“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Lili Berde performing her forbidden dance ‘The Marihuana’
No One Puts Baby in a Corner
There have been many forbidden dances through the times. The charleston, the lindy hop, the tango, the lambada hell even Elvis shaking his hips has been banned and termed a forbidden dance at some point or another.
Even the Waltz was considered a little risque at the end of the 19th century…
But what about ‘The Marihuana’?
Lili Berde performing her forbidden dance ‘The Marihuana’
In 1956 Greek dancing sensation Lili Berde performed a dance so edgy, so sensual that it needed to be banned from America, the UK and many other countries around the world.
Her dance? ‘The Marihuana’
TV Mirror – 1956
“So starkly realistic that sometimes it frightens”
As Lili Berde performed her forbidden dance ‘the Marihuana’, she would begin by taking out a rolled smoke. Taking long drags from a rolled smoke she would erotically dance around the stage. As if the ‘effects’ from the smoke were kicking in, she would slowly start acting out the effects of the ‘marihuana’. As she performed her high emotions would be portrayed under the influence of dance.
In 1956 this was so controversial that she was banned from performing the dance in New York city quickly followed by TV networks nation wide…
Following this move the BBC also chose to ban the dance making it truly ‘forbidden’.
The Australian Women’s Weekly – August 1958
Making the forbidden sweet like candy, Lili would go on to perform her forbidden dance in small nightclubs to big stages around the world for years.
Enthralled crowds would pack the audience for a glimpse of ‘The Marihuana’, the forbidden dance.
Blighty magazine with Lili Berde on the cover June 1956