Back in the 1920's the word "Flapper" was coined to describe to women who danced the latest craze; the Charleston. The term was derived from the movements associated with the dance steps that required that the woman would flap their arms and walk like birds - hence Flappers as in flapping wings of the birds.
Although the dance was popularized during the 1920's, the earliest Charleston is believed to have been part of several Harlem (USA) stage shows being recorded as early as 1913.
The coming of the Ragtime jazz era of the 1920's which saw a boom in the popularity of the swinging jazz rhythms which underlie the Charleston cemented the dance into the then popular culture.
This freedom of expression and the freedom of style that went hand in hand with the spread of the dance craze is typical of the social response to the return of the good times following the ending of the First World War. The jazz time era itself was part of this manifestation and the Charleston was a very visible part of this collective feeling of returning well being.
Not everyone appreciated this open flaunting of youth and vitality and many saw the Charleston and the Flappers in particular as being evidence of the downfall of moral standards and moral fortitude and directly responsible for many of the moral issues of the day. Certainly the Flappers tended to wear shorter skirts and took to a style of having their hair bobbed but it is true that they also tended towards heavier and more openly visible drinking and smoking habits.
Worse was to follow for the Flappers and for the Charleston dance craze; In 1925, Variety Magazine reported that the vibrations of Charleston dancers were so strong that the dancers caused the "Pickwick Club" a favoured Boston dance hall, to collapse, killing fifty of its patrons.
If you want to see what all the fuss is about why not adopt a Charleston or Flapper theme for your next fancy dress party. For added spice you can team the Flappers and Gangsters themes together as they are both from the same era of the history of the States. The range of costumes for these themes is huge and most costume retailers will have both a wide selection of costumes as well as the necessary costume accessories.
And lastly, those who want to throw themselves into the Flapper theme wholeheartedly, why not learn to dance the Charleston. Oscar Duryea, American authority on modern dances, describes here how the dance is actually performed:
The position at the start is as follows: Man's left foot behind the right, left toe at the heel of the right, both toes turned out-his partner's right foot in front of her left, her right heel at the toe of her left foot, both toes turned out. The man raises the left foot and at the same time raises on the toe of the right, turn both toes in, twisting on the ball of the right foot. With the feet in this position, both toes are twisted out, with the man's left heel in front of his right toe-his partner's right heel in front at her left toe.
The man raises his left foot, at the same time rising on the ball of the right foot, and twists both toes in, then puts his left foot behind the right one, and on the balls of both feet twists both toes out-his left toe behind at the right heel. His partner raises her right foot, at the same time rising on the ball of her left foot and twists both toes in, then puts her right foot in front and on the balls of both feet turns both toes out-her right toe in front at her left heel.
A toddle movement is taken through-out all the "Charleston" steps, on whichever foot on which the weight happens to be.
Now to me the next line would appear to be; And man and woman both arrive at hospital! And now you know where all the Flappers went!
Karnival Costumes stocks a huge selection of fancy dress costumes and accessories for both Flappers and Gangsters, simply click on the following link; http://karnival-house.co.uk/acatalog/Gangsters_and_Molls.html Flappers and Gangsters are just two of the many costume themes that you can choose your party theme from.
We have a huge range of Gangster and Charleston Flapper accessories including toy weapons, violin case handbags and many more unusual costume accessories on display simply by clicking in the link: http://www.karnival-house.co.uk/acatalog/fancy-dress-costume-accessories-gangsters.html Feel free to browse our website and purchase your costumes and accessories with confidence from one of the leading costume suppliers in the UK.
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Article submitted by: KV Sinclair. Keith Sinclair has over 35 years of business experience and in addition to being a part time University Lecturer on Business Studies, he is CEO of Cavalcade; a group of companies operating in the party sector. Cavalcade operates Karnival Costumes at karnival-house.co.uk one of the UK's leading internet Fancy Dress Retailers. With massive stocks for immediate dispatch and an ever expanding range, Karnival-House continues to strive simply to offer outstanding service combined with outstanding value.
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