Denver once banned so-called ‘demoralizing dances’ in dance halls

DENVER (KDVR) – Over 100 years ago, Denver barred people from doing “demoralizing” dances in public dance halls, even threatening to revoke the license of any dance halls that violated the order.

While the concept of a “turkey trot” likely only conjures up pictures of a Thanksgiving Day race in 2024, a dance of the same name was deemed too scandalous for Denver society in 1911.

An announcement about a ban of the “Turkey Trot,” “Grizzly Bear” and “Cubanola Glide” appeared in an issue of Denver Municipal Facts , which was a newsletter published by the city from 1909 until 1931.

It had basic information about the goings on in the city at the time, from how many permits were issued in a given timeframe to reports about meat inspections in the city.

This particular issue was published in November 1911, when Robert W. Speer, the namesake for Denver’s Speer Boulevard, was mayor.

The decision to bar the dances came from the fire and police board, according to the note:

“An order placed Thursday by the fire and police board places under the ban in Denver dance halls such demoralizing dances as the ‘Grizzly Bear,’ the ‘Turkey Trot’ and ‘Cubanola Glide,” the announcement said. “A violation of the order on the part of any dance place will mean the revocation of the license.”

Denver was not alone in banning these so-called “demoralizing dances.”

According to the University of Chicago , the Turkey Trot, which was a dance invented in the 1910s that required “closer contact between men and women” than other dances, was banned in several cities and denounced by the Vatican before eventually fading in popularity.

A similar dance that was also invented in the 1910s, the foxtrot , is still practiced today.

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