Do You Remember? — This Dance Known As “The Stroll” Swept The Nation Thanks To American Bandstand

Mar 08, 2019

Can you do The Stroll? This simple dance took teenaged America by storm in the late 1950s.

The Stroll walked into the lives of American teenagers on American Bandstand in 1957. American Bandstand began in 1952 and introduced the latest in dances and music from that time until 1989. Who can forget Dick Clark, the host of the show?

He featured the Top 40 pop music hits from that week, with teenagers dancing and showing us all the latest moves. Every musical group to run the top of the pop charts from 1952 to 1989 was on this weekly show, lip-syncing their most recent hits and making a plug for their newest album or a single record.

From Jerry Lee Lewis through Run-D.M.C, a bevy of pop stars graced the stage of American Bandstand. Dick Clark was everyone’s steady date for the show because he remained its host through the entire life of the show.

The American Bandstand brought pop music to the nation by providing us with the latest bands and songs from the top of the pop charts. “The Stroll “ was one of these hit bands, performed by The Diamonds.

“The Stroll” was a simple, sexy dance to do. Girls lined up in one line, and boys in the other line, facing each other. Most of the kids danced in place, while the couple at the end of the line held hands and made up their dance moves as they meandered in between the two groups of kids.

You got to show off your girlfriend or boyfriend, hold their hand, and exhibit your dance moves for everyone to see. Life rarely got better than that in the late 1950s.

Where were you in 1957? Do you remember watching the Bandstand teens doing “The Stroll” on TV that day? Tell us more about this dance in the comments below, and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!