Tradition
...dancing throughout the 1920's
During the 1920’s, dance was greatly affected by tradition. Both the social and theatrical dance were impacted by the previous ear, but in different ways. While social dances remained somewhat similar to those from the previous decade, theoretical dance, such as ballet and modern, veered away from traditional style.
The 1920s are known today as the “Jazz Age.” Jazz music was created at the beginning of the 20th century. It was influence by blues and ragtime which were popular during previous years. Since jazz was the popular music of the time, it was often played for social dancing. For the most part, ballroom style dances were still common. Some popular danced were the Fox Trot, Black Bottom, Charleston, Waltz, and Shag.
Although people were still dancing the same styles of dances as in former years, the social events at which they were dancing were not the same. The new craze of the ‘20s was marathon dancing. This was definitely not traditional. People wanted to break records and have their fifteen minutes of fame. In 1923, Alma Cummings decided to dance, without stopping, for 27 hours. This started a craze of marathon dancing that lasted the remainder of the 1920s.
In contrast to social dance, theatrical dance did not maintain tradition. Dancers such as Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan did not like classical ballet. They broke away from traditional ballet with the development of modern/contemporary dance, also called free dance. Modern allowed choreographers to be more creative and not confined to technical ballet steps and movements. Grahams also used modern dance to reflect modern art and events of her time.