Apache Dance on youtube.

[Flat Foot Floey]

Do yo know "Les Apaches"? I have to confess it is rather new to me. I did read about this street gang in some vintage workwear blogs and the new issue of the "Mens File" magazine. Also Mr Freedoms new collection is a named after the Apaches. I like their rugged style so I tried to find some more....and I did. On youtube you can find many many movies with a "apache dance" that seems to be a tribute to this violent fellows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache_(gang)

Here is the oldest (also some other dances in this one):
[video=youtube;OIQ6bTazkZU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIQ6bTazkZU&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;Ky5cs5e1l0k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky5cs5e1l0k&feature=BFp&list=PLEFFA161EA9DB3A0C&index=17[/video]

[video=youtube;I0DVt3xbecg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0DVt3xbecg[/video]

[video=youtube;6tv8mmGxlbw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tv8mmGxlbw&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;n5OxiMoPyXY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5OxiMoPyXY&feature=BFp&list=PLEFFA161EA9DB3A0C&index=19[/video]

[video=youtube;CVNxfzszRis]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVNxfzszRis&feature=BFa&list=PLEFFA161EA9DB3A0C&index=18[/video]

[video=youtube;8PDtdOTlYds]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PDtdOTlYds[/video]

[video=youtube;0z-fcFzAiVc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z-fcFzAiVc[/video]


If you know some more (or have pictures) just post them here

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Not the dance but a song about them

[video=youtube;V83cTo2Q794]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V83cTo2Q794[/video]

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Some of them are quite scary. Violence towards ladies is always wrong. But I like how they mix dancing and fighting...and sometimes comedy

[video=youtube;u3MnuZR_iWc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3MnuZR_iWc[/video]

[video=youtube;Q4CHWlClNAY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4CHWlClNAY&feature=related[/video]

 

[Chasseur]

Floey, thanks for the great videos.

It was quite the cultural phenomenon in France. During the Belle Epoque there was a mainstream fascination with crime and criminals.
One of my former French professors has written some books on the subject that are worth reading, in particular L'Encre de Sang: Recits de Crimes et Societe a la Belle Epoque
http://www.amazon.com/Lencre-sang-Recits-crimes-societe/dp/2213595135

In the late 1930s and into the 1940 in France there was also the Zazou sub-cultural movement, sort of the French version of zoot suit movement in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazou

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Of course I know the Zazous. I am just writing an illustrated book about the german "Swingjugend" that was related to the Zazous and Zoot Suiters
Different than the Apaches they were not violent at all. More like slackers. People (not only the nazis) accused them of being lazy spoiled teenagers. Sounds familiar, huh? Haha


I have to get deeper into the french society of the 1930s. My favourite photographer of that time is Brassai. You can see (apache?) thugs on some of his pictures

I just saw a movie that was set in 1930s paris too. L'Atalante. You can view it on youtube with subtitles. I think it is great! It has some surrealist influences too
[video=youtube;_Sqe5SlrNZU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sqe5SlrNZU[/video]

One last link: http://journeytojohnsbrain.blogspot.com/2009/01/apache-kid.html

 

[Rudie]

Awesome. The dance looks like a cross of Tango Argentino and Lindy Hop.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

...and wrestling...and Buster Keaton stunts. Did I say Buster Keaton?

[video=youtube;J3Dmr_xAr2Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Dmr_xAr2Q&feature=related[/video]

 

[Chasseur]

Floey,

That’s right the Zazous were not violent like the Apaches were, but I though since we were talking sub-cultural movements in early 20th Century France...

The mainstream/bourgeois fascination with crime and criminals etc. in 1890-1930s France is quite interesting. From anarchists to serial killers like Landru, the public had the horid fascination with violent criminals (not too different from today one could say...). Of course adding to the popularity of pulp characters like Arsene Lupin, Phantomas, etc.

I'd really recommend those books by Kalifa they are fascinating reading. Julian Jackson's works like France the Dark Years, Philip Nord's France's New Deal, many of the works by Tony Judt, are excellent reading on this time period.

Thanks again for posting the videos!

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Thank you, chasseur. I will look them up.:yo:

 

[Tomasso]

Very interesting vids. I recall watching Can-Can with my folks when I was a kid and being startled by the violence in the dance routine. They told me it was the Apache and that it was a popular nightclub performance dance back in the day. They talked about all the places in the US, Europe and Cuba where they'd seen it performed. Then years later when in college I dated a girl who performed it at a school dance recital. I never realized it had been in so many films.


I love the shtick at the 3:30 mark.

[video=youtube;xfOMIQjLLkA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfOMIQjLLkA[/video]

 

[Oldsarge]

The Apaches (pronounced, I believe Ah-pahtch) were the street gang thugs of Paris a in the Gilded Age. Naturally, they were romanticized just like the hip-hop thugs of our own day have been. Sheesh!

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

I love the shtick at the 3:30 mark.

Haha very clever! They really tried to spice it up...

with ice skates:
[video=youtube;6c04O57jS-E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c04O57jS-E[/video]

with a whip:
[video=youtube;6duJ9tfdmfA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6duJ9tfdmfA&feature=related[/video]

with even more catfights:
[video=youtube;YOrbzL-wghA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOrbzL-wghA&feature=BFa&list=HL1313276010&index=17[/video]