The Temper Tantrum is a 1960s novelty dance in which the dancers imagine they're throwing a temper tantrum.
It was introduced in May of 1965 at The Forum, a Boston discotheque, and demonstrated on The Tonight Show and The Mike Douglas Show shortly thereafter [CB65].
The dance is set to "The Temper Tantrum" by Joseph and Charlotte Holicker, recorded by The Warlocks [of Massachusetts].
The lyrics of the song describes a variety of actions that characterize a temper tantrum, which the dancers act out. Here are some of the lyrical instructions:
"The Temper Tantrum" (1965) by The Warlocks.
© 2020 Nick Enge
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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