Mule (dance)
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The Mule was a dance fad created in 1965 by famed dance instructor
Killer Joe Piro Frank "Killer Joe" Piro (2 March 1921 – 5 February 1989) was an American dance instructor to upper class, high society who popularized steps of the discotheque era of the 1960s and 1970s. Early life Piro was born in East Harlem, the son of a ...
based on the earlier "Mule Walk" which was popular in the 1910s.


The Mule Walk

The dominant step of the "mule" is from the "Mule Walk," inspired by the
James P. Johnson James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key ...
song of the same title. The dance was popular in the 1910s. The song is in a stride style of music, which is similar to
ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its Syncopation, syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers ...
. Johnson is said to have composed it based on a number of country and
square dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances are part of a broad spectrum of dances known by various names: country dan ...
s he was doing while working at The Jungles Casino around 1913, he later published it in 1938.


How to do the "Mule Walk"

1) Start by standing straight and feet a few inches apart, facing your partner. 2) Lift your right hand high over head, Elbows slightly bent, palms facing forward towards your partner. Lift the right knee forward and bent, about hip height and as you bring the right arm down alongside it with the chest also coming forward. The movement should be vigorous and strongly accented like the 2nd count of the Jerk. 3) Foot comes down, body straightens as left hand is raised overhead. 4) Repeat step 2 with the left arm and foot.


The Mule

In 1965, Smirnoff Vodka hired
Killer Joe Piro Frank "Killer Joe" Piro (2 March 1921 – 5 February 1989) was an American dance instructor to upper class, high society who popularized steps of the discotheque era of the 1960s and 1970s. Early life Piro was born in East Harlem, the son of a ...
to create a new dance called the Mule for their new drink of the same name (vodka with a 7-Up mixer), and to release an album of music by
Skitch Henderson Lyle Russel "Skitch" Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was an American pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname "Skitch" came from his ability to "re-sketch" a song in a different key. Bing Crosby suggested that he sho ...
that included a track with the same name (''Skitch Plays The Mule'', Mainstream Records - KP-326). However, the track didn't include calls to help people dance the mule. Instead, the singers tell you how to fix yourself the drink. Piro and his partner also appear in an advertisement for the drink. As for the dance itself, the Mule Walk was usually done at the beginning, partners facing each other and most of the patterns of the dance were based on the Mule Walk. Once the person learned the basic step the rest was said to be easy.StreetSwing's Dance History Archives - The Mule / Mule Walk - Main1
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How to do the Mule

One must practice the Mule Walk above well before advancing onto the Mule. Get into that straightening and bending groove when lifting the legs/knees with its strong accents. These accents lamely portray a mule walking. To make the above into 'The Mule' you would start to turn, Kick your feet, and flap your hands like a Mule and generally do whatever you felt like, keeping the above rhythm going which at times could get difficult to do.


"The Mule" in Pop Culture

* James P. Johnson's recording of "The Mule Walk" is featured on the score of the 1991 film ''Billy Bathgate'' starring
Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...
,
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
, and
Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mule Novelty and fad dances