Charleston
The
Charleston, a social dance of the United States, was popular in
the mid 1920s. The Charleston is done with outward heel kicks
combined with an up and down movement done by bending and straightening
the knees. If you want you can put a constant bounce in between
each kick or do your kicks in a half circle sort of movement.
bending and straightening the knees was done in a 4/4 syncopated
rhythm of ragtime.
The Charleston was an African American influence.
The Ash-Ante peoples of Africa were the originator of the Charleston.
The African-Americans who created it were living on an island
near Charleston.The dance was performed in Charleston in 1903
and made it to Harlem stage productions in 1913. In 1923 it was
introduced to the theater, going public.The Charleston is similar
to the Branle.
The women who danced the Charleston were
called flappers. Flappers wore skirts that were just below the
knee. Many flappers had short haircuts called bobs. Flappers started
wearing make-up. Before flappers started wearing makeup, it was
only worn by a few women. The make-up that became popular was
rouge, powder, eye-liner, and lipstick. The attitude of
flappers was reckless and they took risks. Women started smoking
and before that only men smoked. They were called flappers
because of the way they would flap their arms and walk like birds
while they were doing the Charleston. The men who danced the Charleston
wore raccoon coats and straw hats. A lot of the non-dancing jobs
required you to be competent or teach the Charleston in order
to get the job. In 1925 A magazine said that because of the vibrations
of the Charleston dancers at the Pickwick club collapsed
and killed fifty people. Once the Black Bottom dance became the
popular dance in 1926 the Charleston was replaced and was forgotten.
The Mashed potato became a later day Charleston.