The monkey is a
novelty dance
Novelty and fad dances are dances which are typically characterized by a short burst of popularity. Some of them, like the Twist, Y.M.C.A. and the Hokey Pokey, have shown much longer-lasting lives. They are also called dance fads or dance cr ...
, most popular in 1963. The dance was popularized by two
R&B records:
Major Lance
Major Lance (April 4, 1939, – September 3, 1994) was an American R&B singer. After a number of US hits in the 1960s, including " The Monkey Time" and "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um", he became an iconic figure in Britain in the 1970s among foll ...
's "
The Monkey Time" and
the Miracles
The Miracles (later known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1955. They were the first successful recording act for Motown Records and are considered one of the most ...
' "
Mickey's Monkey" both Top 10
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
hits released during the summer of 1963.A comical story about "A cat named Mickey from out of town" (
William "Mickey" Stevenson
William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967.
Life and career
He was born William Stevenson and, a ...
) who "spread his new dance all around", the latter song helped popularize The Monkey as a national dance craze in the early 1960s.
The monkey is often referenced in the American animated comedy television series ''
Johnny Bravo
''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, it aired from July 14, 1997, to August 27, 2004. The titular Johnny Bravo (voiced by ...
'' (in every theme song in addition to many times in the actual show), although it may be a completely different dance. The TV series ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' also referenced the dance at least twice (in seasons 4 and 8). The
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
band
Exodus reference the dance in their song "The Toxic Waltz" (from ''
Fabulous Disaster'') with the lyric "Used to do the monkey, but now it's not cool". Characters in the anime series ''
Overman King Gainer
is a mecha anime television series, created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, and featuring character designs by Yoshihiro Nakamura, Kinu Nishimura and Ken'ichi Yoshida. The series ran from September 7, 2002 t ...
'' do the monkey in the opening animation and in the show itself.
Dance tutorial
# Taking a fighter's crouch, face your partner and stand with feet apart, knees bent. Bend arms and close fists, thumbs up.
# Bend forward from waist to the left, raising right arm. As your body bobs, your head also bobs forward on each count. The whole effect is jerky.
# Straighten up to original position.
# Bend forward from waist toward your partner, facing centre, switching arms as you do so.
# Straighten to original position. Hands and head should give impression of monkey holding two bananas.
# Bend forward from waist to the right. Straighten to original position.
# Bob back to centre, bending at waist and again switching hands.
# Repeat entire pattern. Counts are double time, hitting every accent in the music.
References
External links
* Music video
Novelty and fad dances
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