Category Archives: Dance

And the winner is . . .

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

. . . the cover featuring the hand thrusting the disco ball through the curtain! You will recall that my last blog entry asked for your input regarding four potential covers for Swing Time III: Blame it on the Boogie. … Continue reading →

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Would like a little help on Swing Time III

Posted on April 4, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

Emily Wilder has decided that she wants to resume the dancing that she did in the halcyon days of her youth. Only this time, she wants to become good; really good—good enough to be invited into the inner circle at … Continue reading →

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Alive and Kickin’

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Austin Gisriel

I love the Fire TV Stick that I received for Christmas from Martha. I’ve almost mastered the entire sequence of button-pushing required to go from our satellite service to the program for which I’m looking. I’ll sometimes entertain myself by … Continue reading →

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Footloose and Fired in Kansas

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Austin Gisriel

What was it about dancing that bunched the bloomers of the busybodies a century ago? Yet, again, the “Out of the Past” column of the June 10, 2022 Winchester Star features an entry noting that 100 years ago, in 1922, … Continue reading →

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Those dance masters were a persistent bunch

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Austin Gisriel

Yet another mention of the concern over dirty dancing appeared in the January 17, 2022 edition of the Winchester Star‘s “Out of the Past” feature. The following is dated January 12, 1922: The “jazz” dance is slowly but surely being … Continue reading →

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Oh, no! The dance censors were at it again.

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Austin Gisriel

I don’t know why the keepers of our social mores and the monitors of our general morality were so offended by dancing 100 years ago, but yet another item in the Winchester Star’s “Out of the Past” column demonstrates that … Continue reading →

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Dirty Dancing Outrages U.S. Ambassador

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Austin Gisriel

Yet another most interesting item regarding outrage over the latest dance craze appeared in the “Out of the Past” feature in the February 1st edition of the Winchester Star. Datelined January 26, 1921 from Brussels, it reads: Owing to a … Continue reading →

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Never Do a Tango With an Eskimo

Posted on October 29, 2020 by Austin Gisriel

Today’s entry is a story of discovery, although it’s possible that I’m the last person to discover this particular discovery, namely, the song, “Never Do a Tango With an Eskimo.” I often listen to 1940s Radio, a wonderful Internet station … Continue reading →

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Sophie Tucker

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Austin Gisriel

When last we spoke in this blog, I stated that I would return to the subject of Sophie Tucker. As I had mentioned, Sophie had been arrested for singing bawdy dance songs such as “The Grizzly Bear” and the “Angle … Continue reading →

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The Devil on the Dance Floor Once More

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Austin Gisriel

The folks who lived 100 years ago, at least the ones who considered themselves keepers of the community standards, cast a very disapproving eye on dancing. In a January entry of this blog, I noted that the Winchester Star ran … Continue reading →

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