Charleston: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:52, 12 January 2017

Popular dance in the Roaring Twenties. Probably named after Charleston, South Carolina. The dance was mentioned as early as 1903, but it was not until 1922, when it was used in the Broadway musical Liza. It became a national phenomenon through "The Charleston,", a song by James P. Johnson, which was performed in the Broadway musical Runnin' Wild in 1923.

Dance

The dance is a fast fox-trot which is characterized by 2 twists on each foot, swinging arms and a side kick. The arms are flailed and fort while the feet remain in place. The movement centers around the knees which are knocked together. The weight shifts from one leg to another. The Charleston can be performed solo, with a partner or in a group.

Fashion

The Charleston created a new style which was marked by an androgynous look. Females started to adapt this boyish look. The style became known as the garconne. Females traded their corsets for shorter, lighter garments. Instead of heavy, dark stockings, flesh colored ones were worn. Further women started to use more make-up. They used fake eye lashes or started to use nail polish. The hair style changed as well. Women started to wear short hair. The bob, the shingle or the Eton Crop became fashionable. Moreover women started to dye their hair.

The Charleston generated discourse on gender, race, class and aesthetic values. It was often done as an exhibition dance and used to express liberation. It violated spatial boundaries of regular dances and because of the absence of the steps it was considered to be improvisational. Although critics claimed it was highly sexual, dancers claimed it focused on the arms and legs only and drew the attention away from the body.

Sources:

"Charleston." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 09 Jan. 2012.

Johnson, Thomas H. The Oxford Companion to American History. New York: Oxford University Press,1966.

Kellner, Bruce. The Harlem Renaissance. A Historical Dictionary for the Era. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1984.

Kennedy, Michael. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Knowles, Mark. The Wicked Waltz and Other Scandalous Dances. The Outrage at Couples Dancing in the 19th and Early-20th Centuries. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Popular Dance in the Roaring Twenties.
+Popular dance in the Roaring Twenties. Probably named after Charleston, South Carolina. The dance was mentioned as early as 1903, but it was not until 1922, when it was used in the Broadway musical ''Liza''. It became a national phenomenon through  "The Charleston,", a song by James P. Johnson, which was performed in the Broadway musical ''Runnin' Wild'' in 1923.
-== '''History''' ==
-The Charleston was probably named after Charleston, South Carolina. The dance was mentioned as early as 1903, but it was not until 1922, when it was used in the Broadway musical ''Liza''.It became a national phenomenon through  "The Charleston,", a song by James P. Johnson, which was performed in the Broadway musical ''Runnin' Wild'' in 1923.
 == '''Dance''' ==
+The dance is a fast fox-trot which is characterized by 2 twists on each foot, swinging arms and a side kick. The arms are flailed and fort while the feet remain in place. The movement centers around the knees which are knocked together. The weight shifts from one leg to another. The Charleston can be performed solo, with a partner or in a group.
-The dance is a fast fox-trot which is characterized by 2 twists on each foot, swinging arms and a side kick. The arms are flailed and fort while the feet remain in place. The movement centers around the knees which are knocked together. The weight shifts from one leg to another.
-The Charleston can be performed solo, with a partner or in a group.
 == '''Fashion''' ==
 The Charleston created a new style which was marked by an androgynous look.
-Females started to adapt this boyish look. The style became known as the ''garconne''.
+Females started to adapt this boyish look. The style became known as the [[Flapper|''garconne'']].
-Females traded their corsets for shorter, lighter garments. Instead of heavy, dark stockings, flesh colored were worn.
+Females traded their corsets for shorter, lighter garments. Instead of heavy, dark stockings, flesh colored ones were worn.
 Further women started to use more make-up. They used fake eye lashes or started to use nail polish.
 The hair style changed as well. Women started to wear short hair. The bob, the shingle or the Eton Crop became fashionable. Moreover women started to dye their hair.
@@ Line 30: / Line 19: @@
-Sources:
+'''Sources:'''
 "Charleston." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 09 Jan. 2012.
-Johnson.Thomas H. ''The Oxford Companion to American History''. New York: Oxford University Press,1966.
+Johnson, Thomas H. ''The Oxford Companion to American History''. New York: Oxford University Press,1966.
-Kellner.Bruce. ''The Harlem Renaissance. A Historical Dictionary for the Era''. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1984.
+Kellner, Bruce. ''The Harlem Renaissance. A Historical Dictionary for the Era''. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1984.
-Kennedy.Michael. ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
+Kennedy, Michael. ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
-Knowles.Mark. ''The Wicked Waltz and Other Scandalous Dances.The Outrage at Couples Dancing in the 19th and Early-20th Centuries''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009.
+Knowles, Mark. ''The Wicked Waltz and Other Scandalous Dances. The Outrage at Couples Dancing in the 19th and Early-20th Centuries''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009.