1920s Partner Charleston
Charleston is famous as a solo dance, so when my business partner Elena suggested we developed a course in Partner Charleston I was sceptical. The concept of Partner Charleston was not alien to me, I had attended workshops and watched it on Strictly but I couldn’t help thinking it was a bit of a fudge.
There is a history to Partner Charleston; It developed after the original Charleston dance craze had seen it’s hey day. In the 1920’s The Ballroom Society had found women dancing solo quite scandalous and so they created a cleaned-up version of the Charleston which was danced with a partner. The early jazz music of the Twenties evolved, and with Swing came the Lindy Hop dance. Lindy Hoppers danced a new style of Charleston, the footwork is more complex and it can be danced with a Partner or Solo.
Fast forward to the 2020’s and we had a big historical palate of Partner Charleston dance moves which we could copy and paste. But deep down I was still worried people would look at Partner Charleston and say “That’s not a thing”. Twenties Charleston is just a tap and a step, could we keep the essence of that footwork and create a dance which felt interesting and varied? One year on, we have successfully created seven Partner Charleston dances, which both look and feel great to dance.
When couples decide they want to learn to dance, the desired outcome is normally the ability to be able to dance together. Whether it’s in their kitchen or at social occasion they’ll need to know some basic moves. Dance should be enjoyable and achievable, and the Charleston is both. The basic ‘Tap, Step’ footwork is quick to learn add some double taps with some walks and you have enough of a dance vocabulary to last a whole tune.
There is a difference between performed couple dancing and improvised dancing. Those perfectly executed moves you see on Strictly have been choreographed and rehearsed over and over until they are performance ready. In social dance forms such as Swing or Tango the emphasis is on improvisation, both you and your partner need know the moves so you can converse through language of dance. This is a skill which takes a lot of practice, the best Follow in the world is not psychic! For Leads, the pressure is on to know all the moves, execute them clearly and to be creative.
I have learnt both approaches and decided MyCharleston could offer a blend of the two. In the six-week courses we run we divide the lesson into two halves. Firstly, we teach Leads and follows two or three dance moves. We focus on how the Lead gives signals and how the Follow responds. We then put on some music and encourage dancers to play with those moves by changing the number they do or the order in which they happen, so it becomes a true improvisation.
The moves they have learnt are then incorporated into a choreographed routine which they learn in the second part of the lesson. Each week we build upon the vocabulary of moves and the choreography so by the end of the course students know a full routine, which they can dance together. Part of MyCharleston teaching practice is to give students a clear and achievable goal. Learning a dance routine allows students to progress the knowledge week by week. The outcome is a full dance routine and an opportunity to dress-up and film the routine.
Creating the Partner Charleston routines opened our eyes to how much you can do with the basic ‘Tap, Step’ footwork. Once you have mastered the Charleston, you can play with variations. In this video tutorial we show how to do ‘Closed Swivels’ and ‘Open Swivels’. The footwork is still “Tap, Step” with changes of direction and use of counter weight to create a ‘bounce back’ between the dance partners, which feels great!
Keeping the playful character of Twenties Charleston was important to us. Dance that becomes predominantly technique can lose its sense of fun. People learn best through play, it keeps the learning light but you still gain the skills. By adding dance moves which are normally done solo it allowed us to break away from the constant ‘Tap, Step’ footwork and add a new dynamic to the Choreography. These moves work well for Choreographed routines and as they capture the Twenties dance style. In this tutorial we teach two classic moves called “Heel Flicks’ and Bunny Hops”
Partner dance would be nothing if you didn’t add some turns or spins, it’s just such a great feeling and they look brilliant. Once you know the Charleston you can easily add a turn and the footwork is identical. There is no rule in Charleston that only Follows get to do turns, so Leads also get a spin on the dance floor. In this video tutorial we teach you a ‘Call and Response’ Turning sequence, in which one person turns and then the other.
My top tip for anyone looking to Partner dance is think about how you treat your partner. Be kind, patient and don’t get too serious. Through fun and lightness, you will find your dancing feet together. To book the next course click the button below
