Many of the paired dances of the twentieth century—the foxtrot, the waltz, the Lindy Hop—reflected the binary gender dynamics of the day: men led and women followed, on the dance floor as at home.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. We all know disco: the soundtrack to the wild history of the 1970s club scene. But for all of disco's messed up history, there's a wealth of ...