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Before the Lindy-Hop became popular and long before tap dance was established in the United States, Black Bottom dance was popular among both Blacks and Whites in Harlem, New York. The dance craze, appropriated from the blacks in Harlem’s nightclubs, became a big rage when brought to the white community and put on stage. Black Bottom dance, also known as “Swanee Bottom” was an popular dance among lower class African Americans in the early 1900s. Beloved to be introduced by Alberta Hunter, a popular blues singer, Black Bottom was a dance that emerged from African American culture. Although Black Bottom is not a family recognizable dance today, the popularity of the dance at this time caused a great ripple in the dances that came later on down the line.
Black Bottom dance came from a previously popular dance style, “Echo” in New Orleans. From the south, Black Bottom dance migrated to Georgia and finally New York where it was picked up by musical producer George White. White saw the Black Bottom dance being done for the first time in a Harlem nightclub and decided to bring his new found dance style to the white community. In his original broadway play, Scandal actors Ann
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Pennington and Tom Pericola performed the Black Bottom dance for the first time on stage in the Apollo theater located in New York City. Soon after this performance, in 1926, the Black Bottom dance become more popular among whites in the community and soon replaced the Charleston in popularity during this time. “The Original Black Bottom Dance”, a song written in 1919 by Perry Bradford from Nashville Tennessee, had both music and dance instructions printed on the sheet music. The lyrics directed the listeners and dancers to do the dance moves Bradford sang which made it easier for more people, even those less skilled, to dance along to his song. This also encouraged and inspired people to dance solo and more freely rather than with a partner. The Black Bottom dance included lots of movement in the hips and torso. Dancers would often lean forward or sideways with their upper body to create many levels as they danced and moved throughout the space. The dance was very high in energy and involved lots of kicks and fast movements with the lower body as well as the arms. Much like the Charleston, which had a lot of fast movement of the feet and swinging of the arms, the Black Bottom dance quickly took place of the perviously popular dance style in the 1920’s. People dancing the Black Bottom, mainly white and African American women, wore short skirts with lots of fringe on them, so when they shook their hips and torso, the fringe skirt would move and shake, drawing attention to their backsides and hips. After the Black Bottom dance craze ended, it became an inspiration for what is known today as modern tap and jazz dance.
The fast foot work in both Black Bottom and in tap dancing showed the similarities of the styles of dance. Although tap dance is less about the upper body, unlike Black Bottom and dances like the Charleston, and more about the movement of the feet and sound of the taps, there were obvious similarities between Black Bottom and tap. Tap dance and Black Bottom are fairly similar, only by adding metal plates to the bottom of shoes, creating “tap shoes”, the new style of dance was born. This style of dance however, focusing on the lower body movements and the sounds the tao shoes are making when they stick across the floor, is less about the movement of the arms and upper
body. Black Bottom dance was appropriated by George White in the early 1920s because he took Black Bottom out of the nightclub scene in Harlem, New York, and put it on stage to bring and to show off to the white community. Also, by not giving any credit back to where the dance was originally founded, White can be accused of appropriating and making lots of money off of this stolen dance style. In 1926, George White hosted his very own dance marathon which also brought more light to his new found dance style which caused Black Bottom to become even more popular.
Haskins, James. "Geoffrey Holder and Carmen De Lavallade." Black Dance in America. N.p.: n.p., 1990. 130-37. Print.
As Martin Van Peebles describes, “Outside of being required to mug it up, the Negro entertainers were encouraged to do their routines, strut their stuff, to sing and dance their hearts out.” Many early Hollywood films included music that had its roots
Throughout her college career, Dunham continued to dance in various venues. In 1933, she opened the Negro Dance Group, her first dance...
Rhythm and Blues also known as R&B has become one of the most identifiable art-forms of the 20th Century, with an enormous influence on the development of both the sound and attitude of modern music. The history of R&B series of box sets investigates the accidental synthesis of Jazz, Gospel, Blues, Ragtime, Latin, Country and Pop into a definable from of Black music. The hardship of segregation caused by the Jim Crow laws caused a cultural revolution within Afro-American society. In the 1900s, as a method of self-expression in the southern states, the Blues gradually became a form of public entertainment in juke joints and dance halls picking up new rhythm along the way. In 1910, nearly five million African Americans left the south for the
Katherine Dunham was an important figure in pushing for equality among all races. She became remembered through her unique twist she put on her ballet movements. Instead of pursuing traditional ballet, she choreographed ballets that incorporated African-American movements. Because of this, she has always been referred to as one of the “modern dance pioneers” (Cass 303). Even through struggles, she continued to strive to focus more on the dance traditions of other cultures and slowly help work towards the end of oppression towards particular races.
Originating from New Orleans, it worked its way to Georgia and then New York. It is unknown who actually started the dance, though it’s been rumored that Alberta Hunter, a blues singer, introduced it to the world. It had already spread through the south before Perry Bradford wrote his song about it in 1919. In 1924 the dance was introduced to the public in the stage play “Dinah” and it became as popular as the Charleston. Ann Pennington did a famous rendition of the Black Bottom in the George White Scandals of
In the United States of America, there once was this dance that evolved in a slave state known as South Carolina, Charleston, and a dance called Argentine Tango that evolved in america after being brought into the nation through global expansion. Both of these authentic dances exemplify a specific movement of techniques that gives the dance its power and name. Tango gives us a sensational feel that articulates adequate movements and creates richer, profound appearance. The Charleston dance brings out the joy in people that allows a person to let loose and be free. Both of these dances has been brought out into other countries. For example, the Charleston dance first originated in South Carolina and then made it around to other countries where
New Dance is described as a developing art form; this dance was articulated in the early 20th century. According to Chapter 8 in History of Dance book, “the new dance emerged as a response to the ballet that populated the variety shows and music halls, which had a rigid formula of steps and poses” (Kassing). The New Dance was a product of several strands that interlaced together dancers’ studies and backgrounds; these strands and others were woven together in a historical, political, and societal framework. For instance, one strand of New Dance consisted of the concepts, techniques, costumes, and stage settings from around the world. These strands influenced major dancers and choreographers, such as, Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Denis, and Ted Shawn.
Origins are a blur, but evidence points to the ancient Egyptians. However, the use of this dance form is most commonly paired with the Middle Easterners.
... its fair share of problems, hospitals started receiving patients claiming to have “Charleston knee”. In the mid-1920’s people were dancing the Charleston in the Pickwick Club so vigorously that they caused it to collapse killing over 40 people. After this incident Boston’s mayor banned the Charleston from being danced in all public dance halls because he believed it was too dangerous. Following Boston’s Charleston ban, several other cities in New England followed suit. But the more that people tried to stop the Charleston the more its popularity grew. Over time many dance halls realized they were fighting a losing battle and gave up trying to stop their patrons from dancing the Charleston. Instead they attempted to get them to dance it more calmly, as to not hurt themselves or others. The Charleston went on to become one of the greatest American dances of all time.
Breakdancing, a form of dance that combines acrobatics with dance, also came originated in block parties and house parties. B-Boys, as well as B-Girls, would dance to the breaks in the music, hence the name.
Hip hop dance first originated in the 1960's and the 1970's one of the main birthplaces of hip hop was in one of New York City's poorest ghetto quarters the South Bronx. Hip hop dancing started with DJs coming into the streets with huge speakers kicking off what is now known as block parties. A man, who is known as the father of hip hop, "DJ Kool Herc" Would remix songs by making longer instrumental breaks between verses as long as he pleased by repeating the same breaks on a turn table this allowed more time for the street dancers or "B-boys" which stood for "Break-Boys" to show off their dancing skill. The hip hop moves combined Complex rhythms and a down-to-earth movement style. Most of these B-Boys dancing was acrobatic, or what kid no-a-days call Breakdancing but true "Break dancing" is completed how it was in the 1960s with insanely long instrumental breaks and incredible dancers battling it out with both footwork moves and acrobatic moves.
“Rhythm and blues is a combination of soulful singing and a strong backbeat” (Cahoon, 2004). Rhythm and blues was created by and for African Americans between the ends of World War II. By 1946 the style of swing music started to fade away where early R&B artists started breaking away from using big bands and emphasizing using blues-style vocals and song structures. “Billboard magazine coined the term rhythm and blues to rename its’, “race records,” chart in 1949, reflecting changes in the social status, economic power, and musical tastes of African Americans” (Cahoon, 2004). Rhythm and blues was like a stepping stone for the popularity of Rock and Roll. There were several focal points for rhythm and blues music, but the main focal point for early R&B originated in Atlanta, Georgia. The first radio station to play rhythm and blues was in 1949. Even though the R&B late night show on WGST was a big hit in the African American community, it featured a white disc jockey named Zenas “Daddy” Sears. (Cahoon, 2004)
Swing dance, as it called today, originated in the 1920's when the African American community in Harlem, New York developed the Charleston and Lindy Hop while dancing to contemporary jazz music. In comparison to previous dance styles, swing dance, which is usually done to jazz music, had great and large movements. The Savoy Ballroom, which opened its doors in New York City during 1926, was one of the first places where swing dance came alive to the sounds of swinging jazz music played by the best black bands in Harlem (Heikkila) . Nicknamed "the home of happy feet", the Savoy is historically significant for being one of the first racially integrated public places in the country, breaking many barriers through the love of swing dancing and jazz (www.savoyplaque.org). Swing dancing in the Savoy was characterized as being a "very fast, jumpy casual style of dancing" and became it's own notable style popularized in the 1930's and 1940's (Heikkila).
“Dance, the art of precise, expressive, and graceful human movement, traditionally, but not necessarily, performed in accord with musical accompaniment. Dancing developed as a natural expression of united feeling and action.”