Decoder Ring: The Fast Decline of the Slow Dance

Judging from teen dramas on Netflix, the slow dance seems to be
alive and well. But when you talk to actual teens, it’s clear this
time-honored tradition is on life support. In this episode, we
trace the history of slow dancing from its origins in partner
dances like the waltz to the modern “zombie sway” seen at
middle-school dances and high-school proms. Plus, former slow
dancers offer up stiff-armed, nostalgia-soaked stories about a rite
of passage that’s fading fast. Decoder Ring is produced by Willa
Paskin and Katie Shepherd. This episode was edited by Zakiya
Gibbons. Derek John is executive producer. Joel Meyer is senior
editor/producer. Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director.
Thank you to Benjamin Frisch and Carlos Pareja. Special thanks to
everyone who shared their slow dancing stories, including Ralph
Giordano, Matt Baume, Meryl Bezrutczyk, Ari Feldman, Ava Candade,
Eileen Zheng, and Harper Kois. Here’s the article by Kyle Denis
that we mentioned in the episode: The Death of the Slow Dance? How
the One-Time Rite of Passage Has Evolved for Gen Z.  If you
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