Culture and Religion
...dancing throughout the 1920's
During the time period of the 1920s, a new era emerged as the “Jazz Age.” From the Jazz Age, a rebellious new side of women was noticed, and named the “flappers.” Flappers were women who danced to jazz music, cut their hair into bobs, shortened their skirts, and disregarded rules. They were breaking the rules, and trying to go against what their mothers had done. Since this time period dealt with the issue of Prohibition, people found it convenient to attend parties, primarily at clubs, to enjoy dancing.
The most popular form of dancing for this culture was the Charleston. Men and women found this dance to be the most appealing and took note from famous dancers such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Dance Marathons were also a significant part to the culture of the 1920s. The longest recorded dance marathon lasted for three weeks! People also enjoyed swing dancing and taking part in forms of dance such as the shimmy, the fox-trot, and the lindy. Dance was a typical thing that people participated in during the ‘20s as a weekend activity.
The cultural norms of this era would be considered as a more laid-back era. Laid back that is until the stock market crash of 1929. At this point all social dancing came to a halt for the most part. Money became very tight, people were scrambling to find work, and families were just trying to figure out how they would continue to survive. However, the arts, especially in the area of ballet, did not drastically suffer.
Americans became greatly entranced by ballet. The School of American Ballet was bringing in dancers, and one dancer in particular was being scouted. That dancer was George Balanchine. In 1924 he left Russia. He finally was able to participate in the School of American Ballet in 1929. Balanchine continued his career later on with the New York City Ballet in 1948, and had a very successful career, and left a great legacy.
Religion didn’t affect the 1920s social dance scene very much. During the 1920s people had a sense of freedom, and were not bound by what their religion guided. As it was evident with the flappers, they were going against the regular standards and changing the rules. Below you will see a graph that illustrates the “old rules” from the “new rules.”
It is apparent from the chart that science was the direction religion was moving to, and science of course means asking questions, and therefore questioning the church. This is why religion was not a huge factor in the behavior and style of dancing that was being displayed in the social aspects of dance during the 1920s.
Therefore, the 1920s was a time period of change and of freedom. The men and women that participated in this revolution of dance went along their own guidelines and rules. Appearances were changed and new forms of dance were becoming popular. Dance in general was an important part of people’s lives. Dance was respected and was understood as an activity that people enjoyed participating in on weekends. Not only did social dance see turns, but the theatrical world of ballet was also evolving. The 1920s provided a solid ground for years to come. This time period revolutionized dance and allowed individuals to participate in this form of expression more so than we see even today.