What connects the iconic Motown sound to the vibrant energy of hip-hop music? For Washington, D.C.’s African American community, the answer is dance. Two distinct styles, Hand Dancing and hip-hop dance, both born from powerful musical movements, have become vital expressions of identity and artistry across generations in the city. Alongside a third style, go-go, these dances offer a rich tapestry of movement for diverse ages and tastes.
The Smooth Moves of Hand Dancing
Hand dancing emerged from the heart of Washington, D.C., during the Motown era, taking root in the late 1950s. Imagine a refined, smoother version of the Lindy Hop, where partners maintain almost constant hand contact, weaving intricate turns and steps to the rhythm. As Motown’s infectious beats grew faster in the 1960s, propelled by legendary groups like The Supremes, Four Tops, and The Temptations, hand dancing evolved to match the tempo and energy of these new sounds.
Like many popular dances, hand dancing quickly became the favorite pastime for D.C.’s teenagers and young adults. It swept through house parties, cabarets, and clubs in the city’s Black community, eclipsing older dance styles. DJs became central figures, their reputations built on vast record collections and their skill in crafting seamless, dance-inspiring song sequences.
Local television shows, most notably the Teenarama Dance Show from 1963 to 1967, played a crucial role in popularizing hand dancing. Featuring local teenagers, the show put hand dancing directly in the spotlight. Individual dancers developed unique styles, sometimes reflecting regional variations within D.C. itself. Dancers could often be identified by their style as originating from Southeast, Southwest, or Northeast Washington. This intra-city variation, contrasting with dance styles seen on national shows like American Bandstand, reinforced the local belief that hand dancing was a uniquely Washington, D.C., phenomenon.
However, as the Motown era transitioned into funk and disco in the 1970s, hand dancing’s popularity waned, replaced by “free dancing” styles where partners danced independently. While many Washingtonians who grew up hand dancing easily adapted to these new trends, by the mid-1980s, something shifted. With the rise of rap music and hip-hop culture, those who had embraced hand dancing in their youth – now in their forties and fifties – began to reconnect with the music and dance of their generation. This nostalgic return to their Motown roots sparked a revival of “oldies but goodies” music at clubs, cabarets, and radio stations across the Washington area.
Hip-Hop’s Dynamic Expression
Hip-hop is more than just a dance; it’s a multifaceted cultural universe encompassing dance, music, DJ artistry, spoken word (rapping), visual arts (graffiti), fashion, and a distinct social attitude. While hip-hop resonates with young people across diverse backgrounds in the United States, its core aesthetics are deeply rooted in African American culture.
Within Washington’s Black community, hip-hop dance takes two main forms: social dancing, typically done by couples without hand-holding, and exhibition dancing, where individuals or groups showcase impressive moves and choreographed routines to demonstrate their skill and creativity.
Hip-hop dancing is versatile, performed to various styles of hip-hop music – rapping, singing, or instrumental tracks – as long as the beat and tempo are right. Even simple rhythmic elements, like a drum machine or hand-percussion, can provide the foundation. Social hip-hop dance often relies on relatively simple footwork and weight shifts, enhanced by complex, rhythmic gestures using the arms, head, and torso.
Exhibition hip-hop dance can incorporate any social dance moves, but expands into a wider range of techniques. This includes elaborate footwork, body waves, isolated movements (“popping”), mimicry, acrobatic moves, and choreographed sequences. While not all hip-hop dancers pursue exhibition-level skills, social dancing is a common and accessible form of participation.
Hip-hop dance thrives in clubs, cabarets, and parties, but it can also spontaneously erupt in schoolyards, streets, and homes whenever music plays. These informal performances are often punctuated with improvisation and acrobatics.
DJs are essential to hip-hop dance culture, much like in earlier generations of Black music and dance. They are valued for their ability to connect with dancers’ moods through music, create inspiring musical journeys, and for their extensive music collections and equipment that fuels creative mixing. Hip-hop DJs are often skilled in “mixing,” utilizing techniques like “cutting” and “scratching” on turntables, and incorporating sounds from synthesizers, rhythm machines, tapes, spoken word, and percussion.
Go-Go: D.C.’s Unique Rhythmic Sound
While hip-hop dominates music and dance among many young people in D.C.’s Black community, go-go offers another distinctively Washingtonian artistic outlet. Unlike hip-hop, which primarily uses pre-recorded music, go-go is performed live by bands. These bands typically feature multiple percussionists, keyboards, bass, horns, guitars, and vocalists, creating a “big band” sound ideal for large venues. The music itself is rooted in funk, with influences from Afro-Cuban and jazz styles.
[Chuck Brown, the “Godfather of Go-Go,” at the 2000 Folklife Festival. Video by Charlie Weber]
[“Bustin’ Loose” by the Chuck Brown Band at the 2016 Folklife Festival. Edited by W.N. McNair]
Go-go dancing shares a basic structure with social hip-hop dance – footwork and weight shifts combined with rhythmic arm and torso movements – but it’s adapted to go-go’s slower tempo and unique rhythms. While both draw from similar African American movement vocabularies, go-go dance develops its own distinct patterns and often uses mimicry, similar to play and exhibition dance, to create new moves. Go-go is popular among D.C. teenagers, often coexisting with hip-hop rather than replacing it. Interestingly, interest in go-go tends to lessen as teenagers approach their twenties, with many returning to hip-hop.
This article is adapted from program book text written by folklorist LeeEllen Friedland for the 1993 Folklife Festival’s American Social Dance program.
