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What Types of Dances Became Popular in 1920?

Flappers and gangsters were the main characters in dramas from the 1920s, otherwise known as the Roaring Twenties. Alcohol was outlawed but that didn't stop the Jazz Age from moving forward. Women could now vote and were finding their independence, rebelling against corsets and conservative dancing. Other dances were introduced that were more conducive to the free spirit of the age.
  1. The Charleston

    • The history of the Charleston is said to have begun on an island near the coast of Charleston, S.C., and was first danced by African Americans living there. Though the dance was first preformed in 1903 the Charleston didn't become popular among both whites and blacks until 1922 when it was preformed as part of the "Ziegfeld Follies" in New York. It later became the most popular dance of the '20s.

    The Tango

    • The Tango was first considered immoral in public until it took Paris by storm.

      The Tango became popular in America in 1921 after Rudolph Valentino first preformed it in public. Originating in Spain as a solo dance for women, it later swept to Argentina and was danced in lower class ballrooms. Before the '20s, the tango was considered immoral because the dances caused the bodies to touch each other but when the Tango was danced in Paris, the Tango quickly became a hit.

    Lindy Hop

    • The Lindy Hop was the first form of swing dancing, first introduced in 1926.

      The Lindy Hop, named after famous pilot Charles Lindbergh, was the first form of swing dancing, where the male partner swung the female partner into the air. It also included the dancers jumping in sequence which is also known as the Jitterbug. The Lindhop was the base dance that eventually evolved into other styles such as West Coast Swing Dance, Rock 'n' Roll and Boogie Woogie. In 1926 it was popularized in the Harlem jazz club, Savoy.

    The Camel Walk

    • Heavily popular with flappers and college students, the Camel Walk was danced first in vaudeville shows before making its way into the public social scene. It was a more scandalous form of the traditional Foxtrot with dragging steps in a zig-zag direction. Women rested their heads on their partners' shoulders and for this reason the dance was often considered scandalous by the older generation.

Jazz Dance

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