Dance in the 1920's
Synopsis: The twenties marked what is called the Jazz Era. Many of the youngsters where being criticized during the Ragtime Era for their "violation of decency", but that only fueled them to expand to even jazzier music and dance. The people placed a stigma on the pre-war (World War I) dances, taking to more upbeat music; classical pieces of folk music and operas were transformed into jazzy dancing melodies (operettas). Much of the dance was inspired by African American culture, with heavy influence from Harlem, the Cotton Club, and the Savoy Ballroom. Dance clubs and contests became extremely popular, dance was a way to express the happiness of the Roaring Twenties.
Examples:
- The Foxtrot: although the foxtrot was introduced prior to the beginning of the war, it escaped the ragtime stigma by not gaining popularity until the 1920s. Many people still like the same one-step pieces of the 1910s, but preferred to call them something different, for instance published one-steps or even tangos would be titled by the music producer as a "Fox-trot". The 1920 Foxtrots were much more smooth than the 1910 dances.
- The Lindy Hop
- the Waltz
- the American Tango
- The Charleston: The Charleston was introduced through the broadway show, Runnin' Wild, to the song "The Charleston" by James P. Johnson. The dance set off a craze and many people and groups made their own variations of the Charleston and had Charleston contests.
Primary Source: The Charleston dance was very popular with the flappers in the 1920s.The Charleston can be danced solo, with a partner, or in a group. During this time,it was banned from many dance halls because it was too scandalous and exuberant.
Final Analysis: The 1920s was the Jazz age where eccentric novelty dances were created, most notably the Charleston. Through dance came a new age of what was then considered scandalous youngsters. It marked by upbeat tunes with frivolous lyrics and jazzy dance moves.