I wanna dance with somebody!
Thoughts on the evolution of partnered dance in Black America
Recently I visited the Museum of the City of New York excited to see their dance history exhibition. Though it wasn’t just about dance, Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor showcased the history of over 200 years of social dance in NYC. The exhibition was immersive to say the least, there was performance wear, dance films, intrusments, and an interactive dance component. I enjoyed learning about Mambo, Merengeu, Batchata, and Swing dancing. What really fascinated me about these styles was them all being partnered dances. The curiosity turned into admiration which turned into longing and ended with jealousy.
I went to almost all of my high school dances and frequented the teen parties in SF between 2011-2015. Not once have I ever been asked to dance, though I did dance at these parties. My experience with partnered dance in my youth/young adult life has only been twerking. There’s no face-to-face interaction. A boy might be standing against the wall, and a girl will go over and back that azz up as instructed by Juvenile in thee twerking anthem. There’s no holding hands, or a romantic resting of a head on a shoulder. It’s more of a simulation of sex than it is dance and not as social as face-to-face partner dancing. The main body part that’s being interacted with is a woman’s behind.
When did things change? And why did things change? While partnered dancing is alive and well in other cultures, it’s been different for Black Americans. My conclusions are inconclusive (for now), though I have a few guesses. I surmise that the 1990’s was where the shift happened, social gatherings evolved into large events like Freaknik. Due to the mass of people there and songs like Pop That Pussy by the 2 Live Crew made face-to-face dancing obsolete, even inappropriate for the event. Fast forward to the early 2000s, I’m an elementary schooler with internet access. I would go on youtube and watch videos to help me perfect my 2 Step, Walk It Out, Pop Lock and Drop It, and Superman. These were individual dances done by both genders (except for Pop Lock and Drop It), which required space. Fast forward to the present and almost no dancing takes place at the club.
I try my best not to be held captive by nostalgia, but it’s difficult when I’m reminded of the anti-social behavior that’s normalized in the contemporary world.
