THE TWIST

It all started in 1961 at a little club called The Peppermint Lounge in New York City. Stars like Judy Garland, Greta Garbo and even the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were introduced to a new dance called the Twist. Although originally popular only with young black Americans, Chubby Checker helped the dance to break into the mainstream when he appeared on American Bandstand with Dick Clark.

Not only was the Twist a hit with the music industry, but it could also be seen in a number of films. In the early sixties, movies such as Twist Around the Clock, Viva La Twist and Teenage Millionaire continued the new craze of Twisting.

Want to try the dance? Pretend like you are stepping out of the bath and towel off your back, or pretend you are putting out a cigarette with your toe. Put some Chubby Checker on and you've mastered the Twist.

The dance slowly started to fade when other dances - such as the Mashed Potato and Watusi hit the scene in 1962 but its popularity often returns because of movies and television shows.