Dance In The 1920s

All throughout human history, dance has played an important part in cultures around the world its purpose ranging from rituals to entertainment. As cultures grow and mature dance often reflects the movements and mood of the era. So how does dancing of the 1920’s reflect the cultural movements of the 1920s? Such as the changes in both the Women’s right and African Americans movements.
During the 20’s, a majority of the workforce was mostly strictly males professionals, although some women in previous years worked it never measured to that of a male’s job. The social shifts in the social environments with gaining the right to vote confused many males whose mindsets remanded in the traditional past roles of women in the home. However one of
Dancing was also greatly influenced by African Americans and the Harlem Renaissance. Many African Americans during this time contributed largely to the Harlem renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement the promoted a new African American cultural identity, some of the notable things from this movement were dancing, visual arts, and jazz. What became known as the ‘Jazz Age’ helped further developed the contemporary dances of the time such as the Foxtrot, the Waltz, the Charleston, and Salsa dancing. These dance moves became widely spread social dance moves, often reflecting African American culture of the time. These dance moves also include swing, lindy hop, and the charleston. The development of Tap dancing also developed during this time, reflecting the early fractions during the slave trade. Most Slaveholders of the time were fearful of slave revolts, which resulted in banning all forms of communications between each other. However, African Americans still held their rational roots in rhythm, by moving beats to their feet. As All About Tap Dance mentions “The skill of tapping out complex rhythmic passages was widely developed, and a subtle, intricate and vital physical code of expression was