|
 |
 |
      |
Home > Personal Stories > Free Time > Dances in the 1950's
|
Up until the 1950s, most young people went to dances at least once a week. Men and women danced fixed routines as couples and many took dancing lessons. People remember going to dances in local church halls, as well as in established clubs and dance nights at the City Hall, the Co-op buildings on Bellhouse Road, the Roxy and, best known of all, the Locarno.American servicemen stationed in Britain during the war, introduced a whole new style of dancing. The most popular dance was known as the Jitterbug - a wild and acrobatic jive which made the previously popular ballroom dances such as the Waltz and the Foxtrot appear rather dull and conservative. Many ballrooms had to ban Jitterbugging to protect their sprung floors. Click on the images to enlarge. |
Zippo lighter belonging to Alice Mitchell given to her by an American serviceman stationed in Sheffield during the Second World War. Between 1942 and 1945 more than one and a half million American servicemen descended upon Britain. Known as 'Yanks' or 'GIs', they earned up to seven times as much as the British servicemen and could afford to be generous. They took the local girls out to dances, clubs and restaurants and allowed them to 'live it up' in a way previously unknown. The luxuries they brought with them - nylon stockings, candy and fruit, all of which had been in short supply since the war began in 1939 - were lavished upon the young British women and their families.
Young women went out to work during the Second World War. Often, at the end of the day, there was fun to be had with the foreign soldiers stationed nearby. In this extract Alice talks about her wartime experiences. Image reproduced by kind permission of Alice Mitchell. Memory Leaves which might be of interest:
|
|
| Guest Book Learning Resources Help Us Collect Acknowledgements and copyright |
Click here to play the sound clip