Madison (dance)
Encyclopedia
The Madison is a novelty dance that was popular in the late 1950s to mid 1960s. The Madison was created and first danced in Columbus, Ohio
, in 1957. The local popularity of the dance and record in Baltimore, Maryland, came to the attention of the producers of The Buddy Deane Show in 1960. Picked up by dance shows across the country, it became widely popular.
The Madison is a line dance
that features a regular back-and-forth pattern interspersed with called
steps. Its popularity inspired dance teams and competitions, as well as various recordings, and today it is still sometimes performed as a nostalgic dance. The Madison is featured in the John Waters
movie Hairspray, and it continues to be performed in the Broadway
musical Hairspray
. Both the film and the musical feature one of many songs released during the Madison "craze" in the U.S.
Ray Bryant recorded "Madison Time" for Columbia Records
in 1959. Billboard stated that "The footwork for the Madison dance is carefully and clearly diagrammed for the terpers." Another version was recorded by radio presenter Alan Freeman
for Decca Records
in 1962.
An example of a 1960 song and album featuring music for the Madison is The Tunetoppers at The Madison Dance Party, with calls by Al Brown.
The Madison took on international flavor when Count Basie
visited Columbus in 1959 and adopted the dance as a feature of his entertainment when he played London
and the Continent, creating press notices in London.
The Madison basic, danced in the film Hairspray, is as follows:
Called steps included the Double Cross, the Cleveland Box, The Basketball (with Wilt Chamberlain
), the Big "M", the "T" Time, the Jackie Gleason
, the Birdland
, and The Rifleman
. "The Jackie Gleason" is based on a tap dance movement known as "Shuffle Off to Buffalo". Additional called sequences are: Two Up and Two Back, Big Boss
Cross in Front, Make a "T" , the Box, Cuddle Me, and Flying High. "Away We Go" may be the same as "The Jackie Gleason".
Time magazine
noted the Madison in April 1960.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, in 1957. The local popularity of the dance and record in Baltimore, Maryland, came to the attention of the producers of The Buddy Deane Show in 1960. Picked up by dance shows across the country, it became widely popular.
The Madison is a line dance
Line dance
A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact...
that features a regular back-and-forth pattern interspersed with called
Caller (dancing)
A caller is a person who prompts dance figures in such dances as line dance, square dance, and contra dance. The caller might be one of the participating dancers, though in modern country dance this is rare....
steps. Its popularity inspired dance teams and competitions, as well as various recordings, and today it is still sometimes performed as a nostalgic dance. The Madison is featured in the John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
movie Hairspray, and it continues to be performed in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
. Both the film and the musical feature one of many songs released during the Madison "craze" in the U.S.
Ray Bryant recorded "Madison Time" for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1959. Billboard stated that "The footwork for the Madison dance is carefully and clearly diagrammed for the terpers." Another version was recorded by radio presenter Alan Freeman
Alan Freeman
Alan Leslie "Fluff" Freeman, MBE was a British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years.-Career:...
for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
in 1962.
An example of a 1960 song and album featuring music for the Madison is The Tunetoppers at The Madison Dance Party, with calls by Al Brown.
The Madison took on international flavor when Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
visited Columbus in 1959 and adopted the dance as a feature of his entertainment when he played London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the Continent, creating press notices in London.
The Madison basic, danced in the film Hairspray, is as follows:
- Step left forward
- Place right beside left (no weight) and clap
- Step back on right
- Move left foot back and across the right
- Move left foot to the left
- Move left foot back and across the right
Called steps included the Double Cross, the Cleveland Box, The Basketball (with Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
), the Big "M", the "T" Time, the Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
, the Birdland
Birdland (jazz club)
Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but it re-opened for one night in 1979...
, and The Rifleman
The Rifleman
The Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show, filmed in black-and-white with a half hour running time, ran...
. "The Jackie Gleason" is based on a tap dance movement known as "Shuffle Off to Buffalo". Additional called sequences are: Two Up and Two Back, Big Boss
Cross in Front, Make a "T" , the Box, Cuddle Me, and Flying High. "Away We Go" may be the same as "The Jackie Gleason".
Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
noted the Madison in April 1960.
Examples in Motion Pictures
- In a famous sequence in Jean-Luc GodardJean-Luc GodardJean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
's 1964 film Bande à part (Band of Outsiders), the main characters engage in a dance, which is not named in the film, but which the actors later referred to as the "Madison dance". The music and choreography are, however, unrelated to the Madison. - The dance is performed by a large group in the original (non-musical) version of John Waters' Hairspray
- In The Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture ShowThe Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
, Brad (played by Barry BostwickBarry BostwickBarry Knapp Bostwick is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Brad Majors in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, replacing Peter Scolari as Mr. Tyler in the sitcom What I Like About You, and playing mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City...
) calls out, "Say, do any of you guys know how to Madison?" after the Time Warp dance. However, the dance is not performed in the film. - In The Go-GetterThe Go-Getter (film)The Go-Getter is a 2007 American independent road movie directed and written by Martin Hynes. The film stars Lou Taylor Pucci, Zooey Deschanel, and Jena Malone. In the film, 19-year-old Mercer steals a stranger's car to embark on a road trip to find his estranged brother and tell him that their...
(2007), Lou Taylor Pucci, Zooey Deschanel and Jena Malone all dance the "Madison" as an homage to Jean-Luc Godard's Bande à part (1964) where Anna Karina, Sami Frey and Claude Brasseur dance it in a café.
External links
- Columbus Music History with definitive origin article
- The Madison on the Buddy Deane Show from Baltimore, Maryland
- Article on origins
- The Madison dance scene from Godard's Bande à part
- Group Dances of the 1950s including description of the Madison
- Newest Shuffle: The Madison. Time April 4, 1960.