The History of the Camel Walk Dance
The camel walk is a social dance that has roots in the vaudeville shows of the late 19th century and early 20th century in the United States. The dance is also referred to as the "ragtime animal dance," since ragtime music (upbeat piano playing, i.e. Scott Joplin's "The Sting") often accompanies this style of dance.
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The Performers
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This dance was mainly performed by college students and "flappers" of the 1910s and 1920s. Flappers were women who wore short skirts and, at a time when corsets were still worn, bras that would push the breasts inward to make the women appear more "boyish." Flappers often wore bobbed hair, listened to jazz, smoke, drank, voted and engaged in other unconventional behaviors.
Camel Walk Positions
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The posture of the dancer's back is straight while doing a 1920s foxtrot walk (a pedestrian walk with the heel leading forward or extending the leg backward with the toe leading and slightly dragging the other foot to meet). The direction of the steps is usually zigzag or rotary. The camel walk is generally a couple's dance, with the woman sometimes placing her head on her partner's shoulder. This was often viewed as inappropriate for that period of time.
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Steps and Versions of the Camel Walk
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The two main steps are the fan (a rotary walk) of the leg and the high, slow-lifting walking step forward. The earlier version consisted of couples doing these movements along with interspersing steps from the foxtrot. A later version of the camel walk in the 1950s and 1960s became a freestyle dance that had a variety of names including "the stroll."
Evolution of the Camel Walk
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The stroll consists of two lines (men on one side and women on the other) while moving to the right or left. A knee pop is sometimes added to the walk. The couple at the end of the line join hands and move to the center, in order to "stroll" to the opposite direction. This continues with the remainder of couples until all have a chance at the beginning of the line. The music accompanying this dance often has a droning quality produced by a saxophone and slow rhythm.
Where to See the Camel Walk
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One can see the camel walk in the 1988 movie "Hairspray" and in the 1978 movie "Grease," featuring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.
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