FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

Read my essay for me please.

United States History Period B-4 Mr. Arnold
April 24, 2009 Max Hsu
Draft One – American Social Dance Movement

The dance craze that began in 1920s may only be composed of bunch of crazy kids in their clubs, but the effects of their dance significantly changed America. Dance crazes in America not only changed American’s perspective of what is important in their life; these dances also granted us the personal freedoms we now have today. The fact that the development of American social dance has culturally changed America today can be proven by the innovation for new ideas before 1960s, the inspiration of civil rights movement in the late 1970s, and the international spread and recognition of American social dance in 1980s.

American social dance was initiated by a dance fad called the Charleston; it was one of the first social dances to be shared by both white and black folks. “The Charleston came to widespread attention as part of a 1923 black revue, Runnin' Wild, that played on Broadway… It was jazz-inspired movement and the music was provided by white musicians who tailored the jazz they heard in black clubs to suit a white audience.” (Sommer, 629) Although The Charleston was also widely known, back then, as a black dance. White musicians played their own “version” of Charleston music for white audiences; this shows the strong racial differences and separation because black and whites were not allowed in a club together. By differentiating music by “black” music and “white” music demonstrates that racial separation was strict.

Regardless of the racist era, the popularity of the Charleston dance sprawled in 1920 of the Roaring Twenties. “The Charleston was the dance craze of the 1920s/ an energetic dance that involved wild, flailing movements of the arms and legs, it demanded an appropriate costume for the woman dancer-a short, straight dress without a waistline.” (Danzer 651) The wild movements of the dance suggest that the dancers themselves are expressing their breakaway from conservative values of their elders. These breakaways from conservatism also show that women sought for more independents and individuality; women had bobbed-hair instead of the conformed long hair, wore dress that are shorter instead of covering the whole body, and worn make-up for attraction instead of special occasions. Sommer said, “In addition to clothing changes, the average woman began to make a variety of cosmetic changes, These included the frank use of lipstick, rouge, eye makeup, powders, hair coloring, beauty aids gradually came into general use without any pejorative implication. The most striking change occurred when long hair was abandoned in favor of the short or "bobbed" style. It was the most radical cosmetic change witnessed in several centuries.” (629)

In mid-1930s, Charleston bequeathed the next dance craze: Lindy Hop. Lindy Hop became from a dancer named George “Shorty” Snowden after he won a dance marathon held in Central Park, New York. “In September, 1927, a newspaper reporter having never seen this [Lindy Hop] style of dance before … asked the winning couple (Shorty George) what it was that they were doing … Shorty replied "the Lindy Hop… We flying just like Lindy did!".” (Watson, http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3lindy.htm) Lindy Hop did not have an official name that time. At the same year of May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh made the first successful solo flight from the U.S. to France that hit the headline news. Consequently, this demonstrates eminent feats, such as Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic, impacts even the least expected events.

Over the course of approximately fifteen years, Lindy Hop was popular to the point that it became the America’s unofficial national dance. Lindy Hop captured the interests of many young American adults. According to Millman, “Attesting to its immense popularity, in 1943 Life featured a cover story on Lindy Hop, proclaiming it "America's national dance" and "this country's only native and original dance form" along with tap dance. Hundreds of other newspaper and magazine articles on Lindy corroborated its cultural importance.” (202) One of the main cause of popularity is because the dance, similarly to Charleston, express spirit of teenagers. “the Lindy Hop became the rage among the younger set. From the latter half of this decade onward, the Lindy Hop was commonly known as the jitterbug. This enormously popular social dance, as practiced by the masses, might have lacked the acrobatic air steps of performance Lindy but not its enthusiasm or energy.” (Millman, 202) Women, especially, applied the enthusiasm and energy to exhibit independence from conservative values. Ironically, the cause for national pride and rage began due to the fact of the ongoing racial separation between white Lindy Hop dancers and black Lindy Hop dancers.

Although Lindy Hop may be the most popular dance in America within the mid-1930s, the racial segregation still continues. Both black and white Lindy Hop dancers competed against each other to attract more students to learn from them. Whoever has aptitude to create the most appealing move under the foundations of Lindy Hop is the dominant dancer. “Many of these [white] dancers … were teaching many of the "White Folks" to do these dances … in a very racist period of time. This became very competitive among some of African-American dancers, some would clip papers to their back with phone numbers or a studio name written on them while they danced. If you liked the way a dancer danced you could then get in touch with them and take lessons. Through this type of competition, the dancers would start to do more wild and crazy stuff to get the attention of the spectators.” (Watson, http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3lindy.htm) White dancers thought the Lindy Hop was an example of opulence, as African American dancers obsequiously create newer styles. From a different perspective, one can say that racist is what catalyzed its popularity in the 1930s, which initiated its massive development that inspired many Americans unofficially declare Lindy Hop as “America’s national dance.”
Thirty years after Tap Dance took the spotlight in society, in 1967, Street dancing, a dance that would unexpectedly spread both national and international unity, emerged from the ghettos Bronx of New York City. According to the OG Skeeter Rabbit, “The original Street dance movement is connected to the competitions of Tap dancers on the street corners of New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the 1939s, 1940s, and 1950s, but modern day Streetdance began in the early 1970s in the streets and schools of the west coast.” Ghetto children saw tap dancing contests as an inspiration to create a dance that is only locally known within their own groups or neighborhood.

According to Tony Tone and JDL, “Kool Herc [Clive Campbell] is the godfather of Hip Hop, when we say, "of Hip Hop," we mean the whole thing. Cuz' he did graffiti, he brought the music, and his crew did the dancing. So, when they say he's the of godfather Hip Hop, we really mean, he the godfather of Hip Hop.” (The Freshest Kids) Campbell initiated the revolution of true hip-hop culture by his house parties that were a perfect environment for early street dancers to grow. Consequently, his house parties also demonstrated the first dance culture developed purely for all races. However, majority of the dancers in this new culture was African American because it was formed in the African American ghettos of the Bronx. Although hip-hop culture was shaped for racial diversity, African Americans were still treated poorly until they and hip-hop culture was high recognized by society. “The early groups face a lot of racial barriers, the boundaries were segregated during those times, the original pioneers, were not welcome in the suburban clubs until they became Street Legends.” (OG Skeeter Rabbit) The earliest pioneers of street dance were unwelcome to suburban clubs because of racial differences. They began to welcome them when the pioneers became nationally famous.

Often regarded as a modern African American culture, Hip-hop culture is actually “an amalgam of graphic art, dance, poetry, and music,” (Sommer, 633). The music and dance part of the culture plays a vital role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s era. It reflected the loss of hope when “leaders such as Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Robert and John Kennedy assassinated.” (OG Skeeter Rabbit, www.lockerlegends.net/history-of-locking) The racial boundaries may be reduced by a significant amount since the early 1960s, but the assassinations indirectly brought civil rights supporters hopes low. Nonetheless, there are those who aren’t assassinated and succeeded in civil rights movement.

James Brown, the god father of soul, was one of the successful civil rights activists. He produced social dancing music, which was soon to be picked up by a new social dance called Locking. Locking is the main stem of all street dance and most, importantly, the art form of practicing social equality. In the late 1970s, James Brown’s social music, performed in Watts Staxx Concert “inspired civil rights movement and broke down the remnant barriers of racial differences.” (Lockerlegends Staff)

In 1982, east coast street dance expanded. Crazy Legs, one of the first street dance pioneers who lived through the development says, “… [Our manager] told me that these people saw us [Breakers] in the show and wanted us to be in the movie: 'Flashdance.' And.. that was it right there.” When media took recognition and interest in the new dance they’ve stumbled upon, street dance was bound to be nationally famous. Few years later, numerous dance crews emerged in the east cast and west coast of America. According to OG Skeeter Rabbit, “Some of the promoters actually said that an all Black street dance group would never be accepted or promoted in those times; this promoted the Original Lockers to inform their manager, Tony Basil, to put Adolpho Queniones (Shabbadoo) into their group for racial diversity and acceptance” Due to the lack of racial diversity in street dance groups, many promoters refuse to support them, which inspired many street dance groups to recruit other race dancers such as Shabbadoo, who was Hispanic, to increase their chance of popularity. This is the first time that American society accepted cultural unity in dance.

American social dance has not only inspired civil rights movement and settled racial differences, but it also taught the entire world love, respect, and unity. As it began as a mere group of racist flappers in segregated clubs in 1920 to an international renowned mixed race and culture of dancers