The Charleston

Perhaps nothing represents the spirit of that decade called the "Roaring Twenties" so much as its biggest dance craze, the Charleston. As the 1920s began, the world was emerging from the horrors of World War I (1914–18), and economic prosperity was spreading among Americans. The solemn, repressive Victorian morals of the previous century seemed to be slipping away. Rebellious youths of the 1920s embraced the wild, the new, and the forbidden, including the hot jazz (see entry under 1900s—Music in volume 1) rhythms that were emerging in the cities. The racy dance called the Charleston was created by blacks before becoming wildly popular among whites.

Named for the South Carolina city where it was born, many historians believe that the Charleston had its origins in slavery. African slaves were forbidden such leisurely postures as crossing their legs or raising their feet off the floor. The kicks and crossed knees of the Charleston are thought to represent the slaves' sly rebellion against such rules. By the early 1900s, black Americans were dancing (see entry under 1900s—The Way We Lived in volume 1) the Charleston in the South. By 1913, the dance had made its way north to New York City's Harlem, the center of northern black culture. In 1921, the first black musical, Shuffle Along, played on Broadway (see entry under 1900s—Film and Theater in volume 1). African American dancer Maude Russell Rutherford (c. 1897–2001) danced the Charleston on stage, popularizing the dance for the first time among whites. Soon, the Charleston was the rage across the United States and Europe.

The wild, sexy gyrations of the Charleston made it very popular with 1920s youth. Many of their parents' generation called it "primitive" and "savage" and claimed that the dance would be the downfall of civilization. The Charleston was only one of many popular 1920s dances that had their roots in black culture. Others include the Turkey Trot, the Black Bottom, the Slow Drag, the Jitterbug, and the Cakewalk.

—Tina Gianoulis

For More Information

"Charleston." Dance History Archives. http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3chrlst.htm (accessed January 28, 2002).

Villacorta, Aurora S. Charleston, Anyone? Danville, IL: Interstate Printers and Publishers, 1978.