dancers were actually lifted off the stage by the system
of wires so that it would appear like they were
hovering on their toes. And years later, this system led
to the invention of pointe shoes, which were then sturdy
(09:08):
enough for the dancers to actually balance on their toes
without the aid of these wires.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
So I've actually been curious about this. So do pointe
shoes have like solid wood in the tips or how
are they so hard there?
Speaker 1 (09:20):
You know, I always thought that they did, but it
turns out they're actually made from layers of fabric and
paper that have been hardened and they harden them with
a flour paste. So it's a little bit more like
paper mache. And then once that shape is set, the
shoes are wrapped in satin, and then the tips are
flattened with an actual hammer. And that kind of forms
that platform for the dancers to stand on. But the
(09:43):
initial process is really just the tip of the iceberg
when it comes to modding pointe shoes. Because before a
ballerina can debut a fresh pair on stage, she first
has to spend several hours cutting and ripping and scraping
and crushing and often even burning these shoes in order
to make them fit just right.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I mean, that sounds insane, but why can't shoemakers just
make the shoes the way dancers like them from the start?
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Well, I was wondering that too, but if you think
about it, there's just way too much variation between the
shape and size of a dancer's feet for these manufacturers
to be able to cover that. And they'd have to
specially make these shoes for each and every dancer, which
isn't really financially feasible when you consider that some dancers
wear out a pair of points after a single performance.
And many of these dancers may go through over 100
(10:31):
pairs of shoes over the course of a season. So
while it's certainly time-consuming for the dancers to alter their
own shoes, it's probably the most practical solution.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
So what kind of benefits do the ballerinos get from
these specialized modifications?
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Well, it depends. Like each dancer likes their shoes a
little bit different. So the methods, you know, vary based
on what they may be looking for. So, for example,
some ballerinas cut the soles out of their shoes to
improve that flexibility, and then they may super glue them
back together again. And others outfit their shoes with a
product called Ouch Pouches, which are basically these silicone gel
(11:08):
caps that provide a little extra padding for their toes
and I even read about one ballerina who likes to
rip out the sole and lining of her shoes and
then mark the spot where her arches are and then
break the shoes in half with her hands from there.
But the other thing I thought was really cool about
this is that these rituals, they're really passed down from
(11:29):
one generation of dancers to the next. So when a
ballerina first starts out, she'll often have a more experienced
dancer that'll show her the tricks of the trade and
kind of help her craft her own.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
I mean, that is pretty cool. And I also like
how all that labor is sort of representative of ballet
as a whole. Like on the outside, the shoes look
polished and flawless, just like the dance moves. But beneath
the surface, there's this insane level of hard work and
struggle that goes into making them so perfect.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Yeah, that seems like a good way to think about it.
And it's often easy to forget just how painful ballet
dancing can be because of how graceful the final product looks.
But Just reading up on points, I mean, I saw
that even for all the effort that goes into making
the shoes fit perfectly, it still hurts so much when
a ballerina dances on the tips of her toes most
(12:18):
of the time. And apparently the pain can get so
bad that some dancers even soak their feet in alcohol
or apply tooth numbing gel just to make it through
a single practice session.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Oh, that's brutal. But, you know, speaking of pain, would
you say we head back to school for a minute
and talk about the all-too-familiar pain of being forced to
square dance in gym class?
Speaker 1 (12:38):
You know, the only thing more painful than dancing in
those pointe shoes may be square dancing. It's such a
bizarre practice, and it feels like the kind of thing
that's bound to have some really weird story behind it.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah, and it actually does, because while square dancing dates
back to colonial America— The modern revival that led to
it being taught in schools is actually thanks to none
other than Henry Ford.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Seriously?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Ford?
Speaker 1 (13:02):
So what does he have to do with it?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
So, I mean, the first thing to know is that
Ford despised jazz music and everything related to it. So
that's like the flappers, the Charleston, swing dancing. He hated
all of it. But that wasn't all that Ford hated.
He also hated Jewish people.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Oh, that's right. And he was pretty outspoken with his anti-Semitism, right? Like,
didn't even write a bunch of propaganda pamphlets about it.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
That's right. So in the early 1920s, he put out
a four-volume series of booklets called The International Jew. And
while I hate to quote from something so baseless and hateful,
there's one excerpt of the third volume that really explains
Ford's thinking on jazz and why he would be so
interested in square dance revival. So here it goes. Ford writes, quote,
Many people have wondered whence came the waves upon waves
(13:48):
of musical slush that invade decent homes and set the
young people of this generation imitating the drivel of morons.
Popular music is a Jewish monopoly. Jazz is a Jewish creation.
The mush slush, the sly suggestion, the abandoned sensuousness of
sliding notes are all of Jewish origin.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Wait, so Ford really believed that Jewish people invented jazz music?
I mean, give me a break.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yeah, I mean, I guess he somehow convinced himself that
it was all part of a secret plan to corrupt
the masses and to get them to take up drinking
and smoking and all sorts of other vices that, you know,
Ford being approved, disapproved of. But there's at least one
form of dancing that Ford and his wife could get behind.
And that's what they referred to as, quote, old-fashioned dancing.
So this included square dancing, but also other Anglo-Saxon dances
(14:38):
like waltzes and quadrilles. And most of the country, including
the rural parts, had moved on from old-fashioned dances like
this in favor of jazz or swing. But You know,
the Fords thought they could counteract these bad influences by
rekindling the country's passion for square dancing. So to that end,
Ford poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into square dancing
and other forms of country music. And he funded fiddling contests.
(15:00):
He paid radio shows to promote old-time dancing music. He
started square dancing clubs all over the country. He even
made a requirement for all his employees to attend special
square dancing events that he organized for them.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
And let me guess, he then campaigned for square dancing
to be taught in public schools.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah. So according to Ford, square dancing would make this
super valuable addition to physical education classes because, as he
put it, it would teach children, quote, social training, courtesy,
good citizenship, along with rhythm. And while you could probably
argue that there are better ways to teach that kind
of stuff, plenty of schools agreed with Ford's way of thinking.
And by 1928, nearly half of the schools in America
(15:39):
had started teaching their students to square dance, which is
a trend that's continued right up to today.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
I mean, it's impressive just how widespread this was, how
effective he was at getting this taught in schools. And
I can't say I've ever been a fan of square dancing,
but I like it even less now that I know
it was basically foisted on us by a white supremacist.
And it just doesn't feel like a good look.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Yeah, I mean, I've told other people about this before,
but like the two worst sections of gym class for
me in middle school were wrestling when they would take
all the boys and put them in the small gym
and you would line up around by your weight. And
from lowest to, so I was always like the second person.
And then they would call out your name with another
person and you'd have to wrestle in the middle. And
(16:23):
it was barbaric and awful. And then the other thing
that I hated was square dancing. I was like, why
can't we just play regular sports?
Speaker 1 (16:31):
Why does it have.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
To be an exhibition? But, you know, when you look
at the actual history of square dancing, it is pretty
ironic that Ford viewed it as this sort of intrinsically
white way to beat back the influence of Black and
Jewish music. Because, you know, the truth is that Black
people played a huge role in the development of square
dancing as we know it today.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
But wait, though, isn't it rooted in European dances that
the colonists brought over?
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, I mean, that's true. Like a lot of the
dance moves and terminology were adapted for the French, which
is why you can go to a square dance today
and hear them use words like promenade and do-si-do, which
is actually a corruption of the French phrase back to back.
But You know, when white colonists were dancing these steps
in the early days of America, it was enslaved African-Americans
who provided the music. And it's through these musicians that
(17:20):
square dancing really gained one of its most recognizable features,
having a performer call out the dance figures to the audience.
And at the time, many white dancers memorized the steps,
you know, with the help of private instructors. So there
really wasn't a need to have the steps called out
to them. But when enslaved blacks began adapting these dance
moves for themselves, they needed a way to keep track
of the steps. So they started calling out the moves
(17:41):
to one another. And eventually this call and response pattern,
it was adapted by white dancers. And pretty soon it
became a crucial part of square dancing tradition.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Well, it seems a little bit convenient of Henry Ford
to overlook that bit of history. But all right, well,
let's stick with the seedier side of dance for just
a minute and take a look at a few other
dance-related controversies that have come up over the years. But
before we do that, let's take a quick break. You're
(18:29):
listening to Part-Time Genius, and we're talking about the surprising
histories and controversies behind some of the world's most famous
dance moves. So, Mango, you remember back in the early
90s when Madonna had that hit song called Vogue? You
remember Madonna?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yeah, I've heard Madonna. It feels like everyone was striking
a pose back then. I remember the video had all
those hand movements and fancy twirls and it's still probably
one of her most famous dances.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Oh, it definitely is. And you know, it's interesting because
the popularity doesn't sit well with some people because while
Madonna typically gets credit for the song and the dance,
she actually didn't come up with the moves herself. And,
you know, by most accounts, Vogue was invented in Harlem
in the 1980s, and it was first danced by these
black drag queens that were in the LGBTQ club scene.
(19:15):
And these drag queens were inspired by the glamorous women
that they might see on Fifth Avenue, as well as
fashion magazines. You think of Vogue, of course, which is
where the dance gets its name. But Vogue was more
than just a series of these elaborate hand movements and
runway model poses and things like that. I mean, these
drag queens were actually using it as a storytelling device.
(19:39):
And So they'd get up on stage and act out
these little scenes and they'd use their hands to show
how they'd gotten dressed in drag or maybe how they'd
applied makeup or tease their hair and so the net
result was really this string of poses that was often
very revealing and very personal about how a performer was
thinking about themselves and how they might live their life.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
I guess. Which is pretty awesome. And I do know
a little bit about that, like, Harlem ballroom scene and
the dance clubs where this came out of. But, you know,
how does Madonna fit into all of this?
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Well, supposedly she was introduced to Vogue by some friends
who happened to be members of the drag community at
the time. And this was sometime in the late 80s.
And the singer really fell in love with the moves
and wanted to showcase them in a song on her
next album. And of course, she did this. And, you know,
while Madonna likely saw this exposure as is somewhat of
a gift to the voguing community. There were lots of
(20:34):
people who didn't see it that way. I mean, they
believe Madonna was co-opting their dance and their experience and
was doing all of this really for her own commercial gain.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Yeah, I mean, I can see the arguments there. But honestly,
whether it's fair or not, Madonna is definitely the person
who comes to mind when most of us think about voguing.
And it makes sense that the drag community would bristle
at having this straight white pop star become the symbol
of something they came up with.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Yeah, and as one drag scene veteran put it, you know,
Madonna took, quote, a very specifically queer, transgender, Latino, and
African-American phenomenon and totally erased that context. She was taking
in tons of money, while the queen who actually taught
her how to vogue sat in the club, strung out, depressed,
and broke.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, and like a lot of these things, there really
are two sides to this, right? Like, if you think
back to the dancers in that Vogue video, it seems
like Madonna was pretty good about representation in it.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Well, she definitely brought a few people from the Vogue
scene along for the ride and not just in the video,
but also on the tour she did for the album.
So there's no doubt she ended up benefiting some of
the people who originated the dance. And like you said,
it's always a little bit tricky. And the real question
is whether that's enough to absolve her of what many
people saw as kind of a form of cultural appropriation.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
Well, I mean, I do think she deserves some points
for taking this decidedly queer art form and giving it
mainstream exposure in America. if nothing else, that had to
mean a lot to these people in these underserved and
underrepresented communities. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
And to go to bat for Madonna for a little
bit here, if you think about this, she's been a
friend to the LGBTQ community for decades now. And she's
employed a ton of gay dancers and instructors over the
years and become a close friend and ally to many
of them. And she spearheaded fundraisers and awareness campaigns to
help combat the AIDS epidemic. And This was at a
time when neither the government nor really the public at
(22:26):
large were doing that much else to help with the problem. So,
you know, even if we do take her to task
for co-opting the Vogue, it's worth remembering that she's also
given back to these communities where she drew so much
of that creative inspiration.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
Well, I want to switch gears a little and tell
you about the time Serena Williams drew heat for borrowing
some controversial dance moves of her own. And this was
back during the 2012 Olympics, right after her gold medal
singles victory against Maria Sharapova.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
I remember this, actually. She did the it's called the
Sea Walk, right?
Speaker 2 (22:57):
That's right. And this is a big deal for some
people because the C in the name actually stands for Crip.
And of course, the Crips are a pretty notorious gang
that grew out of L.A. County.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
You know, I knew that was the name, but I've
always been a little hazy on the association. Like, is
the dance really connected to the gang or is this
more of an urban legend kind of thing?
Speaker 2 (23:17):
No, there's definitely a connection. So supposedly the gang invented
the dance about 40 years ago in Compton. And it
was actually a way for them to disrespect their rival gang,
the Bloods. So the Crips would spell out the other
gang's name on the sidewalk, you know, in chalk or something.
And then they'd cross it out by using the dance
to spell out their own name with their feet.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
But I mean, that was a long time ago, right? Like,
isn't the Seawalk pretty divorced from the gang ties by now?
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Yeah, I mean, the connection was tough to shake for
a while. And in the early 2000s, the dance was
even banned from schools in certain areas. But since then,
a ton of performers have used the dance without issues,
including everyone from Snoop Dogg to Justin Timberlake. Like a
couple other dancers have spun out the sea walk, too.
Like there's the clown walk and the crown walk. And actually,
some people maintain that Serena was really doing one of
(24:02):
those after her win anyway.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Yeah, I mean, it always seemed like the blowback she
got was a little more about the fact that she
was celebrating it all rather than Maybe like the specific
dance that she did. And it does feel like a
bit of a double standard because she's a black female.
And I mean, if Justin Timberlake can get away with
doing it, I feel like she should be able to
as well.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
So there's actually another reason why I think Serena's dance
should get a pass. And a lot of people don't
know this, but the Williams sisters used to have a
half sister named Yatunda Price. And tragically, back in 2003,
Price was shot and killed by an active member of
the Southside Crips gang. So, you know, when you consider that,
if Serena feels like the dance step is far enough
removed from gang violence for, you know, for her to
(24:46):
feel comfortable doing it, then really, who.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Are we to argue with her? Yeah, that's a good point.
Pretty compelling. But, you know, one thing I noticed while
digging into dance history is that dances often fall in
and out of favor over time and they never really
stay fixed. I mean, they're kind of always evolving and
may take on new shades of meaning as different generations
and cultures kind of put their own spin on them.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
Yeah, I know what you mean. And the example I
always think of is capoeira. Like, is it a dance
or a martial art? Is it Brazilian or is it African? Like,
the truth is somewhere in the middle because over the years,
capoeira has been all of these things and more to
so many different people.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Oh, that is definitely something I feel like we should
talk about. But before we get to that, let's take
one more quick break. Okay, Mango, so give us more
(25:46):
background on capoeira, because I don't think it's an art
form that a lot of people know that much about.
And it's kind of like the precursor to breakdancing, though,
isn't it?
Speaker 2 (25:56):
So that breakdancing connection is actually a whole can of
worms that I'll get into in a minute. But Yeah,
on the surface, the two practices do have a lot
in common, like the footwork, the upside down movements, the
way the performers interact with the ground, like it's all
pretty similar. But while breaking had this pretty definitive start
in the Bronx during the late 70s, capoeira's history is
(26:16):
a little hazier. So what we do know for sure
is that capoeira was developed in Brazil by enslaved Africans
sometime between the 1500s and the 1800s. And as you
might remember, Brazil was a colony of Portugal for that
300-year span. And during that time, an estimated 4 million
enslaved people were brought across the Atlantic to Brazil. The
majority were forced to work in gold and diamond mines
(26:38):
or in the country's vast sugarcane fields. But some managed
to escape inland and hide out in the rainforests. And
Some historians think that that's where Capoeira got its start.
So over time, the theory is that these escaped Africans
were able to find each other. And as they did,
they began to form these independent communities. It was rooted
in expressions of African culture. And Capoeira is thought to
(26:59):
be one of those expressions, like a form of defense
that relies on these rhythmic movements to disarm and confuse
and ultimately defeat an opponent.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
All right, I see. So the dance elements are really
kind of meant as a way to distract an opponent
or throw them off balance or something?
Speaker 2 (27:16):
So that's definitely one theory. There's another theory that capoeira
emerged before the Africans escaped, and that to hide this
new form of fighting from the slave masters, they started
camouflaging it as a dance. And that way they could
train for potential revolt right out in the open. And
if you go by this theory, it also explains why
instruments were later added to capoeira. I mean, what better
(27:37):
way to complete this dance disguise than by adding music
to the mix? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
And, you know, it starts to make sense what you
were talking about before with capoeira being really kind of
morphed to fit the needs of different people, different time periods.
But I do want to go back to that breakdancing connection, though,
because I know capoeira made its way stateside in the 1970s,
and that was around the time that breakdancers were getting started.
(28:02):
But with all the similarities that you mentioned, it feels
like there's got to be some kind of connection, though, right?
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Well, I mean, a lot of people think so. Actually,
do you remember this? When we used to go for
hip-hop shows at the Cat's Cradle, sometimes there'd be a
group of break dancers and a group of capoeira enthusiasts,
and they'd kind of dance off.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
It was amazing. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
But, you know, you'd assume they're sort of linked in
some greater way, but I really couldn't find anything to
support the idea. And like you said, capoeira came to
the U.S. in the mid-' 70s, and that was largely thanks
to two veteran practitioners who who started touring the country
and teaching the techniques at various colleges. But there doesn't
seem to be much, if any, evidence of overlap between
(28:42):
capoeira and the earliest breakdancers. And instead, most breakers will
actually tell you that they took their early moves from
kung fu movies more than anything else. But of course,
even if capoeira didn't give birth to breakdancing, it's safe
to say that both practices have inspired each other in
the time since.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Well, and besides that, I mean, capoeira and breakdancing are
still both rooted in African tradition. So even if they
did develop centuries and thousands of miles apart, I mean,
maybe their connection is less like a parent and child
and more like that of maybe two distant cousins or something.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, definitely. Like origins aside, these are two forms of
expression that definitely have a lot in common.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
All right. Well, I know we're running out of time here,
but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a milestone
in dance history that I was just reading about this week,
because As it turns out, this year is actually the
35th anniversary of Michael Jackson's moonwalk. Can you believe it's
been that long?
Speaker 2 (29:35):
I mean, I can't, but you do know that the
moonwalk is like way older than that, right? Well, I.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
said it was the 35th anniversary of Michael Jackson's moonwalk,
not the first ever moonwalk. But while we're talking about that,
refresh my memory, though, like who beat MJ to the
punch on this one?
Speaker 2 (29:50):
So there are more people than I'd remembered. David Bowie
did his own take on the move during his 1973 tour.
Back in the 50s, both Cab Calloway and Bill Bailey
included moonwalks in their performances. And probably the earliest case
I've heard of is actually that famous French mime, Marceau Marceau.
And he actually had this act in the 40s called
Walking in the Wind. where he would pretend to brace
(30:12):
himself against this imaginary wind. And so he would act
like he was struggling against the wind. And as he
did this, he would slide backwards. But the interesting thing
about him is that he was actually friends with Michael
Jackson for decades. And Jackson said multiple times that the
mime's work had this huge influence on his performance style.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Oh, that's interesting. I mean, Jackson was probably influenced by
each of those performers in one way or another. But
You know, from what I've read, it actually looks like
MJ patterned this moonwalk after these two breakdancers that he'd
seen on an episode of Soul Train. And this was
a few years before all of this. And their names
were Jerron Casper Candidate and Cooley Jackson. No relation here.
(30:51):
And the story goes that MJ remembered their performance and
wound up arranging a meeting with the men while he
was prepping for his big Motown special. Now, this was
in 1983. And so the guys taught them this backslide
move and Jackson practiced it until he had it down pat.
He wanted to debut this moonwalk during the Motown special,
(31:12):
and this was a very strategic move on his part.
So at the time, Michael had already released two solo albums,
but he wasn't completely out of the shadow of the
Jackson 5. In fact, the bulk of his performance during
the special was devoted to this Jackson 5 reunion of sorts.
But Michael only agreed to appear at all because he
(31:32):
was able to convince the producer to let him do
this solo performance. And he wanted to do one especially
of a non-Motown song. And the producer agrees to this.
And so Jackson ends up performing Billie Jean on stage
that night for a television audience of 34 million people.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
And so, of course, you think about this. How did
Jackson ensure the performance was a memorable one? Well, it
was a few seconds of sliding backwards across the stage,
and that did it.
Speaker 2 (32:00):
Well, I mean, clearly it worked, and it's basically become
his signature move.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah, and crowds just ate it up. And I'd read
that even Fred Astaire apparently called Jackson after the Motown
performance to congratulate him. The move was a game changer
for Jackson's career and the world of dance, and it
seemed like everybody knew it. And Of course, one of
the drawbacks to that is that everybody then tried to
replicate the move themselves and usually very unsuccessfully.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
You know what's funny is that I've actually heard that
Jackson's pet chimpanzee Bubbles got pretty good at the moonwalk. Really?
Which is way more than I could say. I feel
like the Arch Deluxe is probably more my speed.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Well, I'm sure Tristan will teach it to you anytime
you want. But in the meantime, though, I think there
are a few more dance moves that we haven't gotten
to yet. So What do you say we slip on
our dancing shoes and bust out a couple of quick
moves in the fact off?
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Definitely. All right.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Well, earlier this year, New Orleans was the home to
a revival of this 1894 show called Tabasco, a burlesque opera.
And yes, it is that Tabasco. So There's a conductor
named Paul Moffrey, and he stumbled into this program for
the old show while doing some research on the history
of New Orleans music. Now, the opera is about this
(33:23):
Irish traveler who gets lost at sea, and he ends
up landing in Morocco and is forced to become a
chef for this military officer there. Now, the military officer
there happens to love spicy food. And so in his
effort to come up with just the right dish for him,
Tabasco sauce comes to the rescue. Now, I had no
idea that Tabasco had been around that long, but it's
(33:45):
apparently celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
So back to this original performance back in 1894, the
Louisiana-based company, Tabasco, they actually agreed to underwrite part of
the cost of the show. if they would give out
tiny bottles of the stuff at these performances when it
debuted in Boston. And it turns out the show had
a pretty good run across a bunch of U.S. cities,
(34:10):
but they ran into some legal battles over the use
of the product and kind of the rights around the show.
And so the show closed down and it almost disappeared
completely until Moffrey discovered it more than 100 years later.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Wow. So I know we've talked about prison reform and
unique prisons in previous episodes, but there's one I don't
think we talked about, and that's Iwahig Prison and Penal
Farm in the Philippines. So this is where inmates dance
with and for tourists. And the place sprawls over 64,000 acres,
(34:44):
and the inmates pretty much move freely across it. Tourists visit,
and they stop by the recreation center to see 10
to 20 inmates perform multiple songs. And then the tourists
stick around to check out and purchase various crafts the
inmates have made. And it's definitely unlike any prison you'd
find in the States.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
Yeah, I haven't heard of anything like that. That's very interesting. Well,
we couldn't do an episode on dances without covering the
chicken dance. You had to know this one was coming
at some point. And it turns out it was kind
of named this by accident. So the melody for the
song was written more than 60 years ago, and it
was written by this Swiss musician named Werner Thomas. Now,
(35:22):
Thomas used to make a living by playing accordion at
these various holiday resorts in Switzerland. And as he came
up with the melody, he gradually began putting dance moves
to it. But weirdly, the moves weren't inspired by chickens,
but by skiers, which sounds a little bit surprising. But
many of the motions of skiers flying down these mountains
(35:43):
there really reminded Thomas of different birds. And so he
started to put some of these motions into a dance
that They started to call it Dance Little Bird. So
how did it become the chicken dance? Well, it's tough
to say, but it may have something to do with
this Oktoberfest celebration that actually happened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, back
(36:04):
in 1981. There was a German band there that decided
to play the song. And the organizers of the event,
I guess they were super excited about this song for
some reason, but they thought it would be fun to
find a costume to go along with the dance. And
the best thing they could find was a chicken suit
that a local TV station had. And so, of course,
the rest is history.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
That is amazing. I feel embarrassed that I didn't look
up a chicken dance fact. That's so good.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Beat you to it.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
So back in the late 20s and early 30s, a
certain type of dance hall started popping up in big
cities like Chicago and New York City. And these were
dance halls where men could dance with hired women dancers
for 10 cents a song. And by the early 30s,
there were over 100 of these so-called taxi dance halls
in New York City. Something like 50,000 men would visit
these each week.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
And thanks to this sociologist named Paul G. Cressy, we
know some of the lingo in history, and that's how
it's been preserved. So the dancers were often referred to
as nickel hoppers, since they usually made half of the
10 cents the men would pay. And weirdly, the trend
stuck around until the mid-1900s. But that's when law enforcement
began cracking down on things like prostitution, mob activities, and
(37:14):
all of that stuff that had been sort of associated
with these dance halls. Okay. All right.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
Well, recent studies have shown the benefits of dancing for
Parkinson's disease or for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. And
in fact, several studies have looked at this and they
found that dancing helps really on two fronts. Now, the
first is more on the physical side where this rhythmic
movement from dancing can actually help reduce the motor control
difficulties that are often accompanied by Parkinson's. And The relief
(37:43):
isn't necessarily immediate, but over time, it does seem to
help train the brain and the body for more fluid motion.
And not surprisingly, the other major benefit of dancing for
those with Parkinson's is reducing some of that social isolation
that many of the patients often experience. And as one
dance instructor put it, their mood changes within a few
(38:04):
minutes of being there. They're no longer patients, but dance students.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Well, speaking of dance classes, back in 2011, this nearly
40-story mall in Seoul, South Korea, started shaking. And it
did so for nearly 10 minutes. And the weird events
caused this two-day evacuation and, of course, this investigation. And
you won't believe what cost it, or maybe you will.
It turns out that a couple dozen middle-aged people in
(38:30):
a Taibo class started dancing to The Power by the
band The Snap. And you know the song.
Speaker 1 (38:35):
It's like, I've got the power. Yeah, I've got the power.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
So the investigation revealed that it wasn't the weight of
the people dancing. It was just their rhythm. And as
Professor Chong Lan of Dan Cook University explained, Quote, it
just happens to be that the vibration set up by
the Taibo coincided with a resonance frequency unique to the building.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Wow. There is no way to top that. And actually,
the fact that Tristan is now out of his chair
doing some of his own Taibo moves, I mean, this
is a total blowout. I'm going to have to give
you today's trophy, Mango.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
Thank you so much, Will.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
And thank you guys for listening. We'd love to hear
your great dance stories or dance facts. You can always
email those to parttimegenius at howstuffworks.com. or hit us up
on Facebook or Twitter. But as always, thanks so much
for listening. again for listening. Part-Time Genius is a production
(39:37):
of How Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible without several
brilliant people who do the important things we couldn't even
begin to understand.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
Tristan McNeil does the editing thing.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
Noel Brown made the theme song and does the mixy-mixy
sound thing.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Jerry Rowland does the exact producer thing.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
Gabe Luzier is our lead researcher with support from the
research army, including Austin Thompson, Nolan Brown, and Lucas Adams.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
And Yves Jeffcoat gets the show to your ears. Good job, Yves!
Speaker 1 (40:00):
If you like what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe.
And if you really, really like what you've heard, maybe
you could leave a good review for us.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
Did we forget Jason?
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Jason who?
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Thank you.
Part-Time Genius News
Hosts And Creators
Will Pearson
Mangesh Hattikudur
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.