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The Charleston - an introduction

The Charleston - a popular craze of the 1920s – is described by Strictly Come Dancing presenter Craig Revel Horwood. Josephine Baker brought the Charleston to life in 1926. It first emerged as a solo dance, growing in popularity to become a hugely entertaining group and partner dance. Professional dancers perform the basic stepping patterns using cross-motion body movements, displaying great skill and musicality. The dance routines showcase the key elements - scissor kicks with swivelling ankles, flicks, kicks and the shimmy. All these moves combined create a fun, bouncy dance routine enhanced by the fashion and costumes of the day. Brian Fortuna and Ali Bastian from the popular Strictly Come Dancing TV series show off their Charleston routine. Their partner routine also shows how the dance style has evolved to combine different partner holds and lifts.

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3 minutes