Yes, the breakdown of social dancing happened during the cultural revolution in the late 1950's when everything that had been associated with previous generations was rejected. Yes, dress and behavior standards also changed.The baby-boomers rejected the traditions of their elders, but there is more to be said about the atmosphere of a dance than the music played. The music may have been different, but that was nothing new. Social dancing had been around for centuries regardless of the kind of music played. What was different? A search on dance etiquette will readily bring up several pages which indicate anything but what we tend to practice in Hawaii in this century,
Why? That is the heart of what the baby-boomers rejected. Social dancing as it existed before World War II was compared by Emily Post to a cocktail party. It was the intent for people attending a social dance to dance with as many different partners as possible. One was discouraged from dancing with their escort more than one or two times (the first and last dances). There was, "If a husband and wife want to dance with each other, they should go somewhere else more accommodating." Many people are under the impression that the gentleman always asked the lady to dance and a "Sadie Hawkins" dance was the only exception. And yet we don't really know.
Most of of the gender in the majority always asked, though gentlemen took precedence if the two were fairly equally represented. The host or hostess was charged with trying to make the numbers as even as possible, though it was more common for gentlemen to outnumber the women. The etiquette of a social dance makes it clear that it was intended to be a social event. It wasn't an event intended for you to spend time with your loved one. This is what was rejected by the baby-boomers. They rejected the socialization of the social dance and started turning it into what it is today. Even when you play the music of the period, whether a Viennese Waltz or a Big Band Swing, the mentality of the "social" dance is not what it was 100 years ago. Where are we today?
"Social dancers gain assurance as they learn new patterns and techniques
and see that they can apply them with their dance partners."
Why? That is the heart of what the baby-boomers rejected. Social dancing as it existed before World War II was compared by Emily Post to a cocktail party. It was the intent for people attending a social dance to dance with as many different partners as possible. One was discouraged from dancing with their escort more than one or two times (the first and last dances). There was, "If a husband and wife want to dance with each other, they should go somewhere else more accommodating." Many people are under the impression that the gentleman always asked the lady to dance and a "Sadie Hawkins" dance was the only exception. And yet we don't really know.
"Fly Me To The Moon" by Jimmy Borges
Most of of the gender in the majority always asked, though gentlemen took precedence if the two were fairly equally represented. The host or hostess was charged with trying to make the numbers as even as possible, though it was more common for gentlemen to outnumber the women. The etiquette of a social dance makes it clear that it was intended to be a social event. It wasn't an event intended for you to spend time with your loved one. This is what was rejected by the baby-boomers. They rejected the socialization of the social dance and started turning it into what it is today. Even when you play the music of the period, whether a Viennese Waltz or a Big Band Swing, the mentality of the "social" dance is not what it was 100 years ago. Where are we today?
"Social dancers know how wonderful it is that nobody need wait
a single moment before starting to improve the world."
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