Anyone who has ever fallen in love with hot rods, in any way, shape, or form, has been made aware that there is certainly a distinctive dance culture related to the lifestyle.  While some of its more mainstream cultural aspects can get overlooked in the process of finding the right falken for the ride, they are the things that draw people in to begin with.  The lifestyle is related to a kind of clothing, a kind of behavior, and a kind of dance.  Some of these will no doubt evoke a deep feeling of nostalgia.

It is a sense of nostalgia that serves as one of the main thrusts of hot rod life, whether it’s in the backdrop or the foreground.  For those who are looking to make their obsessions a little more spicy, looking into small details can reveal interesting new worlds.  Hot rods and dance parties have been connected from the early days.  It’s perfectly reasonable, since the cultural scene did grow in the midst of the early days of rock n’ roll.  Although the bands never lacked for subject matter, hot rods worked their way in again and again, suggesting that both the modified cars and the African-descended music had some elemental common ground, or heartbeats that were very similar at the very least.

Looking deeper into the sources of anything can become a task in itself, and there is absolutely a deep and notable history in the origins of the dances related to hot rod culture.  For most people interested in dance however, and perhaps fortunately, the actions speak louder than any words.  One can go off in many directions looking at the dance forms around hot rod culture at its peak.  West Coast swing had origins in Lindy Hop from the 20s in Harlem, and found variations that developed into its own thing with the help of the Jitterbug.  But it would be twice as fulfilling to take a class in West Coast Swing at the local club, and the learning would be in the legs.

There is a deep connection between the dances and the central objects of desire.  Knowing the history of the vintage wheel works on one’s own car can lead to interesting discoveries about the nature of mechanics, and car culture in the world.  But it’s a lot more fun to get behind the wheel, and learn what torque is all about.  This is where the dance and the dancer really become one.