Big bands, big suits, swinging your partner round a crowded bouncy dance floor, cod liver oil and orange juice. These are the things that defined dance hall culture in the 20th centurey, before the days of nightclubbing.
Glasgow itself had 256 dance halls alone in 1937 - these were not limited to the city centre either - they could be found in every corner of Glasgow.
The culture of dance halls was preluded by theatres and cinemas - both of which offered an alternative social setting to the traditional pub for the emerging middle class in the Victorian era.
As cinemas became more accessible for the working class, Glaswegians wanted a place they could go dancing - a dedicated space that was more available to people than stuffy traditional ballrooms that would be seen in the likes of Paris.
In as many words, if you wanted a lumber back in the 40s, 50s and 60s, the only place to get it was down the dancing. Just ask your granny, she’ll tell you.
Dance hall fever quickly gripped Britain in the early 20th century - it expanded rapidly and by the 1920s there was well over a 100 in Glasgow. The demand was so high that many old church halls, gymnasiums, and more were quickly converted into impromptu dance halls to capitalise on the trend.
Dance halls evolved with the culture of music in Britain - moving from big band to swing to rock and roll with many stops in between over the years.
Dancing, as you might imagine, was a big part of the culture, many new dances were formed in the dance halls at the Locarno, the Barrowlands, the Plaza, the Astoria, and the Dennistoun Palais, the quality of said dances can not be attested to however.
The Slosh was one such dance - surprisingly not invented in Glasgow, but in England - you can read more about the origins of the Slosh by reading our article here.
Other dances included the jitterbug, frug, and boogaloo - all of which spread organically from dance hall to dance hall across Britain. The dancing scene was revolutionised during World War 2 when GIs staying in the Beresford Hotel introduced American dancing and music to the dance halls of Sauchiehall Street.
Dance halls slowly died off over the years, the final nail in the coffin was the introduction of the synthesizer, the beats of which demanded an entirely different ambience than the large dance halls whose high ceilings allowed for a huge reverb of the big bands.
Why not try and bring the dance hall culture back to the modern day though? Next time you’re in the Savoy, have a go at dancing the Jitterbug and see if you can’t get some folk to join in. Gie it laldy.
We’ve collected some old pictures of dance halls in Glasgow and Edinburgh to get a sense of the era, take a look below to get an idea of what it was really like.
1. Lost Glasgow clubs
Opened in 1926, and named after the border treaty which was supposed to secure peace in Europe, this Sauchiehall Street institution kept the city on its toes for nearly 60 years. With its sprung, Canadian Maple dancefloor, revolving stage and runaround balcony, it challenged the Dennistoun Palais and the Barrowland for the title of Glasgow's premier ballroom. Renamed Tiffany's in the 80s, the cavernous dancehall proved difficult to fill and the venue was converted into a casino. Photo: Stephencdickson\Wikimedia
2. Dancing at the Locarno
Dancing at Locarno Glasgow in 1964. | Supplied
3. Rock and roll at the Locarno
This photo shows a lunch hour rock and roll session at the Locarno ballroom on London Road, Sheffield, on February 27, 1957 Photo: ©Sheffield Newspapers Ltd
4. Inside the Barrowland Ballroom (1935)
The interior of the original Barrowland Ballroom - it was largely destroyed by fire in 1958 but was rebuilt and reopened in 1960. | Glasgow City Archives