A defining cultural phenomenon of the Roaring Twenties, the Charles­ton gained widespread popularity af­ter its appearance in October 1923 in the African American Broadway revue Runnin’ Wild. Newsreels captured the dance’s irresistible rise over the course of the decade. Fox News, Vol. 6, Release 74, issued on 13 June 1925, featured Charleston footage filmed at the Fox studio in New York and at Starlight Park, a prominent amusement park in the Bronx. In the studio footage the Charleston was demonstrated by a group of dancers sent by none other than Texas Guinan, the famed queen of New York speakeasies – among them was a very young Ruby Keeler, who, just a few years later, would marry Al Jolson and go on to become a successful actress. The surviving set of outtakes showcases a performance by an unidentified dancer embodying the Charleston’s spirit of freedom, fun, and youthful rebellion that so captivated audiences of the era.

Daniela Currò