What was actually going on at the golden calf worship?

The golden calf worship was not merely casual dancing. It involved nakedness and immorality, as the people had reduced it to the level of all other idolatry. Such pagan idolatry is satanically controlled and always accompanied by rank immorality. Moses saw the people were naked, made so by Aaron to their shame among their enemies.

Les teaches that the golden calf worship was not just a casual worshiping with dancing or native folk dancing. The people were naked and immoral. They had taken that golden calf worship and put it down to the same level of all other idolatry. Les explains that abject pagan idolatry or mythologies, like the Greek gods, always include rank immorality, because it is satanically controlled. Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies. Consequently, 23,000 were put to death through the plague because of this very event. Paul uses this account not only to shake the Corinthians out of their temptations but also as a warning for us, since we are no different from the Corinthian believers.

Exodus 32:25

And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

Was the golden calf worship just dancing, or was it something worse?

The golden calf worship was not merely casual dancing. It descended into nakedness, immorality, and idolatry, the same pattern found in pagan worship. Scripture records that Aaron made the people naked to their shame, and 23,000 died by plague because of that event.