The "Turkey Trot" Dance (early 20th century) & The 1965 "Turkey Trot" Dance" (information, videos, & comments)

G D W,  Nov. 16, 2016

Galen Wilkes' Palm Leaf Ragtime Orchestra plays Cum-Bac Rag for a turkey trot at the Ragtime Ball, Dec. 1990, Pasadena, California. A ban was placed on the "animal dances" by cities nationwide beginning in 1912.
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information and videos about the early 20th century and 1965 African American originated dances called the "Turkey Trot".

  
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the creators of these dances. Thanks to all those whose comments are quoted in this post, and thanks to all those who are showcased in these featured videos. Thanks also to the uploaders of these videos.
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Most of this post contains content that was found in a 2012 pancocojams post about the "Turkey Trot". This 2021 post replaces that 2012 post which had no comments.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE TURKEY TROT
Here are two descriptions of The Turkey Trot dance. Notice that these two descriptions of the dance performance
differ. This may be because one or both of these descriptions are of adaptations of the original dance.

Comment #1
From http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3turtrt.htm

The name Turkey Trot relating to dancing goes back further to 1895 in the song “Pas Ma La” where the dancer is urged to go to the World’s Fair and do the Turkey Trot dance, so it’s probably a folk dance that became a Ragtime Dance later.

The Turkey Trot was not a very graceful dance, but it was considered one of the first of the so called animal dances to catch on with the public. The Trot was basically a face to face dance (meaning not off to the side of each other like the Peabody) taking one step on each beat of the music, while holding her tightly around the waist, or “hugging” as it was called back then. While dancing the Turkey Trot, dancers would sway to and fro, going in a straight line around the floor, while occasionally “Pumping or Flapping” of the arms was encouraged, thus giving the name of the Turkey Trot. Occasionally, the man would let go of the lady and dance behind her, and on occasion add a little hop or skip in step.

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"La Pas Ma La" was the name of several late 19th century American songs. There was also at least one dance called "La Pas Ma La", although the cakewalk was also done to these songs or their instrumental music. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/la-pas-ma-la-songs-dance.html for a pancocojams post on "La Pas Ma La".

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Comment #2
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_trot_(dance)

The turkey trot was a dance made popular in the early 1900s.

The Turkey Trot was done to fast ragtime music popular in the decade from 1900 to 1910 such as Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag. It lost favor to the Foxtrot in 1914.

The basic step consisted of four hopping steps sideways with the feet well apart, first on one leg, then the other with a characteristic rise on the ball of the foot, followed by a drop upon the heel. The dance was embellished with scissor-like flicks of the feet and fast trotting actions with abrupt stops.
It has been said that dancers John Jarrott and Louise Gruenning introduced this dance as well as the Grizzly Bear at Ray Jones Café in Chicago, IL. around 1909. Another theory states that it originated on the Barbary Coast, San Francisco, California. Joseph M. Daly wrote music for the dance in 1912. Irene and Vernon Castle raised its popularity by dancing the Turkey Trot in the Broadway show The Sunshine Girl.

It achieved popularity chiefly as a result of its being denounced by the Vatican. It was thought that the positions assumed by the dancers was offensively suggestive. Conservative members of society felt the dance was demoralizing and tried to get it banned at public functions, which only served to increase its popularity.

There were news reports of dancers being fined because "their Turkey Trots were interpreted by the courts as disorderly conduct." In another instance, fifteen working girls were fired from their jobs with the Philadelphia song publisher Curtis Publishing when they were caught doing the turkey trot; even though the dancing took place during their lunch break.

One of the means to combat "offensive" dances was the 1913 song, Anti-Ragtime Girl:
"She don’t do the Bunny Hug, nor dance the Grizzly Bear / She hasn't learned the Turkey Trot /...She can't tell a Tango from a Can Can or a Jig /...She's my little Anti-Ragtime Girl"

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ADDITIONAL SHOWCASE DANCE VIDEOS

There are additional examples of  "Turkey Trot" dances on YouTube. Numbers are added to these videos for referencing purposes only.

Video #2: 1913 Grizzly Bear aka Turkey Trot



Forrest Outman Phoenix, August 15, 2018

This is a 1913 film of "Grizzly Bear" (aka Bear, Turkey Trot, Bunny Hug). This footage is spot on with period sources as accurately portraying the character of the dance. Special Shout out to my friend and fellow dance historian Peter Loggins who shared this footage with me, he's done tireless research and I tip my hat to you good sir!
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Here's a comment exchange from that film clip's discussion thread:

Patricio E. Garcés, 2021
"This is cool! Haha why was it common to name the dances after animals?"

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Reply
Forrest Outman Phoenix, 2021
"Super common in the late Ragtime era and continued into the late 1920's. Some examples: Turkey Trot, Grizzly Bear, Bunny Hug, Pony Trot, Horse Trot, Fox Trot, Eagle Rock, Camel Walk, Buzzard Lope, Cat Step, Snake Hips, Raccoon, Walkin the Dog, and Fish Walk

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Reply
Patricio E. Garcés, 2021
"@Forrest Outman Phoenix  So many of them became part of the whole 'Vernacular Jazz' steps, and part of Lindy Hop as well?

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Reply
Forrest Outman Phoenix, 2021
" @Patricio E. Garcés  many dances coexisted, just like today and were done in the jazz era"

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Reply
Patricio E. Garcés, 2021
"@Forrest Outman Phoenix  I see... Is very hard to trace the evolution of the dances when all these dances coexisted as you wrote. Is amazing though, the more I read and watch these videos the more I want to know and understand ❤"

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Video #3: 'Everybody Dance' from 'They said it with music'

Uploaded by MinstrelSurfer on Nov 11, 2011


Featuring all the dance crazes from the 1920's. Sophistication and fun! See the Castle Walk, Tango, Maxixe, Hesitation Waltz, The Toddle, Foxtrot, Bunny Hug and Turkey Trot.
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The Turkey Trot is shown at 3:24 in this video.

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Video #4: Little Eva - Lets Turkey Trot (Shindig, March 3, 1965)



John1948EightC1,  Oct. 17. 2011

Perhaps no babysitter in history got a bigger break than Eva Boyd, who baby sat for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin. King and Goffin asked her to record a song they had written called "The Loco-Motion". Eva Narcissus Boyd was born June 29, 1943 in Bell Haven, North Carolina. In 1962, she moved to the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn where she had relatives. One of her relatives new the Cookies and suggested her as a stand-in. So whenever one of the Cokies couldn't get out of class, Eva subsituted for her. Since the work was sporadic Eva often found herself babysitting songwriters Carol King and Gerry Goffin. Returning home one day they found her singing a song theyhad written for Dee dee Sharp. They Liked what they heard, so they rushed her into the sudio, with King doing the backing vocals. Eva Narcissus Boyd was born in Bellhaven, North Carolina in 1946, one of sixteen children. Little Eva was only sixteen when "The Locomotion" hit #1. Her salary as the Goffins' babysitter was $35 dollars a week. Her earnings from "The Locomotion" were reported to be around thirty thousand dollars. She appeared on television shows and in numerous magazines She performed live in the U.S. and did several tours of England. Remembered by most as a one hit wonder Litle Eva was more than that. Her voice had a sullen edge to it that worked best when she played the hurt, abandoned girl. For an inexperienced girl, that had previously only sung in church, she possessed an unique knack for phrasing. Her follow-up to "Locomotion," "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" (#12) told a story of a close friend who tried to move in on her boyfriend. Her third record "Lets Turkey Trot" (#20) was another dance craze tune. "...
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This video of that Shingdid performance replaces the one that was originally embedded in this post.  
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Little Eva and her backup singers [but not the backup dancers] give a glimpse of the arm flapping movements that were done for that Turkey Trot dance.

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Video #5: Navy CIS - Abby - Turkey Trot

blackradio800, May , 13 2011
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From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_trot_(dance)
"The Turkey Trot was featured on the 8th season episode of [The American television series] "NCIS False Witness". Show character Abby Sciuto dances the trot as she examines a turkey as evidence.

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RELATED LINKS
Here are several other related pancocojams posts:

http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/african-roots-of-wing-flapping-dances.html "African Roots Of African American Arm Flapping Dances"

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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/various-late-19th-century-early-20th.html "Various 19th Century & Early 20th Century African American Dances (Buck, Wing, Pigeon Wing, & Eagle Rock)"

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http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/05/rufus-thomas-crowd-control-at-wattstax.html "Rufus Thomas & Crowd Control At Wattstax (The Funky Chicken Dance)"

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