Learning the Swing Charleston Dance

The Charleston dance is a dance form that is linked forever with the flappers and prohibition-era history of the “Roaring Twenties” in the United States, though it originated earlier somewhere in the area of Charleston, South Carolina. The dance form spread like wildfire, and soon gained international fame, thanks in part to the travels of the notorious dancer Josephine Baker. It also branched into many different dance forms, including the Lindy Hop dance and the Balboa dance, all of which are taught and brought to life at Swing Zing Dance School in Perth.

The Charleston started out as a solo dance, often performed by women, which probably explains why alternate forms such as the Lindy Hop and the Balboa dance developed so soon after the original’s introduction, to cater to the numerous people who preferred to dance with a partner as a form of social interaction as well as enjoyment of rhythm and music.

However, the Charleston itself became adapted to the wish of people to dance with a partner, and Partner Charleston styles became very popular in the 1930s and 1940s. These styles have experienced a renaissance, and further development, today, and are a vital, thriving part of the casual and social dancing scene. Swing Charleston from the ’30′s and ’40′s is alive and well, and is a great way to relax and get to meet new people to this day.

There are many different kinds of swing and partner Charleston – hand-to-hand Charleston, where the partners face each other; jockey Charleston, where one partner dances behind the other; side-by-side Charleston, with the partners leaning a hip against each other and putting one arm around the other as well, while using the free arm for the usual Charleston moves; and so on. Whatever your tastes, you will find plenty to intrigue you in the Charleston dance offered at Swing Zing Dance School.