The Twist swept the Nation by storm and liberated a generation

by designs 22 Replies latest social entertainment

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  designs

  It is hard to believe it has been just over 50 years since Chubby Checker introduced The Twist. It is also hard to imagine by today's standards in dance that his simple song laid the seeds for the freedom of expression that would define the 60s.

  The ghetto dance found its way to the famous dive The Peppermint Lounge in NYC which was run by the Mob. Soon the celebrities and socialites showed up at the Peppermint Lounge, the Mad Men generation, and the Twist was on its way to being the No.1 hit of the past 50 years. Truman Capote danced the Twist and so did Marilyn Monroe, even Jackie Kennedy held Twist Parties at the White House.

  For women all over American the Twist liberated them to dance alone without having to follow the conventions of 'following' a clumsy guy around the dance floor. The pelvic gyrations were roundly condemned from pulpits across America, including those of our own Wt. and at Kingdom Halls.

  Go Go Dancers lite up the stages and cages of Night Clubs everywhere and TV variety shows had to have Go Go dancers in their reviews.

  Black Panther leader Eldridge Clever wrote in 'Soul On Ice' - The Twist was a guided missle, launched from the ghetto into the very heart of suburbs'.

  Richard Nixon even used Go Go dancers for his run as California governor, 'Twisting Nixionettes' they were called and this mainstreaming may have spelled the end of the craze. As SDS leaders would affirm the Twist now became the affirmation of what was wrong on college campuses.

  It was a wild, fun and crazy ride. Chubby Checker is still going strong at 71 touring regularly.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im9XuJJXylw
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  JeffT

  I was a 6th grader when The Twist stormed the nation. At the time, most of us just thought it was a dance.
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  Band on the Run

  I was in 6th grade. My friends taught me. We had a contest at school. The teachers made nasty comments. I was no award winner. My same age Jw cousin visited. We had no toys or games so I showed her how to twist. She screamed so hard at me that the walls shook. Almighty Jehoover was going to smite me immediately. I was a Watusi. There was a clear link from colored Africans. I was even worse than the Watts is bc I was white and should be angelic.I tthought she was wacko and the WWatusi had style. After the scene, I could not twist or do any dance. Friends gave me lessons but I was too rigid. I paid for hypnotherapy and professional dance lessons. Now I dance.
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  Glander

  Southern California, the "Valley" - In the early sixties there was a dance party somewhere almost every weekend. Van Nuys, or Reseda or Pacoima, Burbank, or you name it.

  The Twist was the rage and the WT had not addressed (in black and white) "heavy petting". Drive-in movies (Rock Around the Clock") were everywhere. Bob's Big Boy roller skate car hop service hamburger joints were jammed. I remember the one in Van Nuys when every body was cruising and my best pal (later my best man) had a black '61 Dodge Dart convertable with a state of the art, spring mounted record player on the trans. hump. It was so cool on hot summer nights. You put on a stack of 45's and it never skipped. Top down, music up, two 17 year old JW tom cats on their way to twist the night away at our brother Layfayette Kyles place with a bunch of blooming little puddin' sisters. (I got in touch with Layfayette last year. Hasn't been a JW for 40 years but he remembered the parties!)

  This was before elders, but the 'servants' were caught sneaking around a couple parties looking in windows. One time I ran into a congregation servant in a suit and tie coming out of some bushes!

  
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  designs

  Sweet memories! Glander I remember the Bob's Big Boy on Van Nuys Blvd., and the spring loaded record players with 45s. We lived closer to the Bob's on Whitter Blvd., it was a favorite crusin spot on the weekends. One brother bought a old 54 Cadillac Limo and put blue lights in the wheel wells, we thought we were really sumthin'.

  Band- we were taught the Twist at McCall's Dance Studio, you knew it was mainstream at that point. I remember the dancing being condemned at the Circuit Assemblies, one in particular at the ampitheatre in Buena Park.
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  Glander

  Designs,

  remember POP? Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica.

  Soupy Sales?

  American Bandstand?

  gee, you kicked over my shoebox and all my old memories spilled out.
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  sir82

  And of course, the Watchtower had to weigh in on it.

  Does anyone have access to the WT-CD?

  There is a WT article from '63 or '64 inwhich there are literally like 4 or 5 consecutive pages dedicated to demonizing "the Twist", comparing to pagan fertility dances, and the like.

  I don't have access to it now or I'd paste the info. It's one of Freddy's finest! You can practically see the spittle flying from his rage-inflamed face as he wrote it.
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  LoisLane looking for Superman

  Off topic...a tiny bit

  I met someone and they said JW's used to go Ice Skating in Pasadena and afterwards went to Von's restaurant, for hot chocolate.

  Just Lois
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  slimboyfat

  Ya dancer, I don't like dancing actually.
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  jgnat

  I listened to Chubby Checker on our long drive home yesterday on Satellite radio, interviewed by Cousin Brucie. I annoyed my husband by correctly identifying him as Chubby Checkers.