The Chalypso was a popular dance from 1957 which combined the sounds and feel of the cha-cha-cha

Cha-cha-cha (dance)

The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953...

 and calypso. It was developed and popularized by dancers on American Bandstand

American Bandstand

American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...

. It is among the dances listed in "At the Hop

At the Hop

"At the Hop" is a hit rock 'n' roll song written by Arthur Singer, John Medora and David White and originally released by Danny & the Juniors. The song was released in the fall of 1957, and reached number one on the US charts on January 6, 1958, thus becoming one of the top-selling singles of 1958...

" by Danny and the Juniors.

A favorite song for chalypso was Billy and Lillie’s "La De Dah", which had been released on Bandstand host Dick Clark's Swan Records

Swan Records

Swan Records was a mid-20th century United States based record label, founded in 1957, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It had a subsidiary label called Lawn Records....

. Many artists recorded chalypsos, including Ike Turner

Ike Turner

Isaac Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk...

 and Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...

. The craze was supplanted by Checker's version of "The Twist".

External Reference

• Chalypso
• Dance description as taught by Richard Powers in 2007 at Stockton Folk Dance Camp