How ballroom dancing gripped Britain
HistoryExtra podcast
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Dances of the 20th Century - The Charleston
The Fox trot became the most common dance, both in England and America. It frustrated teachers because they wanted to find new dances. Just when they thought they were getting a grip on new dances, early 1920s, the Charleston arrived from America was really another craze. The Charleston demands that couples shall not have bodily contact in executing the dance. There's a book published in 1926 called How to Charleston, Correctly which makes claims for its physical and moral benefits. But people decided it was best suited for solo dancing. Even with even if you had a partner, it was necessary to keep your distance, so you didn't kick them.
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