# Where me and my classmates the only ones made to dance this in gym? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564 "2018-06-06T19:40:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/1 "2018-06-06T19:40:10Z")
We were forced to do this Johannesburg dance, [the Pata Pata](https://youtu.be/Zq5S5sH1Ikk), against our wills. To be honest, everything they made us do in gym class was against our will all those decades ago. Still, I have met no one who even heard of this dance, much less was made to learn it. We also learned a square dance and the Charleston, but the Pata Pata stuck with me. You’d think doing a choreographed Rockette-style Charleston would be the stand out. But no, it was the Pata Pata. Probably because it was such a simple dance that we were allowed to-- no- highly _encouraged_ to embellish. By the end of the semester we had some pretty cool Pata Pata moves we invented with our friends. I’m wondering if they made you learn dances in gym, any dance at all. But especially if it was the Pata Pata. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/2 "2018-06-06T20:24:45Z")
Square dance, yes. Pata Pata, no. That was in middle school for me. In high school our gym classes were divided into 9-week periods where we could choose from about a half dozen different activities for that period. I recall dancing was one of them, but I don’t know what all they did. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/3 "2018-06-06T22:56:00Z")
One or two weeks a year of square dancing and maybe some other traditional American folk dances. They brought in a local professional caller once a year to lead it. I hated it. But I hated almost everything about gym class, so that was par for the course. I’ve never head of the Pata Pata. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/4 "2018-06-06T23:06:36Z")
Square dancing, yes. Pata Pata, no. I wish I’d learned the Charleston in school. I’ve picked up some of the basic moves from old movies. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/5 "2018-06-06T23:37:46Z")
Absolutely no dancing of any kind was taught in my school - perhaps not surprising as this was Idaho, where you could probably reenact Footloose in some places. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/6 "2018-06-07T01:35:18Z")
Square dance, yes. Instead of Pata Pata… [the Popcorn dance!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2_gDmEbhrc) ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/7 "2018-06-07T02:10:55Z")
We learned the Filipino dance Tinikling and square dancing in 6th grade physical education, but no other dancing after that, but then my high school was all male. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/8 "2018-06-07T02:14:48Z")
I did, but we had gym electives back in the day and I intentionally chose any dance class whenever that was an option. Our fun warmup was [The Salty Dog Rag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td9gdVjHbhc). ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/9 "2018-06-07T10:12:02Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I’m wondering if they made you learn dances in gym, any dance at all. But especially if it was the Pata Pata. Midwest US, 1980s. Like so many others, I did square dancing, hated it, never understood why we were doing it. Unsurprisingly, it’s because of racism and anti-Semitism and Henry Ford. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/10 "2018-06-07T11:03:00Z")
We did the _Cthulhu Fhtagn!_ dance every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but never the _Pata Pata_. You guys are weird. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/11 "2018-06-07T11:23:43Z")
Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach gym. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/12 "2018-06-07T11:36:35Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. Those who can’t teach, teach gym. Those who can’t teach gym, post on messageboards. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/13 "2018-06-07T12:08:53Z")
We danced to the Pata Pata song in PE in folk dancing class (which was held after school in the gym). I don’t know if the dance we did would be recognized as the Pata Pata, since in my vague memory we did the same moves we used for the song “Amos Moses” and a couple of other songs. Every time I hear the Pata Pata song, I’m transformed back to those days. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/14 "2018-06-07T12:19:08Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Those who can’t teach gym, post on messageboards. And finally, those who can’t post on message boards apparently run a dojo. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/15 "2018-06-07T12:21:34Z")
Square dance no – circle dance, yes. ([Rueda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS58jwxQPFg&feature=youtu.be).) The same thing, with someone calling out the moves, but it’s in a circle–and the music is better. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/16 "2018-06-07T13:57:26Z")
[La Jota de la Era](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C704Ylr3sUg) 🙂 But I do remember Pata Pata because one time they put it on in the radio, and they’d mistakenly left the player at 45 when the record was a 33 (45 sized), and one of the DJs told the other one “no, no, leave it! Leave it!” When it was finished, he said “Makeba is so good she even sounds good in smurf mode! OK, now I let you play it again at the right speed.” And anybody who doesn’t understand what those numbers mean should put some money in the money-for-sweets jar before getting off my lawn. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/17 "2018-06-07T14:09:37Z")
The closest we came to dance in gym class was when we had to come up with our own floor exercises to music. I’d have loved any kind of dance in gym, since I sucked mightily at all sports but tennis. Oh, how I hated the basketball unit! ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/18 "2018-06-07T14:27:17Z")
Never heard of the Pata Pata. We had the likes of [“Go You Chicken Fat Go.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af2j59zzX3Q) We also had square and contra dancing, which I loved. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/19 "2018-06-07T15:05:17Z")
In 6th grade (1973-1974) we did square dancing and had a blast. Then in 9th grade, we were taught the foxtrot, box step, and then to our amazement and glee… the Hustle!! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564/20 "2018-06-07T15:22:58Z")
Square dancing, polka, Schottisch and even disco! But never heard of the Pata Pata. As I got older, I figured the dancing wasn’t so much about exercise as socializing us farm boys. You know, how to touch girls politely and interact in social situations. Like how “gym” used to be the place they’d teach sex ed, but in our case we had real sex ed (with both genders present) in a classroom. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-me-and-my-classmates-the-only-ones-made-to-dance-this-in-gym/815564.md?page=2)