The bump. The pony. The Woah. Dances and music have evolved throughout time, but entering 2021, new songs and dances quickly become popular. Every teen generation has launched its own trends.
Mainly known for its eclectic music taste, the ‘70s brought bluesy soul, gospel, and disco music, and a variety of different genres of music to dance to.
“Although I think the ‘50s and ‘60s had the best music of all time. I think the music of my generation was much better to dance to than today’s music,” said Assistant Principal Pam Pittman, who was in high school in the 70s.
The most popular song was “Staying Alive” by Bee Gees; however, some of her favorites were “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “We are Family” by Sister Sledge, “Brick House” by Commodores, and “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band.
Media Center Specialist Julie Hooper graduated from high school in the 1970s and grew up in Fort Mill.
“Mostly you just free form danced,” she said. But popular dances also included the pony, the swim, the bump, the twist, and the shag -- the state dance of S.C.
At her school proms, most of the time, they would dance with someone, but in later years, they all just danced separately.
Mrs. Hooper says that the dances didn’t really go with specific songs besides ‘The Twist’ by Hank Ballard.
The ‘70s picture teens wore jeans, hip huggers and bell bottoms, and sometimes even tie-dye wifebeaters. Platform shoes were all the rage for both boys and girls. Prom attire for guys included pastel-colored tuxes, both with and without tails, and ruffled shirts.
During the 80s, disco was becoming less popular, and pop-dance music was becoming trendy. Michael Jackson was arguably the most famous artist of that time.
“I would say ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson was probably the most popular song when I was in high school,” said Assistant Principal Ernest Poag, who went to high school in the 80s. “My generation’s music was created with more instrumentation where most of today’s music is created electronically.” he said. “Most of that is due to innovations in how music is made today. Great music can be created today from a laptop/tablet/phone whereas during my generation, you always had to record in studios.”
The 2000s was known for its hip hop dominance through music. “I personally think music in the 2000’s was the best, mainly because that’s the music I remember growing up, and it brings back memories,” said special education teacher Lindsey Bobrowski. “One of the most popular songs when I was in high school was ‘Live your Life’ by T.I.,” she said.
She also finds that music is a method of relaxation and enjoyment for people and that listening to music helps her forget about certain life situations she may be dealing with so she can just relax.
The 2010s was a time when R&B and pop music shone. “It seemed like no matter where I went or what radio station I played in the car, I remember hearing a lot of Rhianna from the years 2005-2010,” said history teacher Jordan Callahan.
He explained how music keeps his spirits high when he needs it and how it has evolved through time. “If I get goosebumps when I hear a certain voice, it sort of wakes my soul up,” he said. “It can also just make your toe start tapping for no reason. No matter what sort of day I am having, I can always rely on music to cheer me up, or even keep me motivated. Music is a very huge part of my life and soul.”
He also explained artists today have sampled and learned from previous successful artists before them.
Mr. Brady Nash, an English teacher at Nation Ford, who graduated from Lewisville High School in the class of 2015, says the dances that were big while he was in high school. During this time, the dances that were popular were the wobble, the Quan, dabbing, whip/ Nae Nae, and Milly rock.
“We danced with both line dances and with dates -- with dates were typically slow dances,” he said.
Nash says things haven’t changed much fashion-wise.
“I wouldn’t say it’s changed too much from popular styles now. I know for prom outfits, having a jacket that was a different color than the pants was popular for guys; for girls, dresses that showed your midriff were popular.”
Two of the most popular songs during that time were ‘Hotline Bling’ by Drake and ‘Trap Queen’ by Fetty Wap.
Tiktok, a trending app for mostly teens and over 800 million users, has a ton of catchy dances. Some of these dances include the Renegade, Savage, Cannibal, Say So, Walk-In, and so many more.
Out of these five dances and between 155 people at Nation Ford, 44’s favorite dance was Renegade, 14 for Cannibal, 28 for Savage, 31 for Say So, and 38 for Walk-In.
A year into the next decade, more songs and dances are evolving and becoming well known with teens today. We go into 2021 with new trends and ideas that will forever be a part of history.
A year into the next decade, more songs and dances are evolving and becoming well known with teens today. We go into 2021 with new trends and ideas that will forever be a part of history.