A song by Hank Ballard, his blacklisted status (songs like "Sexy Ways" kept him pinned to the 50s rhythm and blues ghetto for being "too suggestive") kept it from becoming a pop hit until Chubby Checker's asexual cover helped launch the Twist dance craze in the US; Checker built a long career on this, while the craze begat years of novelty hits and new dances (and discotheques), a tradition lampooned by Roxy Music's "Do the Strand" and Digital Underground's "Humpty Dance".

It's not ballroom dance because you don't hold your partner or lead, everyone just does their own thing.

It's simple to learn. Let's learn now:

• Stand with knees slightly bent, feet at ninety degrees with the right heel near (but not too close to) the left instep. (Technically called "third position".)
• Move your front foot back and forth like you're crushing out a cigarette.
• Now do the same with your other foot.
• Now take an imaginary beach towel. Hold your arms out to the sides and dry your butt (anatomical, not cigarette) with it.
• Now do it all at once.

You now can dance the Twist. You're welcome. Everybody Dance Now.