Charleston Dance

The period of the 1920s has a complex social and cultural history. From this history, derived the popularity of the upbeat Charleston Dance. Most people will associate this dance with the flappers and the speakeasy, despite its origins, because many young women used it as a way to mock the people who supported the Prohibition. As a result, the Charleston was considered to be a provocative and immoral dance during its time. In this paper, I want to briefly explore the dance’s history, its characteristics, how it reached popularity, how the social implications of the time affected the dance, and ultimately how the Charleston defined women and helped them change the social normative. The actual origins of the Charleston are long and obscure. First off, the Branle of 1520 is said to be quite similar to the Charleston. It is a French Renaissance dance that was generally performed outside. It is described to have a “winging step and anterior kick and swing, the lifting of the leg, the twisting of the feet and the side fling of the foot” (Watson). These movements are close to the characteristics of the Charleston. On the other hand, for an African American influential approach, many dance historians hold the Ash-Ante peoples of Africa as the originators. The walking movements, combined with the feet pointing in and out, are characteristics used in the Charleston (Asheante). Yet, it is further said that the series of steps have originated from the African Americans living on a small island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, while others say its from the Cape Verde Islands in western Africa. As a result, leading to the obscurity of the dances origins. (Watson) The characteristic Charleston beat incorporates the clave rhythm that is synonymous with the habanera and the Spanish tinge, and can be danced solo, with a partner, or in a group (Watson). It contains a simple, flexible base step that makes it easy to concentrate on styling, improvisation, and

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