Mashed Potato dance

E510573

The Mashed Potato dance is a popular 1960s novelty dance characterized by a twisting, shuffling foot motion that became widely associated with early soul and R&B music.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
the Mashed Potato 1

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf 1960s dance craze
novelty dance
social dance
associatedWithCountry United States of America
surface form: United States
associatedWithCulture African-American popular culture NERFINISHED
associatedWithEra 1960s
associatedWithGenre early Motown sound
rhythm and blues
soul music
characterizedBy heel-toe action
shuffling foot motion
twisting foot motion
weight shifting from one foot to the other
hasAlternativeName Mashed Potatoes NERFINISHED
The Mashed Potato NERFINISHED
hasCulturalRole teen dance craze
television dance show staple
hasDanceStep alternating inward and outward swiveling of feet
bent knees while dancing
sliding or gliding steps
hasInfluenceOn later line dances
retro dance revivals
inspiredBy The Twist NERFINISHED
movementFocus feet
legs
notableFeature can be danced solo
does not require a partner
simple repetitive steps suitable for beginners
peakPopularity 1962
performedAt dance clubs
school dances
sock hops
performedTo R&B records
dance-oriented pop songs
up-tempo soul songs
popularizedIn early 1960s
referencedByArtist Bobby "Boris" Pickett NERFINISHED
Dee Dee Sharp NERFINISHED
James Brown NERFINISHED
The Contours NERFINISHED
referencedInSong "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" NERFINISHED
"Do You Love Me" NERFINISHED
"Land of a Thousand Dances" NERFINISHED
"Mashed Potato Time" NERFINISHED
"Monster Mash" NERFINISHED
relatedToDance The Jerk NERFINISHED
The Pony
The Twist NERFINISHED
The Watusi NERFINISHED
typicalUpperBody relatively still torso
relaxed arms

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Mashed Potato Time hasSubject Mashed Potato dance
Do You Love Me featuredDance Mashed Potato dance
this entity surface form: the Mashed Potato