Kōrero: City styles

Rock ’n’ roll was the musical genre of choice for young people in the 1950s. Venues popped up in all the major cities. By the end of the decade smaller cities and towns had their own bands and rock ’n’ roll events in dance halls, church halls and youth clubs. This film clip shows a dance, overseen by watchful adults, at the Taita Youth Club in Lower Hutt. It shows the socially acceptable side of rock ’n’ roll – the music and its associated lifestyle sometimes garnered criticism and moral panic.