If you follow my blog then you know that I’m an avid Lindy Hopper and I’m also working on my “Rock & Roll” and “Jiving” for my Rockabilly side. I LOVE to dance so while in my Lindy class last night a blog post hit me…Vintage Dance Instructions!

So gang lets see how some of our predecessors learned how to cut a rug, shall we?

Note: While these instructions say “guys do one things, girls do another” I am a big believer in DANCE ANY ROLE YOU LIKE! So just ignore the “role designation”.

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Vintage Dance Instructions

Vintage Advertising & Vintage Dance Books

1920s ad: Nobody wants to be a wallflower do we? So time to take some lessons from the famous “Arthur Murray”

Here is a wonderful 80 page softcover booklet by Arthur Murray, the King of Ballroom Dancing (as mentioned above).

Detailed instructions of how to present yourself in the ballroom, how to dance the various dances in conversation mode in addition to how to do just about everything correctly at a ballroom or any formal affair.

Dance instructions for the Fox Trot, The Waltz, How to be Graceful, The Samba, Mambo, Lindy and much more great instructional material.

(See inside the book & purchase as of July 20th, 2022 HERE).

Learn how to do the Mambo Box Step from Arthur Murray.

Source: Etsy

1930s vintage ad: Being popular and having fun all depend on that dancing, so off you go for more lessons!

Time to do some Swing Dancing (Lindy Hop), Shag, Trankey Doo, The Big Apple & Solo Jazz moves!

Further Reading: Vintage Photos of The Lindy Hop

1940s ad: It’s Suzy-Q time! We do this move a lot in Lindy Hop Solo Jazz.

Want to learn how to “Collegiate Shag“? Here are some starter points.

Dominion Round and Square Dances | Learn Square Dancing Instructions by Hugh Bryan. Book is from 1951 Canadian Music Sales Corporation Ltd (avail as of Nov 2023 HERE).

Source: Etsy

1950s dance instruction. Not so much “HOW” to dance but how “NOT to be”…I think.

As mentioned above I’m also a big fan of the 1950’s and Rockabilly so I’m learning Jive (sort of) and also have taken Rock n Roll classes in the past.

I agree about # 4 below. Thinking ruins everything…It really does!

Last BUT not least you cannot mention dance instruction and NOT mention “Fred Astaire”.

So many shoes! Quick, Quick, Slow……Got it??

I will leave you with this Tillie the Toiler Cartoon. It made me giggle because I’m a tall woman and many of my dances look like Tillie’s 🙂

Further Reading: See more images featuring Tillie the Toiler at “The Stylish Fashions of Vintage Paper Dolls“.

So my lovely readers, did these images get you motivated to go dancing? Take a lesson or two? If you do dance, please share what got you into dancing I love those stories.

FURTHER READING:

• Swing Dance & The Big Band Era – Archived blog posts from the Vintage Inn Blog
• Ontario Vintage Dance Hall History – Archived blog posts on various dance halls
• Vintage Dances (Archived Blog Posts)

Liz 🙂