May 14: Dance like A Chicken Day

Dance Like a Chicken Day on May 14th encourages everyone to dance like a chicken! This day entertains from start to finish with people flapping their arms and strutting chicken-like. Everyone has probably danced the “Chicken Dance” at least once in their lifetime. This silly fun song is popular at wedding dances, Oktoberfest, and other celebrations, too. The song gets people of all ages up and moving on the dance floor.

When is International Dance Day?

Written in the 1950s by Werner Thomas, a Swiss accordionist, the Chicken Dance didn’t even make it to the United States until sometime in the 1970s. The Chicken Dance is associated with polkas or oom-pah-pah music. Originally written with the name Der Ententanz (The Duck Dance), rumors suggest the song was written as a drinking song for Oktoberfest. The song’s title later changed to Vogeltanz (The Bird Dance).

Whether it was in elementary school or at an event last week, everyone has done the Chicken Dance. While the accompanying oompah song we now know as ‘The Chicken Dance Song’ originated in Switzerland in the 1950s, it wasn’t until the 1970s that Americans caught on and the song took off on the charts. Pop on the song and dance with the kids in your life to the Chicken Dance today!