Dancing Through the Years
Dancing has existed for many year, but became more free and fun during the 1920's. In the 1920's most peoples attitudes towards life were to be wild and care free; these feelings typically showed on the dance floor. During this time dancing often occurred at night clubs or community centers. Some popular moves and dances people would do included the Charleston, Lindy Hop, Black Bottom, Harlem Shake, Foxtrot, etc.; these dances were not |
| The Black Bottom Dance |
Todays dance style has evolved a lot since the 1920's. Some popular dances that came to life during the 2000's include the whip and nae nae, soulja boy, dougie, quan, twerking etc. One thing all these dance moves have in common is they focus mainly on the upper body arm movements, and less on the leg and foot work. Dancing now a days still holds the foundation and fundamental bases from the past, just have an added twist to modernize the moves.
Dance now a days in the 21st century is still a lot like it was in the 1920's. As time went on our dance moves evolved from being very free spirited and improvised to a more structured hip hop like style. Something both dance eras have in common is during each time period certain dance moves are considered inappropriate. For example during the 1920's people believed the Charleston or black bottom was way to provocative and not appropriate for a body to move in such a way; in the 2000's twerking became a well known dance move that our generation considered to be just as inappropriate as the Charleston was during its time. We to this day still to this day dance at parties and night clubs. As well as have dance competitions and marathons.
Dance has changed and evolved a lot over the years, but without our past dance experience we would not be were we are today in the dance world. Dances like the Charleston, Lindy Hop, and Black Bottom set a base for dance to grow off of and be able to change and modernize for future generations. While it is good that as time goes on dance moves and dances change and evolve with the culture and society; it is important that we remember all the past dances, so we can teach younger generations old dance traditions. From the 1920's to now, dance has impact our society and culture as a form of art that people will forever remember and appreciate. Let us NEVER forget how far we have come in the dance world and the achievements we have made in the art industry!
Watch this video to see an example on how dance changed through the decades...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMz2ifqPK0A
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Hey Danielle - This is a great comparison of what dances looked like in the 1920s as opposed to today. As someone with a bit of a background in dance (you are on the dance team, afterall!), what would you say are some of the larger causes for these changes? What did dances like the Charleston and Black Bottom represent? Why do you think dances change over time?
ReplyDeleteI believe one of the main causes for these dance changes would definitely be our music. In the 1920's jazz was a big hit in all the speakeasies. As time progressed we got more into the hip hop and R&B style of music. With the music evolving our dances moves did as well. The Charleston and Black Bottom to me represented a sense of freedom and wildness. In the 1920's I typically think of people partying and drinking. I believe at the time the Charleston and Black Bottom were perfect examples of the carefree spirt from the roaring 20's. I think dances change overtime because our society and culture are always changing. As humans we always want to be the best, and in order to be the best we have to stay up to date with current trends/events. When we dance at a club we want to fit in and look as best as possible.
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