ABSTRACT
The dancers were an appalling sight. None of the couples danced normally; there was only swing of the worst sort. Sometimes two boys danced with one girl; sometimes several couples formed a circle, linking arms and jumping, slapping hands, even rubbing the backs of their heads together; and then bent double, with the top half of the body hanging loosely down, long hair flopping into the face, they dragged themselves round practically on their knees. When the band played the rumba, the dancers went into wild ecstasy. They leapt around and joined in the chorus in broken English. The band played wilder and wilder items; none of the players was sitting down any longer, they all ‘jitterbugged’ on the stage like wild creatures. Several boys could be observed dancing together, always with two cigarettes in the mouth, one in each corner. . . .
