old boy piper, May 22, 2019
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Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Update: July 28, 2023 [replaced film clip that was no longer available]
This pancocojams post showcases a film clip that was published on YouTube of the Charleston dance.
This post also presents information about that 1920s African American social dance. Two comments from that YouTube film clip are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who created the Charleston dance. Thanks also to all those who are featured in this film clip and all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these film clips on YouTube.
-snip-
This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on African American dances. Click the tags below for additional pancocojams posts in this series.
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SHOWCASE FILM CLIP #2 [Added July 28, 2023]
1920s Charleston
Sharon Davis, Oct 19, 2009
The Charleston was the dance that captured the spirit of the
1920s. It was danced with wild abandon by a new generation of independent young
Americans, to the new hot jazz that was flooding the country.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHARLESTON (DANCE)
Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_(dance)
"The Charleston is a dance named after the harbor city of
Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance
music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by
composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin'
Wild[1] and became one of the most popular hits of the decade. Runnin'
Wild ran from October 28, 1923, through June 28, 1924.[1] The peak year for
the Charleston as a dance by the public was mid-1926 to 1927.
Origins
While the dance probably came from the "star" or
challenge dances that were all part of the African-American dance called Juba,
the particular sequence of steps which appeared in Runnin' Wild were probably
newly devised for popular appeal.[2] "At first, the step started off with
a simple twisting of the feet, to rhythm in a lazy sort of way. [This could
well be the Jay-Bird.] When the dance hit Harlem, a new version was added. It
became a fast kicking step, kicking the feet, both forward and backward and
later done with a tap." Further changes were undoubtedly made before the
dance was put on stage.[3] In the words of Harold Courlander, while the
Charleston had some characteristics of traditional Negro dance, it "was a
synthetic creation, a newly-devised conglomerate tailored for widespread
popular appeal." Although the step known as "Jay-Bird", and
other specific movement sequences are of Afro-American origin, no record of the
Charleston being performed on the plantation has been discovered.[2]
Although it achieved popularity when the song "Charleston", sung by Elisabeth Welch, was added in the production Runnin' Wild, the dance itself was first introduced in Irving C. Miller's Liza in the spring of 1923.[4][5]
Willie "The Lion" Smith noted that the dance was known well before that; in particular, he mentions the version done by Russell Brown under the name "Geechie dance".[6]
The characteristic Charleston beat, which Johnson said he
first heard from Charleston dockworkers, incorporates the clave rhythm and was
considered by composer and critic Gunther Schuller to be synonymous with the
Habanera, and the Spanish Tinge.[8] Johnson actually recorded several
"Charlestons," and in later years derided most of them as being of
"that same damn beat." Several of these were recorded on player piano
rolls, several of which have survived to this day.[citation needed]
The Charleston and similar dances such as the Black Bottom which involved "Kicking up your heels" were very popular in the later part of the 1920s. They became less popular after 1930, possibly because after seven years of being fashionable people simply became less interested. The new fashion for floor level sheath evening dresses was also probably a factor. The new dresses constricted the leg movements essential for the Charleston. There is a British Pathé Instructional Short from 1933 in which a new variation – The "Crawl Charleston" – is demonstrated by Santos Casini and Jean Mence. This shows a very sedate version of dance similar to a Tango or Waltz. It wasn't until dress hem lines rose toward the end of the thirties that the Charleston is again seen in film.
A slightly different form of Charleston became popular in the 1930s and 1940s, and is associated with Lindy Hop. In this later Charleston form, the hot jazz timing of the 20s Charleston was adapted to suit the swing jazz music of the 1930s and 1940s. This style of Charleston has many common names, though the most common are Lindy Charleston, Savoy Charleston, 30s or 40s Charleston and Swinging Charleston. In both 20s Charleston and Swinging Charleston, the basic step takes eight counts and is danced either alone or with a partner.
Frankie Manning and other Savoy dancers saw themselves as
doing Charleston steps within the Lindy rather than to be dancing
Charleston.[9]"
****
Excerpt #2
From https://chstoday.6amcity.com/history-of-the-charleston-dance/
"… while the current dance crazes may come and go, a
ground-breaking dance from the 1920’s is still well-known today – and it all
started right here in Charleston.
But long before the show-dance ever made its Broadway debut, the origins of the dance can be traced back to the coast of Charleston + the community of people who live there. Back when the morals were looser + the liquor was cheaper
The Charleston is said to be based on the “Juba,” a dance brought to Charleston by enslaved African Americans + performed by dock workers in the early 1900’s. The Juba involves rhythmic stomping, kicking, + slapping, and it became a challenge dance of the American American community at the time.
At the turn of the twentieth century, The Charleston was well-known amongst African American communities. During World War I, many Southern African Americans headed north, bringing the dance with them.
Then, in 1911, the Charleston was used by the Whitman Sisters in their famous stage act and was part of Harlem stage productions in 1913.
In 1922, the Charleston officially hit Broadway in the all-black stage play, Liza. While the dance became popular amongst black musicians, it did not become a part of mainstream culture until October 29, 1923, with the Flournoy Miller / Aubrey Lyles Broadway show Runnin’ Wild.
At the end of World War I, The Charleston became a staple of the Roaring 20s (a.k.a. The Jazz Age) as many white Americans felt liberated after the war. During the era, women cut their hair into short bobs, shook off their corsets, snuck booze during Prohibition, + danced the Charleston in speakeasies under the glow of new electric light bulbs.
Famous American/French dancer Josephine Baker (the first person of color to become a worldwide entertainer) danced the Charleston in the ‘20s, adding moves to make it silly – like crossing her eyes. When she traveled to Paris as part of the La Revue Negre in 1925, she helped make the Charleston famous in Europe, as well.
While the dance was choreographed from the original Juba dance to be “more appealing” to the masses, the specific steps were adapted throughout the era. Adaptations of The Charleston helped create swing dances + other popular challenges like the “Mashed Potato.”
The Charleston song was James P. Johnson’s biggest hit – and 95 years later, the song still instills images of flappers dancing to the tune upon hearing the notes (at least in our minds).
So, now that you know the history of The Charleston, how do you dance it? The Charleston can be danced alone or with a partner. The basic step is done in eight-count movements.
👯Begin in a straightforward, standing position with your palms parallel to the floor.
👯Step forward with your left foot. Move your right foot forward, + tap it in front of your left.
👯 Step backward with your right foot. Then step backward with your left foot, and tap it behind your right.
👯Swing your arms side to side or back and forth to the beat that you’re moving your feet.
👯To jazz it up, add a
twist in the hips by balancing on the balls of your feet and moving your heels
in and out as you step forward and backward."
-snip-
Also, click https://www.dancing-times.co.uk/how-the-charleston-changed-the-world/ for more information about the Charleston dance in 1920s and 1930s United States and in Great Britain, including the opposition to this dance by mainstream cultures.
COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF THIS EMBEDDED FILM CLIP
[July 28, 2023-That film clip is no longer available.]
"This was actually the best Charleston video I've ever seen
on the internet. This was Bee Jackson. She went to the Black peoples Clubs back
then and learned how to dance the Charleston the right way, and then she
brought it to the camera for the world to see. She did a good job. :-D"
**
Reply
2. Not Sure, 2021
"They were doing it the right way in white clubs as well,
don't be racist."
**
Reply
3. ladyofbast250, 2021
"@Not Sure for what it's worth I think the original
poster had no intention of being racist. Since jazz music and the dances that
came along with it all started in the Storyville in New Orleans. So perhaps by
saying "the right way" means learning from the people who invented
the dances."
**
4. W Thomas Hogan, 2020
"Anybody notice how the little black girls hold up their
"skirts" like the big folks do?
If that isn't touching.ow....this is like Shuffle dancing but a hundred
years ago......amazing!"
**
5. Caocao8888, 2020
"They weren’t carrying extra weight back then. For the Charleston, this is the best video
you’ll see on YT."
**
6. Sopaconondas, 2021
"This is the predecessor of the Shuffle!"
**
7. Pauline, 2021
"Wasn´t Josephine Baker the first Charleston dancer in
America? She actually brought Charleston to the world."
**
Reply
8. Vintage Swing Dance, 2021
"The Charleston predates Josephine Baker though she did help
popularize the dance in the 1920's."
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