Shall We Dance? A Look Back at Early 20thCentury Michigan Dance Pavilions and Venues

Shall We Dance? A Look Back at Early 20^thCentury Michigan Dance Pavilions and Venues 

By Christine Byron 

Social dancing was a popular form of recreation across the country in the first half of the 20^th Century, and Michigan was no exception with dancing venues springing up across the state. Byron will look back at dance halls and pavilions located in amusement parks, resorts, hotels, night clubs, and other spots. Some restaurants and taverns featured “dining and dancing” to draw patrons to their establishments. From dancing stately waltzes in the 1900s, the 1910s gave way to novelty dances like the turkey trot and the bunny hop. The 1920s could be known as the “Dance Age” as the fox trot, jitterbug and Charleston took America by storm. During the Depression, dancing flourished as an inexpensive form of entertainment. The rise of swing and big band music in the 1930s and 1940s drew thousands of fun seekers to dance halls across the state. This social dance trend faded in the 1950s as rock and roll took center stage. 

Christine Byron is a retired librarian from the Local Historical Collections of the Grand Rapids Public Library. She is an avid reader of Michigan history, and a collector of thousands of postcards and old Michigan tourist and travel memorabilia.