Worlds of social dancing: Dance floor encounters and the global rise of couple dancing, c. 1910–40 (Studies in Popular Culture)

Worlds of social dancing explores the huge growth of couple dancing in commercial venues across the globe as a major trend in the history of popular culture in the era of the two World Wars. Looking out for the appearance of modern steps around the geographical world, it also shines a light on the social world of dancing, where conventions that were specific to this realm shaped the conduct of its population. It considers how significant these ‘worlds of dancing’ were for class, gender, race and inter-generational relations, for personal relationships and social interactions. In case studies from Buenos Aires to Tokyo, from Manchester to Johannesburg and from Chelyabinsk to Auckland, the anthology also examines how dance cultures spread around the world and analyses their local adaptations. Finally, the volume asks how, and with what consequences, the mass culture of radio and film affected social dancing as an institution in various parts of the globe. Front Matter Contents List of figures List of contributors General editor’s foreword Introduction: Dance floor encounters and the global rise of couple dancing: an introduction to the worlds of social dancing Tango dancing in Buenos Aires: women, style and intimacy, 1920–40 Building ‘Dreamland’: dancers, musicians, and the transformationof social dancing into mass culture in the USA, c. 1900–41 ‘We do not want “fairies” in the ballroom’: working-class men, dancing and the renegotiation of masculinity in interwar Britain Similar steps, different venues: the making of segregated dancing worlds in South Africa, 1910–39 ‘European dances’ in colonial Kikuyuland: modernities, ethnicity, and politics, 1926–47 Domesticating the social dance: the case of New Zealand between the two World Wars Demarcating status: tango music and dance in Japan, 1913–40 The rise of Chinese taxi-dancers: glamorous careers, romantic fantasies, and sexual dreams on the dance floors of Shanghai, 1919–37 Dancing through dictatorship: everyday practices and affective experiences of social dancing in Fascist Italy Co-ordinating for love: establishing conventions of romantic couple dancing in interwar Germany Between control, education, and free communication: social dancing in the USSR from the 1920s to theearly 1960s Index By the 1920s, much of the world was 'dance mad,' as dancers from Buenos Aires to Tokyo, from Manchester to Johannesburg and from Chelyabinsk to Auckland, engaged in the Charleston, the foxtrot and a whole host of other fashionable dances. Worlds of social dancing examines how these dance cultures spread around the globe at this time and how they were altered to suit local tastes. As it looks at dance as a 'social world', the book explores the social and personal relationships established in encounters on dance floors on all continents. It also acknowledges the impact of radio and (sound) film as well as the contribution of dance teachers, musicians and other entertainment professionals to the making of the new dance culture. A global history of couple dancing in commercial venues in the era of the two world wars. -- .