The Charleston was first introduced in 1923 in Florence Ziegfield's "Runnin' Wild," an all-black dance revue. The Charleston caught on across the nation, and many songs were recorded specifically for the dance. The dance's defining movements use an in-and-out knee movement coupled with crossed hands switching positions on the knees. The dance also uses forward and backward kicks, swiveling and step-and-touch moves. The Charleston led to to the development of the Black Bottom, Varsity Drag and blues dancing. The style was popular well into the late 1920s, but fell out of favor once the Great Depression hit.
The Continental and Carioca were simplified versions of the Foxtrot, developed by American choreographers. Their style mimicked the graceful Hollywood ballroom styles of dancers like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Latin dances like the Rumba and Conga found their way into American dance halls and ballrooms by way of American travelers. The song "The Peanut Vendor" popularized the Rumba, which was defined by strong hip movement. Renowned dance teams like Veloz and Yolanda specialized in the Conga and other Latin dances like the Samba.
The Big Apple grew from a mixture of previous popular dance styles, including the Shag, Suzi-Q and Truckin'. Unlike the Charleston, Lindy, ballroom dances and Latin dances, which were designed for single or couple dancing, the Big Apple was specifically for groups. Participants stood in a circle, and a leader would call out instructions for everyone to perform, or choose a couple to dance solo.
This dance originated in Harlem in the late 1920s. It was popularized at the Savoy Ballroom, where well-known big bands of the era played. The ballroom's weekly dance contests encouraged refinement and variations of the style. The Lindy comprised six and eight-count sequences with spins, dips and lifts added. Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was a professional group of dancers that grew from the best hoppers at the Saturday-night contests. The style eventually evolved into the jitterbug in the late 1930s, morphing into forms known as the West Coast Swing, Rockn'roll and the Boogie Woogie.