Grizzly Bear (dance)

The pas de l'ours, first known by its English name grizzly bear, is a couple dance that emerged in the United States around 1910 and achieved international popularity until the outbreak of the First World War. Its name refers to a stylized and parodic imitation of the swaying gait of a grizzly bear, as well as to the close embrace of the dancers and movements likened to the animal's paws. Performed to ragtime music, the pas de l'ours belongs to a group of early 20th-century American animal dances that shared a taste for fantasy and marked a departure from established social dance conventions. Characterized by syncopated movements, improvisation, and a playful tone, the dance quickly attracted a wide audience. At the same time, it provoked controversy: critics associated its movements with moral laxity, viewed animal imitation as a form of regression, and, in some cases, called for restrictions or bans on public performances. Such reactions were often reinforced by claims that the dance originated in African American communities of the San Francisco underworld. As a result, the pas de l'ours was frequently described as vulgar, a label that sometimes carried racial connotations.

From 1911 onward, several songs by Irving Berlin, notably The Dance of the Grizzly Bear and Everybody's Doin' It Now, played a significant role in popularizing the dance. It initially spread among young immigrants, for whom it could serve as an expression of American identity, before being taken up by high society, which often regarded it as a novelty. Beginning in 1912, this popularity prompted opposition from reform movements, particularly those concerned with safeguarding young women from perceived moral risks. In parallel, dance professionals such as Vernon and Irene Castle promoted efforts to standardize and refine ragtime dances, seeking to remove elements they considered excessive—features that were nonetheless central to the character of the pas de l'ours.

In 1912, the pas de l'ours also gained visibility in France as part of a broader enthusiasm for new dances, supported by performers such as Gaby Deslys and Mistinguett. It was adopted by Parisian high society, which often appreciated its comic aspects, as well as by working-class environments and avant-garde artistic circles. This reception took place within a context of American cultural fascination that included admiration for African American figures such as boxer Jack Johnson, who enjoyed considerable notoriety in Paris at the time. Contemporary film productions provide evidence of this enthusiasm. These varied forms of appropriation of a dance perceived as exotic were interrupted by the First World War but anticipated developments that would later reappear after the armistice, particularly during the vogue of the Foxtrot and the tango.