Charleston (Partnered)

The Charleston is the defining dance of the 1920s — the physical expression of the Jazz Age's energy, rebellion, and joy. It emerged from the African-American communities of the South Carolina Sea Islands and was brought to Harlem by the Great Migration, where it was transformed into the exuberant, syncopated dance that shocked and delighted audiences when it appeared in the Broadway musical 'Runnin' Wild' in 1923. The song 'The Charleston' by James P. Johnson, written for that show, became one of the most recognizable pieces of music in American history.

The partnered form of the Charleston developed in the Harlem ballrooms of the 1920s, where dancers adapted the solo Charleston steps to a partner format. The result was a dance of extraordinary energy and creativity, characterized by the signature kick-ball-change footwork, swinging arms, and a playful, improvisational spirit that reflected the jazz tradition from which it emerged. The partnered Charleston was one of the precursors to the Lindy Hop, and many of its vocabulary elements — the side-by-side Charleston, the tandem Charleston, the hand-to-hand Charleston — became standard figures in the Lindy Hop repertoire.

Today, partnered Charleston is danced primarily within the Lindy Hop community, where it is used as a variation within longer dances rather than as a standalone dance form. It is also danced as a historical recreation at vintage jazz events and 1920s-themed social dances.

Partnered Charleston is typically danced at 180 to 260 BPM, making it one of the fastest partner dances in the swing family. The 1920s solo Charleston was often danced to extremely fast tempos — some recordings of 'The Charleston' by various artists of the era sit at 220 to 260 BPM — but the partnered form is more comfortable at 180 to 220 BPM, where the footwork can be executed cleanly and the connection between partners can be maintained.

The music that best serves partnered Charleston is hot jazz from the 1920s — the recordings of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven, Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, and the various Harlem dance bands of the era. The characteristic sound is built on a driving, syncopated rhythm section, with a front line of trumpet, trombone, and clarinet playing improvised counterpoint over the rhythm. The tempo is fast, the energy is high, and the music demands a physical response.

For modern social dancing, many Lindy Hop events include partnered Charleston as part of the regular repertoire, and DJs will often play sets of fast jazz specifically to encourage Charleston dancing. The key for music selection is finding recordings that have a clear, driving pulse at the right tempo — not all fast jazz is equally good for dancing, and recordings with a muddy rhythm section or an unclear beat can make the footwork difficult to execute.

The Charleston's influence on American popular dance is incalculable. Its characteristic kick-ball-change footwork appears in tap dance, jazz dance, and musical theatre choreography. Its spirit of energetic, joyful improvisation shaped the entire swing dance tradition that followed. And its association with the 1920s — with flappers, speakeasies, and the Jazz Age — has made it one of the most recognizable symbols of that era in popular culture.

The revival of interest in vintage swing dancing that began in the 1980s brought the Charleston back to social dance floors, where it has remained a beloved part of the Lindy Hop community's repertoire. Events like the International Lindy Hop Championships regularly feature Charleston competitions, and the dance continues to attract new practitioners who are drawn to its combination of historical authenticity and pure physical joy.

For teachers introducing the Charleston to students, the historical context is as important as the technique. Understanding that this dance was created by African-American communities in the 1920s, that it was initially considered scandalous by white mainstream society, and that it became a symbol of cultural liberation and artistic innovation gives students a deeper appreciation of what they are learning and a more authentic connection to the music.

A partnered Charleston practice playlist should be anchored by the hot jazz recordings of the 1920s — Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven, Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, and the classic recordings of Duke Ellington and Fats Waller. These recordings define the Charleston's essential musical character: driving, syncopated, full of rhythmic surprises and melodic invention. The best Charleston music has a quality of joyful energy and rhythmic propulsion that makes it impossible to sit still, and it will train your ear to hear the syncopations and the off-beats that give the Charleston its distinctive flavour.

As your partnered Charleston vocabulary develops, expand your playlist to include the broader hot jazz canon — the recordings of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and the Swing Era big bands that brought the Charleston into the 1930s and 1940s. These recordings share the hot jazz aesthetic of rhythmic drive and melodic invention, and they provide an excellent bridge between the original 1920s Charleston and the Lindy Hop and swing dancing that grew out of it. The best partnered Charleston dancers are those who can move seamlessly between the 1920s and 1930s repertoire, finding the Charleston in every piece of hot jazz they encounter.

For social dancing at vintage and swing events, the partnered Charleston is typically danced to the same music as Lindy Hop and other swing styles. The key is to choose the Charleston vocabulary when the music invites it — when the tempo is fast, the rhythm is driving, and the musical phrase has the syncopated quality that the Charleston thrives on. A good social dancer knows when to use Charleston and when to use Lindy Hop, and the music is the primary guide for that decision.