« Sports and ADHD | Main | Pecha Kucha and the Virtue of Brevity »
How the Charleston Changed America
By Neil Peterson | September 13, 2009
The seeds of sweeping social change can be sown in the most unexpected of places. For women and African-Americans in post-World War I America, those planting grounds were the crowded, lively (and in some cases, desegregated) dance floors across the country. It may seem naive to attribute such vast changes to the cultural landscape to a patterned series of dance steps, but the Charleston’s exuberant influence was an extraordinary one, and one worthy of a closer look.
Named after Charleston, South Carolina, the dance was popularized by a 1923 tune by pianist James P. Johnson. Featured in the Broadway smash, Runnin’ Wild, it soon became one of the most popular tunes of the decade. The dance itself has been called the first ‘truly American’ dance. Much like jazz music, the Charleston was created through a blend of influences – the syncopated, fast rhythms of Spanish music and the stifling closed-partner positions of earlier ballroom dances, combined with traditional ‘Negro’ dance steps. Furthered along by the invention of the phonograph and the embrace of radio and silent films, thousands of young Americans flocked to dance halls – dancing to a remarkably different beat than generations past. With a partner or without, with arms flailing and legs kicking to the up tempo beat, the Charleston was not a dance for the demure. Dancers were encouraged to add their own distinctive touches, their own ‘shine’ – and for two minorities, this new found freedom would set in motion a sea-change that was as unexpected then as it is lasting today.
Charleston archival footage
For American women in the 1920′s, it was a time of rebellion and significant social change. The passing of the 19th Amendment in 1920 guaranteed women the right to vote, and the prim, proper and idealized image of the Gibson Girl was slowly being replaced with the more daring (and highly sexual) image of the Flapper. Due to the high casualties suffered during World War I – in which almost an entire generation of young men lost their lives – women had entered the work force, and relished the autonomy that earning their own paychecks allowed.
The Charleston became the ‘It’ dance for this newly independent group. Deemed ‘wildly sexual’ by conservative voices of the day, the dance matched the Flapper’s fast-paced lifestyle – even influencing popular fashions. Corsets – too restrictive for the free-flowing movements the dance required – were out, and higher hemlines and lower necklines were in. Short, ‘bob’ hair cuts and make-up completed the look – a stark contrast to the long-haired, strait-laced Gibson image. The new found sexuality of the Flapper – and the power it unleashed – would later be a strong catalyst for the 1960′s feminism movement.
The other minority to benefit from the dance’s prominence was the African-American population. Many historians credit the traditional dances practiced by African slaves as the true inspiration behind the Charleston, and for this group, it would be a positive first step into whites-dominated popular culture. Replacing the offensive Minstrel and Variety shows (in which blacks were often portrayed by white actors in ‘blackface’ ) crowds now poured into desegregated dance halls across the nation. For many white Americans, these dance halls were their first observation of black culture – one in which the black dancers were not only performers, but stars – exhibiting gravity-defying aerial moves and earning roaring cheers from the onlookers. The Charleston would eventually become the impetus behind the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug, popular 1940′s dances set to swing music, which helped to further raise the visibility and prominence of African-American musicians.
The cultural landscape of 1920′s America was one of great, chaotic change. Casting aside European influences in the wake of World War I, struggling with unjust social and political ideologies, and flirting with a burgeoning freedom, the Charleston epitomized the period. An embrace of the individual spirit – releasing the dancer’s inner personality and creativity – but grounded in historical traditions. Where some may see only the shuffling of feet, still others will see that in a fundamental way the Charleston was not ‘just a dance’. The Charleston was a physical expression of progress.
Related Posts
- A Tribute to Swing Dance King Frankie Manning
- Puttin’ on the Ritz – Competitive Ballroom Dancing
- The Tango – A Metaphor for Life
Share this Post
Topics: Dancing, General | No Comments »