The Shake was a
fad 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 ...
of mid-1960s, characteristic of "tense jerkiness" of limbs and head shaking, basically with no particular danced moves or steps.
It superseded the
twist in popularity by 1965. It was an individualistic dance, with no steps, legs trembling, arms arbitrarily gesticulating and head shaking. No partner was necessary. Part of the
"mod" subculture, it evolved from the
blue beat style and was danced under the loud and hypnotic music of rhythm and blues typified by
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
. Frances Rust cites a description by a contemporary who mentioned "feeling like being very drunk" under in influence of the
ostinato
In music, an ostinato (; derived from the Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces inc ...
beat of the electric guitar, as an anecdotal support for research of the influence of music on
central nervous system
The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...
.
The central theme from the British TV series ''
The Avengers'' is based on ''
The Shake'' LP (1965) by
Laurie Johnson
Laurence Reginald Ward Johnson (7 February 1927 – 16 January 2024) was an English composer and bandleader who wrote scores for dozens of film and television series, described as "one of the most highly regarded arrangers of big-band swing a ...
, which capitalized on the dance craze of the time.
See also
*
Shake (disambiguation)
Shake, The Shakes, Shaking, or Shakin' may refer to:
* Handshake, a greeting and parting custom
* Milkshake, a sweet cold beverage similar to very soft ice cream, often called a shake
* Tremor, a medical symptom
* Vibration
It may also refer to:
...
,
The Shake (disambiguation) for songs of the title
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shake Dance
Novelty and fad dances
category:1960s fads and trends
Free and improvised dance
Mod (subculture)