From the Charleston to The Macarena, there have been a variety of dance fads that have captured people’s hearts over the years. Some have been groundbreaking cultural revolutions, while others reached peak popularity for only a few months or weeks. Some have remained in the spotlight for decades, and are still being reinvented today. INSIDER has rounded up the most popular dances that have captured everyone’s attention from the 1920s to the present day.
The Lindy hop, first done in the ’20s, hit its peak during the swing music era of the ’40s. The swing dance also saw the rise of group dances like conga lines. Here’s a video of Billy Eichner and James Corden forming one.
In the ’60s, line dances like The Madison and Hully Gully became popular. A little later, latin dances like the salsa and cha cha became well known.
The ’80s brought us the “Thriller” dance, and the ’90s had country line dancing hits like Achy Breaky Heart and the Running Man. But nothing caught on like the ’00s craze that had everyone doing The Macarena. The latin clave beat powered the dance fad, which is still a staple at weddings and dance clubs today.
Other fads, such as the vogue, simmered in underground scenes for years before getting noticed by big stars like Madonna and David Byrne. Then, it turned into a worldwide movement a decade after Madonna’s “Vogue” song made it famous.
