The Turkey Trot dance is face-to-face, and allows the partners to dance very close together. It involves animal-like movements many people once thought offensive and suggestive. You’ll want to dance this with someone you know and like.
In the Turkey Trot, you and your partner face each other, and can hold each other very close. Most dances of the period had animal names, such as the Grizzly Bear, Fox Trot, Bunny Hug and Turkey Trot. It was thought the animal names made the dances more interesting and popular, and the dances themselves were thought risqué because they involved close contact.
The idea is to make movements similar to a turkey, so you’ll want to be free and expressive in it. The better you know your partner, the smoother the dance will be, and you run less risk of stepping on each other’s toes.
To start off, take four hops to the side on one leg, then four on the other leg. If you’re a skilled enough dancer, you can turn while hopping, somewhat like a turkey careening around a barnyard. Intersperse these steps with a two-step involving a single hop after each step. You might turn during these steps as well. You can raise your elbows even while grasping your partner, to enhance the bird impression. The dance can be embellished with turkey-like flourishes of the feet, giving the impression of a pair of turkeys gone wild.