The Most Popular Dances in the 1800s
The American dance floor in the 19th century was a very different place than it is today — a far cry from TikTok dance challenges, flash mobs, and K-Pop-inspired choreography. It was a world in which European waltzes scandalized conservative society, Bohemian polkas spread like wildfire, and African American dances transformed the cultural landscape.
The 1800s were a century of great cultural exchange, both internationally and domestically. Dances traveled across oceans and crossed social boundaries, becoming more than just entertainment (or elaborate courtship rituals). Rather, they were social phenomena that reflected America’s cultural evolution. Here’s a fleet-footed look at five of the most popular dance movements that shaped America in the 1800s.
The Waltz
The waltz arrived in the U.S. from Europe, bringing with it a wave of controversy. Prior to the waltz, most Americans — at least in high society — danced around each other without any real contact. The waltz was the first “closed” dance in which partners actually held each other — arm in arm, face to face, with their bodies close together.
In both Europe and the U.S., critics were aghast when the waltz first came on the scene, and they were swift to warn about what they saw as the dance’s sinful nature. The Gentleman and Lady’s Book of Politeness, published in Massachusetts in 1833, advised, “The waltz is a dance of quite too loose a character, and unmarried ladies should refrain from it in public and private.”
The criticism was all too little, too late, however. The waltz quickly revolutionized partner dancing by allowing couples to spin continuously around the dance floor in three-quarter time. Like many scandalous fads that once were thought to threaten the soul of the nation, it eventually became entirely acceptable. By the mid-19th century, the waltz was one of the most popular dances in America, helping to make physical closeness between dancing partners not just permitted but — as shocking as it may seem — even expected on the dance floor.
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The Polka
Just as Americans were resigning themselves to the spread of the waltz, a new scourge arrived: the polka. The Bohemian folk dance exploded across Europe in the 1840s and quickly found its way to the U.S., leaving a trail of exhausted dancers, bewildered onlookers, and disapproving critics in its wake.
With its lively hopping steps and energetic two-four beat, the polka was a courtship dance with a democratic nature that most aristocratic dances didn’t possess, being relatively easy to learn and requiring more enthusiasm than refinement. The frowns of the upper class were not enough to discourage young members of the elite from polkaing, however, and the dance quickly spread through all levels of society, from the ballrooms of the upper crust to the dance halls of the working class.
The Quadrille
While the waltz and polka surged in popularity, some people still preferred their dancing a little more restrained. The quadrille offered all this and more — a perfect social mixer for those who enjoyed memorizing complex dance instructions while wearing uncomfortable shoes.
The dance originated in elite Parisian ballrooms and was picked up by English aristocrats in the early 1800s. It then found its way to America, becoming one of the most popular dances during the latter decades of the century. Typically performed by four couples arranged in a square, the quadrille consisted of five or six different figures, or dance steps, performed in succession, each with its own specific music. The dance greatly influenced the development of American square dancing, which still has moves — allemande, promenade, do-si-do — that reflect the original French influence.
The Cakewalk
The cakewalk is arguably the most significant American dance of the 19th century — and certainly one of the most culturally complex. It originated on Southern plantations when enslaved people created an elaborate parody of the ballroom dances of their enslavers. They dressed in their finest clothes and performed mocking imitations of European formal dances (particularly a couple dance called the Grand March), adding exaggerated high steps, theatrical bows, and backward tilts of the head — all in a highly satirical manner.
Plantation owners sometimes came to watch these dances and even served as judges for contests. They would present cakes as prizes for the best dancers, often blissfully unaware that the performers were mocking them. After the Civil War, the cakewalk surged in popularity, and by the 1870s it had gone mainstream, marking the first time an African American dance had achieved national exposure. Yet the cakewalk became a staple of minstrel shows where white performers left out the satire and instead used the dance to perpetuate racist stereotypes, often performing in blackface, complicating the legacy of this influential dance.
The Two-Step
By the end of the 1890s, America had created its own ballroom dance sensation: the two-step. Its exact origins are unclear, but it was likely influenced by earlier dances such as the waltz, polka, and galop. The evolution of these dances into a two-step is often attributed to the music of the famous composer John Philip Sousa. In 1889, one of his most popular compositions, “Washington Post March,” took the country by storm — but none of the existing dances matched its rhythm. So, eager dancers developed the two-step, a relatively simple and accessible dance (especially compared to the likes of the quadrille) that went perfectly with the march. It marked a shift in American dance culture, especially among a new generation who increasingly viewed the old European dances as relics of a bygone era.
