The Roaring " 20 's" were given such a name for a good
reason. For the first time in history women were voting and smoking cigarettes.
Women also cut their long tresses into a short bob hairdo and began dancing
the Charleston in the local Speakeasies! The name Charleston originated
in "Charleston" South Carolina. This dance was considered scandalous and
irreverent.
The '20's were the prohibition period and to enter the speakeasies you needed
to know the secret password. This is where you could see the flapper girls
performing the Charleston.
- The most popular saying was " 23 Skidoo".
- The most famous silent film stars were Douglas Fairbanks and
Mary Pickford.
- The Roadster Automobile with a rumble seat was very popular with
the singles.
- The Charleston was short lived due to its controversy and so
it evolved with kicks and hops and more and more people began to pair
up doing side by side movements.
By the early " 30 's" Charles Lindbergh had
completed his famous solo flight. The headlines read, "Lindbergh hopped
over the Atlantic". Meanwhile, George Snowden, nicknamed "Shorty" was dancing
to Ragtime and Blues music in Harlem where he was noted for his unusual
style. When reporters asked the name of the dance he was doing he said,
"The Hop", then paused for a few moments and said "The Lindy Hop" named
after the Lindbergh Hop over the Atlantic.
- Dick Powell and Joan Blondell were the most popular Actor and
Actress at the time.
- Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were all the rage in the musical,
"Top Hat".
- And who could forget the most popular girl of the 30's Shirley
Temple.
The" 40 's" brought war time. People were
very patriotic. The Big Band Era had arrived and it was exciting. The Big
Bands included:
Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Harry James. These Big Bands
traveled all over the United States. Here in Hollywood the Palladium was
packed and considered the place to go dancing. Slang expressions from the
40's were "A-OK", "Copasthetic", "Super", and "In the Groove". The famous
actors and actresses were Irene Dunn and Robert Taylor. The dance of the
40's which evolved out of the Lindy Hop of the 30's was called the Jitterbug
and in the later 40's known as the West Coast Swing originating here in
Hollywood during the movie making period. The director and choreographer
wanted to fit more dancers on the floor for the camera without losing their
faces with the circular movement of Jitterbug and so the West Coast Swing
was born danced in a straight line or a slot.
The War ended in 1945 and the Fabulous "
50 's" quickly rolled in. These years were considered the "Good Times".
Men came home from war married, raised a family and took pride in their
home.
- President Eisenhower was in office for two full terms and women
stayed home to raise the children.
- Television kept people home more than ever before except for
the dancers who drove their Chevy's and Ford's to the Sock Hops where
they danced to Elvis tunes all night. Elvis was ever so popular and
of course considered untamed and irreverent with his famous hip gyrations.
- Popular slang expressions were "Keen", "Neat", "Cool" and "Boss"!
It's the 1990's and it's coming back!!!!!!!!!
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