Dancing Lesson: Jamaican Import circa 1964

thanks to Mr. Catano for the headsup on this video….

At the bottom of this post, Tony Verity breaks down ska dancing (quite anthropologically, I might add).  Byron Lee and the Dragonaires play backup.  Plays out a bit like the movie Hairspray, only with a Jamaican twist (the original, of course…John Waters kept it gritty, yet sufficiently camp).  What’s Ricki Lake up to these days?

Funny thing, for an era that spawned so many dances (the mashed potato, the madison, the slop, the philly dog, the shing-a-ling, the pony, the jerk, et al), few have such detailed documentation.  Anybody out there remember “The Gouster” (a Chicago flash-in-the-pan dance committed to wax by local group the 5 Duotones)?