Tea dance

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A tea dance or thé dansant is an afternoon or early evening dance. The function evolved from the concept of the afternoon tea and is a common cultural reference in early 20th century fiction, as a staple of genteel society notably in resort towns such as Brighton.

A notable feature of tea dances was the presence of a live orchestra, often referred to as a palm court orchestra, playing light classical music.

In the United States, the term has been broadened to refer to any afternoon dance. An infamous example was the 1981 Hyatt Regency walkway collapse in Kansas City, Missouri that occurred during an afternoon dance and killed 114 and injured 200.

The term is also used in gay culture to refer to any afternoon or early evening dance particularly those on weekends (especially on Sunday evenings) and at the end of the day at gay resorts. Recorded music played by a DJ is usually played at the gay tea dances.

[edit] See Also

Gay Tea Dances

• I-Beam Gay nightclub in San Francisco that had a popular tea dance on Sunday nights from 1978 to 1992.
• End Up Nightclub in San Francisco that has a gay tea dance on Sunday nights.