Ragtime Era
What is Ragtime?
- Full of livley and springy rhythyms, it was developed in African American communities throughout the southern Midwest. It originated when bands would mesh the music and rhythyms of marches to black songs and dances.
- Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Joseph Lamb and James Scott were the most prominent musicians of that time.
- African American Cake Walk
- Four-Step
- Animal Dances: Grizzly Bear, Turkey Trot, Bunny Hug, and Camel Walk
- Argentine Tango
- Maxixe
- Castle Walk
- Hesitation Waltz
- These dances were rather scandalous, especially the Animal Dances. But, the great rave of Modern Dance ended as the dance floor thinned due to WWI.
- The great inductors of these Modern Dances were Vernon and Irene Castle (shown to the left). They first refined and popularized the Foxtrot after their Broadway debut in Irving Berlin's Watch Your Step.
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