# Anyone remember the pota pota dance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-pota-pota-dance/202076 "2003-09-17T02:56:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-pota-pota-dance/202076/1 "2003-09-17T02:56:47Z")
A old friend of mine and I were talking about our childhood and we remembered a folk dance we had to do in school called the “pota pota.” Does anyone else remember this? It may have been Israeli but I’m not sure. I’d love to get a copy of this song somehow. I googled and found a couple of nostalgia sites where people made passing references but that is all. Thanks, Haj ---
**Author:** ![Sassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-pota-pota-dance/202076/2 "2003-09-17T05:17:10Z")
Are you maybe thinking of the [Pata Pata](http://w1.871.telia.com/~u87125995/makeba/lyrics/pata_pata.htm) song by Miriam Makeba? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-pota-pota-dance/202076/3 "2003-09-17T05:25:28Z")
No. This was a folk dance from at least the 1970’s. Haj ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-pota-pota-dance/202076/4 "2003-09-17T15:48:01Z")
**haj** , I think **Sassy** is right; here is a really fun folk dance to this song. It’s a circle dance, right? Poke your elbows out, step left, step right, turn around and clap? (Or something like that.) I’m amused that you learned it as a kid in school, however; the original South African dance was basically simulated sex. I went on a quest for this song myself a few years ago with very little luck until I found a CD in the public library. I’m ashamed to say I copied it (I’ll send you $5, Miriam) and was listening to it just yesterday. It’s great driving around with the top down music. Try searching with the spelling Sassy uses and with the name Miriam Makeba. Be careful, though; there’s a Pokemon character with that name, so you’ll get zillions of bad hits. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-pota-pota-dance/202076/5 "2003-09-17T15:51:51Z")
Sorry for the double post, but I found a link with an [audio file](http://www.oldies.com/product/view.cfm/id/28552.html). It’s a more recent re-recording so it won’t sound exactly as you remember, but it’s enough to recognize the melody. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-the-pota-pota-dance/202076/6 "2003-09-18T01:21:35Z")
Hmmm. In **Sassy** ’s link, the lyrics didn’t look right but the new link shows that the original song was from 1968. I’m out of town on my work lap to which doesn’t allow me to play Real files so it’ll have to wait a few days before I can verify it. Simulated Sex? Well, it was the '70s… Haj