Turkey trot & other dances

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Wed, 14 Sep 2005 13:13:37 -0500, Mullins, Bill wrote:

>> Also, from Variety, November 3, 1916, a paragraph, evidently
>> under the heading "Cabaret", signed O. M. Samuels, from New Orleans:
>> Now that a siege of erotic dances has started in New York, it
>> may be as well to place New Orleans on record as the home of
>> "the Grizzly Bear," "Turkey Trot," "Texas Tommy," and
>> "Todolo" dances.  San Francisco has been receiving the
>> questionable honor." (p. 170)
>
>GOSSIP FROM GOTHAM
>BY MAY HENGLER.
>The Washington Post (1877-1954); Jan 8, 1911;pg. MS7 col 6.
>"Mrs. Herman Oelrichs, who is herself a very graceful dancer, is passing
>critical judgement on "the Turkey Trot," "the Texas Tommy," "the Bunny
>Hug," "the Grizzly Bear," and the other "inspirational" dances to be
>seen at the beach resorts out in Frisco.  These lovin' twosteps, or
>muscle dances, or whatever you want to call it, require very little
>knowledge of the art terpsichore.  A short time ago the "the Grizzly
>Bear" was caged, and "the Texas Tommy" run out of town. "

-----
Oakland Tribune, Jan. 12, 1910, p. 2/3
The "slow rag," "lover's two step," "bunny hug," "turkey trot," and "walk
back" dances often seen in nickel dance halls, were the subject of a
scathing report issued by the California club of San Francisco, which has
for some time been conducting a campaign against these places, and a
public communication has been issued which will be placed before all the
San Francisco legislators and improvement bodies by a committee of
clubwomen appointed for the purpose.
[quoting the report:]
We have ascertained by our investigation that these dances, commonly
designated as the "slow rag," "lovers' two step," "bunny hug," "turkey
trot" and 'walk back," are in reality, modified varieties and conventional
adaptations of a dance which had its origin in houses of prostitution,
whence it spread first to the dives and tenderloin dance halls and thence
to the 5-cent public dance halls and other of the cheaper dance houses
where it differentiated into the above named varieties.
[...]
It should be explained to the skeptics that the milder forms of this
dance, such as the moderated lover's twostep, the bunny hug, the combined
twostep and walk back and the subdued turkey trot, in which this
characteristic side swaying is subdued, is that same identical dance. Once
learned, the participants can, at will, instantly increase or decrease the
obscenity of the movements, lowering the hands from the shoulders to the
hips, and dancing closer and closer until their bodies are touching in the
'clinch" of the Barbary Coast.
-----

Thank heavens the good ladies of the California Club were there to
document all of these dances for posterity!


--Ben Zimmer