Dance hall
Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term applied to purpose-built dance halls in Britain and Commonwealth countries, which became popular after the First World War.
This article is about a place for dancing. For other uses, see Dance hall (disambiguation).Other structural forms of dance halls include the dance pavilion which has a roof but no walls, and the open-air platform which has no roof or walls. The open-air nature of the dance pavilion was both a feature and a drawback. The taxi dance hall was a dance hall with a specific arrangement, wherein the patrons hire hall employees to dance with them.
General history[edit]
From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and cities in the West had at least one dance hall, and almost always featured live musicians playing a range of music from strict tempo ballroom dance music to big band, swing, and jazz.
The early days of rock n' roll were briefly played out in dance halls, until they were superseded by nightclubs.
United Kingdom[edit]
Following World War I in 1918, dancing became enormously popular in Britain, especially with working-class women. The purpose-built dance hall, or "palais de danse" emerged, the first being the Hammersmith Palais in London, opened in 1919.[15]
Australia[edit]
Dance halls, also termed palais de danse, became popular in Australia too, such as the Palais de Danse and the Wattle Path Palais de Danse, both in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria.