Dancing through the decades by Siyona Shah

1923 – The Charleston

2022-08-09 00:21:57 UTC

The original Charleston has likely existed since 1520, but when paired with Ragtime music, it became an impetus for a new era of dance and culture.

The dance was prevalent for years, performed by people of all ages and backgrounds. As time passed, the Charleston became the signature dance for 'flapper girls', a subculture in the 1920s known for ignoring many social taboos.

The Charleston was first properly introduced to the American public in 1923, with the opening of "Runnin' Wild" by George White. From there, the dance became very popular, especially with Ragtime music.

1970: Hip-Hop

2022-08-11 01:04:43 UTC

What is Hip Hop?
Early hip-hop music saw its roots in the 1970s in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It started as a collaboration among intersecting groups of Black, Latinx, and Caribbean American youth at block parties—community gatherings that featured DJs playing soul and funk music. Hip-Hop is widely known considered a synonym for rap music. The term hip-hop refers to a complex culture comprising four elements: deejaying, or “turntabling”; rapping, also known as “MCing” or “rhyming”; which encompasses hip-hop dance, style, and attitude.

2012: Gangam style

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 01:05:17 UTC

What is the GANAMSTYLE dance?
The Gangamstyle was a dance created in 2012 by a South Korean rapper called PSY. The dance is a sequence of interesting moves of hip and feet movement as well as bouncing up and down and waving the arms. It was the beginning of K-pop and it was mainly targeted for people around the age of teenagers.

1970: Hip Hop

2022-08-11 01:17:47 UTC

What historical event shaped the style?
During this time of 1970, a major crisis that inflicted that world during that time was the disbandment of The Beatles. The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They introduced the world to rock and roll style of music, however in 1970 they officially broke up, leaving the world devastated. This sparked the beginning of a new era of music, introducing the world to hip hop.

2012: Gangam Style

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 01:18:43 UTC

What historical event shaped this style?
Not only was the Gangnam style a dance influenced by a significant korean event, but was also a style of dance that shaped history. As the Gangnam was created, a political conflict rose in Korea. PSY (the rapper who created this style of dance) was in trouble for the dance, as it wasn't age appropriate and suitable for viewers. The korean government was overall not happy with PSY and sentenced him to jail because of his dance. However his video made history by being the first music video on youtube to hit 1 billion views.

Hip-Hop

2022-08-11 01:24:37 UTC

1980- Contemporary Dance

2022-08-11 01:28:54 UTC

What is Contemporary?
Contemporary is an important genre of dance performed in societies around the world, celebrated by people both young and old. Developed during the 20th century, contemporary dance involves incorporating aspects of movement from several other genres such as jazz, modern, lyrical and ballet. Contemporary dance is all about self-expression, storytelling, and freedom.
It is focusing on the contract and release of the body, and the unpredictable changes in rhythm, speed, and direction. It also employs floor work, fall and recovery, and improvisation characteristics of Modern dance.

1980: Contemporary

2022-08-11 01:37:16 UTC

What historical even shaped this style?
Contemporary dance has been much influenced by eastern philosophies, applying ideals and values derived from Zen Buddhism and Indian Hatha Yoga to contemporary dance. This is very true when it comes to mental training and postural strength, required to deliver unrestricted lines across vast spaces. To reduce it to its essence, contemporary dance developed in a rebellion against the hierarchy and restrictions of 19th-century classical ballet. It was conceived as a heightened, kinetic form of self-expression in which each artist was at liberty to determine his or her own creative path.

Contemporary Dance

2022-08-11 01:41:41 UTC

1900 to 1940

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 01:50:17 UTC

1940 to 1980

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 01:50:29 UTC

1980 to current time

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 01:50:42 UTC

1983: Moonwalk

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 23:07:52 UTC

What is the Moonwalk?
The moonwalk was a famous dance move that began in the 1980's. It was extremely famous at the time when it was created, all the way up until now. The moonwalk was invented by Micheal Jackson, however many people believe that the dance originated back in the 30's. The moonwalk is a type of popping technique that originated in California, similar to a backslide. This style of dance was a unique way, of changing up the vibe through the process of transitioning from the 70's to the 80's.

1983: Moonwalk

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 23:17:24 UTC

What historical event shaped this style?
There were many significant events that happened during 1983 such as how the United States invaded Grenada and the video game Mario Bros was created. In the same year Michael Jackson’s famous Moonwalk style became incredibly popular and famous.

However, the history behind the dance is that people taught Michael the backslide which then turned into the Moonwalk. Another event that inspired the moonwalk was when he the famous mime Marcel Marceau who used a different variation of the moves from the iconic routine of "Walking against the wind."

1983: Moonwalk

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 23:25:15 UTC

2022: Current Day

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-11 23:26:02 UTC

1923 – The Charleston

2022-08-11 23:41:52 UTC

What historical event shaped this style?
The Charleston dance likely originated from the "Juba", which involved rhythmic stomping, kicking and slapping. It was usually performed by enslaved African Americans who were brought to Charleston, South Carolina. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Charleston became widely known amongst the African American community, and was considered a challenge dance of that time.

During World War I, the dance was brought north by Southen African Americans, where it gained popularity and was used in stage shows. The Charleston officially hit Boradway in the all-black stage play, Liza. However, it was not a part of mainstream culture until Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles' Broadway show Runnin' Wild.

After World War I, The Charleston became an iconic dance of the 1920s. It was popular amongst white Americans who felt liberated after the war, and wanted to be free from their parents' strict ways. Women cut their hair into bobs, drank alcohol and danced the Charleston under the light of new electric bulbs.

In 1929, the Great Depression hit, turning attention away from the fun of the Roaring Twenties. The public believed there was little to be happy about. World War II folllowed the Depression, and meant that there would be no return to the Epicurean pleasures and freedoms of the Jazz Age. Even so, The Charleston and Swing dancing have remained crucial parts of American culture to this day.

Bibliography - Moonwalk:

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-15 01:09:06 UTC

| https://people.howstuffworks.com/moonwalk.htm
| https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/dance-moves-through-the-ages
| https://www.interviewarea.com/faq/who-invented-the-moonwalk
| https://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1983.html https://dance.lovetoknow.com/Moonwalk_Dance

Bibliography - Gangnam Style:

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-15 01:10:11 UTC

| https://www.wikihow.com/Do-the-Gangnam-Style-Dance#:~:text=The%20dance%20is%20performed%20in,more%20with%20the%20leading%20foot.
| https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gangnam-Style#:~:text=In%20July%202012%20PSY%20released,with%20that%20area%20of%20Seoul.
| https://www.britannica.com/biography/PSY#:~:text=PSY%2C%20PSY%20also%20spelled%20Psy,South%20Korean%20singer%20and%20rapper.
| https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gangnam-style-first-youtube-video-to-hit-one-billion-views#:~:text=On%20December%2021%2C%202012%2C%20the,unpredictability%20of%20viral%20internet%20content. https://www.3ba.com.au/news/music-entertainment/106767-real-meaning-behind-gangnam-style-revealed-and-its-political

2012: Gangnam Style

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-15 01:11:31 UTC

Key of Dances:

siyonashah84 — 2022-08-15 01:13:08 UTC

1900 - 1940: Kiana
- Charleston
- Tap

1940 - 1980: Jackie
- Contemporary
- Hip Hop

1980 - 2022: Siyona
- Moonwalk
- Gangnam Style

Tap Dancing – 1928

2022-08-21 00:55:01 UTC

What is tap dancing?
The origins of tap dancing is not completely known. It began to surface in the United States during the 19th century, and the term 'tap dancing' was officially coined in 1928. Tap dancing is believed to be a fusion of multiple percussive dances, including West African step dances, and Scottish, Irish and English clog dances, hornpipes, and jigs.

The early slave trade in America can be credited to this clash of ethnic dances. In the late 20th century, researchers suggested that tap dancing was nurtured in the Five Points District in New York City, where many different races lived in crowded conditions and were introduced to each other's cultures. When slave-holders found out that African Americans could communicate in code with the use of drums, they began to fear revolt, and restricted the African Americans' use of the instrument. However, they failed to take their rhythms fully away from their slaves, as African Americans transferred their complex passages to their feet.

Tap Dancing – 1928

2022-08-21 00:55:39 UTC

What historical event shaped this style?
During the mid-to-late 1800s, "cutting contests", or dance competitions were the first events to fully bring the beginnings of tap dance into American culture. These events were how talented dancers could show off their skills for fame. One of the earliest records of these contests, from 1844, saw African American dancer William Henry Lane face off against Irish dancer John Diamond in a fierce tap battle. William Henry, also referred to as 'Master Juba', was known as the most influential dancer of his time.

The "cutting contests" that took place in the 1800s are the foundations of the styles of tap dance we know today. After tap dancing was spread to the public through these contests, more styles began to emerge as more and more people created their own variations, such as the Soft-Shoe, which is a form of tap only performed with soft-soled shoes without metal taps.

Bibliography – The Charleston

2022-08-21 23:26:12 UTC

Dance Moves Through the Ages n.d., Timetoast, viewed 21 August 2022,
All About Charleston Dance n.d., Pattie Wells' DanceTime, viewed 21 August 2022,
Palkowski, J 2018, Dance like it's 1923, CHStoday, Charleston, South Carolina, viewed 21 August 2022,

Bibliography – Tap Dancing

2022-08-21 23:26:39 UTC

Dance Moves Through the Ages n.d., Timetoast, viewed 21 August 2022,
Holmes, V n.d., All About Tap Dance, viewed 21 August 2022,
Frank, R 2021, Tap dance, Britannica, viewed 21 August 2022,