Charleston / Trad Jazz

Just Like Scott Joplin Defined American Pop Music for the world,

Charleston defined American Pop Dance

The Charleston Song and Dance both first appeared in 1924

in an all black cast Broadway Musical of the same name.

Although it was firmly rooted in the Cake Walk dances and

assorted fun being done on all dance floors of the era....

It was"new" to the world.

And became an overnight sensation.

Colorado born, NYC based band leader ?

Took it national in 1925 and the rest is history.

Including mine. My grandparents danced pretty much every

Saturday night in their lives, in small town Nebraska dance halls.

The Charleston would have hit Nebraska in early 1926,

just in time for the conception of my mother, born January 1927.

I saw my grandmother dance solo Charleston a few times

in the 1950s. I was 100% enthralled with THAT!

I suspect my grandfather was, too, in 1926!

Charleston was mostly done solo,

just like the Hip Hop that is directly

derived from it {link}. Dance vidoe is rare from the 20s.

There is lots of solo Charleston. Almost none of social.

It also has social versions though (which continued into Lindy Hop.

Charleston was all enxuberance, joy, improvisation, wild!

It created and defined the "Roaring 20s".

DUPS