Dundee’s dance venues

“The quiz query involving the West End Palais in Dundee stirred memories of a whole host of dancing venues in the city, long before the advent of dinner-dances,” writes Fraser Elder. “In addition to the Step Row hall, there was the Old Palais in the Seagate and the Palais de Dance in South Tay Street.

“The 1930s brought The Empress (The Tonk) in Dock Street into prominence with a dance floor from the Great Empire Exhibition in Glasgow as its main feature.

“The King’s Theatre waiting room was

then transformed into The Continentale in the Cowgate and the Duncan family, owners of the Empress, opened a second hall in Broughty Ferry called the Chalet Road House, later to become the Sands.

“The Locarno was another major crowd puller along with Kidd’s Rooms, whose Saturday night sessions principally attracted senior school children and students. Other venues included the YMCA in Constitution Street and the Progress Hall in the Hilltown and the Thistle Hall in Baltic Street.

“Arguably making the biggest impact in the 1950s was the reinventing of St David’s Church in North Tay Street into the JM Ballroom with ultramodern promotions such as Twist Marathons and updating as The Barracuda (aka The Big Fish) and later The Grove. The Marryat Hall and the Bell Street College Hall were also pressed into service in the ’50s for student jazz hops and, notably, the marathon six-hour racy College of Art Revels Ball.

“The ballroom phase diminished in the 1960s with big band music giving way to pop groups and discos.”