The Big Apple
By RasmaSandra
@RasmaSandra (93692)
Daytona Beach, Florida
January 24, 2026 3:31pm CST
No, not NYC but the dance since I mentioned it yesterday. It is a partner and circle dance that originated in the Afro-American community in the US at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the summer of 1937 students from the University of South Carolina started dancing the Big Apple at the Pavilion in Myrtle Beach. In the 1990s Betty Wood, a dancer helped revive this dance. She won a dance contest doing it and became nicknamed “Big Apple Betty”.
The news of the dance craze reached NYC and NY talent agent, Gae Foster went to the Carolinas to audition dancers for a show at the Roxy Theater. Eight couple were chosen and they performed in the Big Apple doing the Big Apple for a three-week engagement. After the engagement at the Roxy, the group became known as "Billy Spivey's Big Apple Dancers" and toured the country for six months.
Let’s dance
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11 people like this
7 responses
@RasmaSandra (93692)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Jan
@DianneN Well, hello to you, Miss Busy. I hope you have been having fun in your life. Knowing how active you are, you can take a look at all the dances I mention and then get your family together for a big dance party. Glad to see you here. If you're in Florida, you know it has been cold. Now we have two days of very warm weather, and down we go into the freeze again on Tuesday. My head has been reeling.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247857)
• United States
25 Jan
@RasmaSandra Life has had its ups and downs, but nothing drastic thank goodness.
I am in Florida and so grateful. By the way, I am slowing myself down, but I would love to dance! Wedding in Miami in a few months and can’t wait to dance!!!
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (93692)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Jan
@LindaOHio most dances can be fun to do instead of regular exercise, but you nee someone to keep you up on your feet like in my case,
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (212505)
• United States
26 Jan
@RasmaSandra Me too. I can barely walk 50 feet.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (492090)
• Italy
26 Jan
@RasmaSandra - I also never heard about Lambeth Walk.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (93692)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Jan
@LadyDuck it was new to me and I only discovered it when I post about the Lambeth Walk which I knew through my mom,
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (54143)
• United States
25 Jan
Thanks for sharing. I hadn’t heard of these dancers.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (93692)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Jan
@Tampa_girl7 if you can move, they can be good exercise. I have a bum knee so I would not try,
@Deepizzaguy (117889)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
25 Jan
The first time I have heard of The Big Apple dance.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (93692)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Jan
@Deepizzaguy I wish I had known about it during my disco run in NYC in my younger days.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (93692)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Jan
@Ronrybs I think everything sort of passes by and then starts all over again,
@RasmaSandra (93692)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
24 Jan
@AmbiePam if only I could stay on my feets, Got a bum left knee right now,
1 person likes this
