Charleston:

The Roaring ’20s, speakeasies, jazz, this is the image we have when we think of Charleston. Dancers from the upper-class, glittering outfits, feathers, big smiles. This is not entirely wrong of course but there is more to it. Charleston can be traced back to African American communities from South Carolina and specifically, from tribe traditions from Trinidad, Nigeria and Ghana. Charleston as a name is just because it is most likely traced back to the city of Charleston. 

Saxophonist Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith said about a dancer named Russel Brown:

“He was given a nickname by the people of Harlem… They would holler at him, ‘Hey Charleston, do your Geechie dance’. Somefolks say that is how the dance known as the Charleston got its name”. 

Musical Runnin’ Wild (1923) 

It was banned in some conservative clubs for being too wild and “immoral.”

Became the quintessential “flapper” dance of the Jazz Age, representing youth rebellion and optimism.

Surged again in popularity in the 1980s–1990s during swing revival movements.

Today it’s part of both ballroom competitions (as a fun dance) and vintage jazz repertoires (solo & partnered Charleston).

 The International Charleston Festival (South Carolina, USA)

• Annual celebrations in the city where the dance’s name originated,

Runnin’ Wild (1923) — the show that introduced the Charleston dance to Broadway. 

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

• George Bailey and Mary Hatch (James Stewart & Donna Reed) dance the Charleston at the school gym before the floor opens into a swimming pool. 

The Boy Friend (1971) – Directed by Ken Russell

• A musical-within-a-musical that celebrates 1920s style and includes classic Charleston choreography, flapper costumes, and jazz numbers.

Swing Time (1936) – Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

• The “Pick Yourself Up” number and others draw directly from Charleston influences, merging it with early swing and tap.

Caroline Flack & Pasha Kovalev (2014) — “Istanbul” Charleston (perfect score). 

Maisie Smith & Gorka Márquez (2020) — “Little Shop of Horrors” Charleston. 

Boardwalk Empire (HBO, 2010–2014)

• Centered on 1920s Prohibition-era Atlantic City — packed with Charleston scenes in speakeasies and jazz clubs. Period-accurate and beautifully choreographed.

Babylon Berlin

• German neo-noir series set in the 1920s Weimar Republic. The dance hall scenes (especially to “Zu Asche, zu Staub”) feature wild, almost expressionist Charleston-infused moves.

SONGS:

1. “Black Bottom” – another 1920s dance tune often mixed with Charleston steps.
   
   

2. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (Fats Waller), “I Wanna Be Loved By You” (Helen Kane), and “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby”

   • These jazz standards often accompanied Charleston dancing in cabarets and revues.
     
     

   • Parov Stelar (“Booty Swing”)
     
     

   • Caravan Palace (“Dramophone”)
     
     

   • Tape Five (“A Cool Cat in Town”)
     These all sample Charleston rhythms and have inspired modern Charleston/Swing dance revivals.

Ziegfeld Follies Performers – The early Broadway chorus girls who popularized the Charleston on stage.

Sharon Davis, Chazz Young, Alice Mei, Remy Kouakou Kouame, and Joseph & Charlotte Sewell — all internationally known solo Charleston and swing jazz dancers who teach and perform globally.

Ann Pennington 

One of the first Broadway stars to dance the Charleston on stage in George White’s Scandals (1924).

Josephine Baker 

The embodiment of 1920s jazz dance. Her Charleston routines in Paris (notably at the Folies Bergère) shocked and enchanted audiences worldwide.