dance craze
''Dance Craze'' is a 1981 American documentary film about the British 2 Tone music genre.
The film was directed by Joe Massot, who originally wanted to do a film only about the band Madness, whom he met during their first US tour. Massot lat ...
from the mid-1960s, which included vigorous dance to
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
. It evolved from another dance of the era, the Chicken. The Chicken, which featured lateral body movements, was used primarily as a change of pace step while doing the Twist. As young dancers grew more tired they would do less work, moving only their hips while standing in place. They then started making up arm movements for the dance, which prompted the birth of the Swim,
the Monkey
"The Monkey" is a short story by Stephen King, first published as a booklet included in ''Gallery'' magazine in 1980. It was significantly revised and published in King's collection ''Skeleton Crew'' in 1985.
"The Monkey" was nominated for ...
, the Dog,
the Watusi
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
the Jerk
''The Jerk'' is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, and Michael Elias (from a story by Steve Martin and Carl Gottlieb). This was Martin's first starring role in a feature film. The fil ...
. The Frug is sometimes referred to as the Surf, Big Bea, and the Thunderbird.
In popular culture
In ''The Andy Griffith Show'' episode "The Senior Play" (Season 7, Episode 9) the principal of the high school is appalled and offended by a demonstration of the Frug dance and insists it must not be included in the senior play. But with the help of Helen Crump (who demonstrates the
Jitterbug
Jitterbug is a generalized term used to describe swing dancing. It is often synonymous with the lindy hop dance but might include elements of the jive, east coast swing, collegiate shag, charleston, balboa and other swing dances.
Swing dan ...
from her generation) and the kids demonstrating
The Charleston
The Charleston is a dance named after the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called " The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson, whic ...
from the principal's generation, he sees that the then contemporary dancing of young people wasn't all that much different from previous generations.
The movie ''
Sweet Charity
''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on ...
'' (1969) contains a number called "The Rich Man's Frug", a wildly energetic dance number comprising three "movements" ("The Aloof", "The Heavyweight" and "The Big Finish") that showcases director
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...
's distinctive
choreography
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...
style, particularly his creative use of unusual poses, gestures, and arm movements. The evolution of Frug also signified maturation of theatricality in Fosse's choreography, departing regimentation towards visual dissonance, where every dancer could perform their own moves.
In 1964, in "In the Red Light: A History of the Republican Convention in 1964," published in the November 1964 issue of ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'',
Norman Mailer
Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...
wrote: "The American mind had gone from
Hawthorne
Hawthorne often refers to the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Hawthorne may also refer to:
Places
Australia
*Hawthorne, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
Canada
* Hawthorne Village, Ontario, a suburb of Milton, Ontario
United States
* Hawt ...
Walking the Dog
"Walking the Dog" (or "Walkin' the Dog") is a song written and performed by Rufus Thomas. It was released on his 1963 album ''Walking the Dog''. It was his signature hit and also his biggest, reaching number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in ...
', from '' The Flowering of New England'' to the cerebrality of professional football in which a quarterback must have not only heart, courage, strength and grace but a mind like an I.B.M. computer." The piece is collected in Mailer's ''Cannibals and Christians'' (1966).
Indie rock band
Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley ( ) was an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1998, the band consisted of Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Dave Rock.
The group released their debut album ''Take-Offs and Landings'' ...
have a song titled "Frug" (also about the dance) on their 1999 self-titled debut, ''The Initial Friend EP'', and was also the band's first music video. "Frug" was also included in the soundtrack to the
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci ( ; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress. Known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge, Ricci predominantly works in independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box office hits. She has receiv ...
film ''Desert Blue'', which led to the band's heightened popularity and eventual signing to a record label. "Frug" was later included as the final song on the band's B-sides and rarities compilation, ''
Rkives
''Rkives'' (stylized as ''rkives'', pronounced "archives") is a compilation album released in 2013 by Los Angeles-based band Rilo Kiley.
Album history
Following the 2010 announcement of the band's hiatus, drummer Jason Boesel discussed plans for ...
''.
In the movie '' My Girl'' (1991), a character played by Dan Aykroyd mentions that he was a hot date back in high school, and that he "did a killer Frug".