Vintage Eras
VINTAGE ERAS | |||
My own very rough, and loose, definition of "Vintage" . . . . = any music or dance that is not "contemporary" (just my view) A "vintage dance" era has a style of movement, a style of music, and a style od dress (costume) that "match." The actual dates of the "Era's" (so-called vintages) are also loosely determined. Some of the eras we use are listed below. (Others will undoubtedly name them differently.) | Samples of the vintage music that matches the dances. | ||
Name of Era | Dates | Comments | Dance Title Music Title (Composer, if known) |
Ancient | From "early man" to modern people. Ceremonial. Often spiritual, religious, social status. Male and females often have seperate ceremonies. | Moon Dance? Sun Dance? Rain Dance Harvest? Midwinter? Roya, Relgious and other Elites celebration. Belly dancing. We know they had musical instruments from archeological evidence, including instruments and cave paintings. | |
Folk Dance | 1500 onwards (esp. 1800-1900's) | Not true partner dances (Dancers mixed during dance) People danced in Formatioins of Lines/Circles/Squares | Sir Roger de Coverely (later to become the Virginia Ree, and othersl) Virginia Reel. - traditional reels Circle Dances. - traditional reels, jigs, horn[pipes, waltzes |
"Regency" (E.C.D.) | 1750 - 1820 | Still not true partner dancing. Dancers mixed during dance | Duke of Kent's Waltz. - Duke of Kent's Waltz trad. Spanish Waltz - Contradance (Beethoven)- Cinderella Waltz (Rossini) - Landler, Opus 606 #1 (Mozart) Varsovienne - Varsoviana trad. Quadrilles (Squares) - The Lancers 5th Fig (Danish) |
"Victorian" | 1815 - 1900 (before Q. Victoria's reign) | True partner dancing begins! Dancers stay with a partner for an entire tune! This was not always popular, so some mixed dances were re-introduced. (Quadrilles etc)Some dances were "free-style" others were "Sequences." "Leading and Following" starts. Rotary Waltz & Polka are hits Many other dance forms start up. | Quadrilles continue - Waltz Cotillion (they are more "social") - Lancers 5th (U.K.) (Finke-Linke) Waltz "Allemande" - Viennese "Landler" (Lanner) Rotary Waltz - Strauss (etc) Polka - Bohemian National Polka (Strauss)Galop - Veto Galop ("Make Peace") plus Gavotte / Mazurka / Redowa / and other dances |
"Romantic" (Ragtime Early Jazz. Swing, Rock & Roll) | 1890's - 1950's | "Everybody Danced" just for social fun. Close hold, cheek-to-cheek, Many partners. It was almst rude to monopolise a partner. Men loved dancing but there were never enough of them for the women - so the women often danced together. "Taxi-Dances" existed. (Don;t ask) "Salon Orchestras" "Big Band" - Glen Miller etc (1940's) Rock & Roll Bands (electronic) Radio and then T.V. helped the spread of new dances and bands. | Waltz (always popular) Two-Step (1890's) - many Cake Walk (1890') - severalTango (1890's) Rumba (1890's) One Step (1912 revival) - Too Much MustardShim-Sham (1910's) Solo (like a line dance) The Toddle (1920's)The Charleston (1920's) The Shag (early 1920's) Lindy Hop (and Jitterbug and "Jive") (Late 1920's) Blues (fast & slow) (1910's and later) Balboa (1940's) West Coast Swing (late 1930's) Swing (1930's) Rock & Roll (Jive) (1950's)_ |
Sequence Dances | 1901 - 1958 | Often called "Old Time Dancing" it was a hold over from the dances of the Victorian era. Over 4,000 dances exists! A mere sampling is to the right -----> After 1958 the holds became more reliant on the modern "frame" an d lots of Latin dances with arm and hip movement became popular. It was no longer "Old Time." (in my opinion) | Veleta (Waltz) - Veleta (Smith) Destiny Waltz - Destiny Waltz (Baynes) Hesitation Waltz - Merry Widow (Lehar) La Rinka (waltz) - La Rinka (Hurndall) Yearning Saunter (smooth foxtrot) Yearning (N. Moret) - Square Tango - many traditional tango tunes Palais Glide (novelty) - Poor Little Angeline (Gross) Barn Dance (Schottische) - The Trout (Schubert) / Gavotte (??) Swedish Masquerade - traditional (slow march / fast waltz / fast jig) |
One Step / Tango / Shag / Lindy Hop / Blues / Swing / Charleston / Balboa / W.C.S. | Charelston Shim Sham The Toddle - The Toddle Lindy Hop (& various forms of "jive") - many tunes suitableBlues many dances & tunes available | ||
Mid 20th Century | after 1940's | Jive & Latin; also many fads | We tend to just continue social dancing - mostly jive / Lindy |