Dance Machines
From gramophones to jukeboxes: dance your way through (local) history!
Machines have been getting our toes tapping for longer than you might think. Time and again, gramophones, jukeboxes and orchestrions have played a hand in driving new dance crazes and breaking with tradition. They create exuberance and offer a break from the daily grind as well as a sense of belonging – and the same holds true here in Switzerland. When these machines play the Charleston, jive music or some rock ‘n’ roll, the dance floor becomes a journey through local history. Join in and let the machines move you!
Machines get things swinging in the early 1900s:
Phonographs and gramophones made music accessible to everyone. In the 1920s, the Charleston, the foxtrot and jazz, with their relaxed fashions and quick steps, blew apart the rigid traditions of the time.
Orchestrions in Swiss venues:
Just drop in a coin: full mechanical orchestras brought an inexpensive “live music” atmosphere to inns – no band required.
Rock ‘n’ roll & jukeboxes:
After 1945, American jukeboxes brought rebellion and a new attitude to life to Europe. Youth cultures such as Zurich’s Halbstarke celebrated freedom in leather jackets.
Swiss jukebox pioneers:
a homegrown knack for invention helped shape jukebox design, from style icons for Wurlitzer to futuristic models such as the Chantal from Murten, right through to local hits.
Hands-on highlight:
At the interactive Twist Station, you set the rhythm yourself: choose your favourite song and get the whole room dancing through your moves alone!
Experience history up close!
Feel the pull of rhythms from decades past and dive into our new exhibition. Try out the Twist Station and discover the sound machines that got Switzerland dancing. We look forward to your visit!
Perfect as a group experience too! Explore our group programmes.
