Dance Suite No. 2: The 1960s, Op. 47

1. Boogaloo

2. Mashed Potato

3. Frug

4. Watusi

5. Skank

6. Twist

The score containing dances 4–6 is given in Dance Suite: The 1960s Part Two. (I needed to divide the score because it exceeded the maximum upload limit of 2 MB.)

The suite represents six of the dance crazes of the 1960s, some of which proved to be more enduring than other. The Boogaloo, here, is more related to the Latin style, such as the Peter Rodriguez song ‘I Like It Like That’ (1967) than to the James Brown funky style, or the old Northern Soul favourite ‘The Boogaloo Party’ (1966) by the Flamingos (there were several varieties of boogaloo in the sixties). The Watusi was popularized by ‘The Wah Watusi’, released by the Orlons in 1962. The Mashed Potato was a short-lived craze, which had acquired its initial fame via ‘Mashed Potato Time’ (1962), sung by Dee Dee Sharp. The Frug was also a fleeting fad; the dance has survived on stage, however, thanks to Bob Fosse’s imaginative choreography for ‘The Rich Man’s Frug’ (lyrics by Dorothy Field, music by Cy Coleman) from the musical Sweet Charity (1966). Perhaps the most enduring dance of the sixties was the Skank, named after the term for the off-beat guitar chords in ska. The first hugely popular ska disc in the UK was ‘My Boy Lollipop’ (1964), sung by Millie Small. The skank lasted as a dance by adapting itself to later styles of rock steady and reggae. The Twist, popularized by Chubby Checker, is perhaps the best known of the decade’s dances, but it was not long before it passed from a craze to an occasional novelty item. In order to try to capture the feel of the 1960s, I have made use of melodies and harmonies from pop songs written in 1966–67, when I sang and played in a pop group in Birmingham.

Instrumentation

3.2.2.2. – Alto Sax. + Ten. Sax. – 4.2.3.1. – Timps + perc. Harp – Str.

(Tuned and untuned percussion, 3 players: Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells, Xylophone, Tam Tam, Triangle, Cymbals, Susp. Cymb., 4 Tom Toms, Cow Bell, Snare Drum, Bass Drum.)