The Boston Monkey

(1965)

Introduction

The Boston Monkey is a 1960s novelty dance that involves swinging the hips and hands in opposition.

The Dance

To dance the Boston Monkey, stand with feet together, knees bent, leaning slightly forward from the waist, and bobbing slightly to the beat. With palms facing down at waist level, move both hands diagonally forward to the left as you move your hips diagonally back to the right. Then move both hands diagonally forward to the right as you move your hips diagonally back to the left [HB66].

The Music

There are at least seven tunes that reference the Boston Monkey, but "The Boston Monkey" by The Manhattans is a good one.

Sources

HB66 — Hullabaloo. (1966). The Hullabaloo Discothèque Dance Book. New York.

For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.

For full-length teaching videos, visit: University of Dance.

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