Mashed Potato (dance)
- This article is about the dance craze. For other uses, including the food, see Mashed potato (disambiguation).
The Mashed Potato is a dance move which was a popular dance craze of 1962. It was danced to songs such as Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time". Also referred to as "mash potato" or "mashed potatoes", the move vaguely resembles that of the Twist, by Sharp's fellow Philadelphian, Chubby Checker.
Dance movement
The dance begins by stepping backward with one foot with that heel tilted inward. The foot is positioned slightly behind the other (stationary) foot. With the weight on the ball of the starting foot, the heel is then swiveled outward. The same process is repeated with the other foot: step back and behind with heel inward, pivot heel out, and so on. The pattern is continued for as many repetitions as desired. The step may be incorporated in various dances either as a separate routine or as a styling of standard steps.
Songs
Several songs inspired by the dance were hits, including "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" by Nat Kendrick and the Swans, "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." by James Brown, and "Mashed Potato Time" and "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes), both by Dee Dee Sharp. In Australia the dance underwent a revival with Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs' version of "Mashed Potato" in 1964.
Dance variations and cultural references
The dance was also referred to in Connie Francis' 1962 hit "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N" ("...we'll Mashed Potato to a jukebox tune..."), "Do You Love Me" by The Contours, "Let's Dance" by Chris Montez, "Harry the Hairy Ape" a 1963 Top-20 pop and R&B novelty hit by Ray Stevens, and "Land of a Thousand Dances".
A variation on the Mashed Potato was danced to Bobby "Boris" Pickett's novelty hit "Monster Mash," in which the footwork was the same, but monster gestures were made with the arms and hands.