The Revolution of Dance
in the 1920s
Theme: Revolution, Reaction, Reform
Ms. Davis, Ms. Lataille, and Mr. Jones
Hanna Sprague
Process Paper
My topic is the revolution of dance in the 1920s. I chose this for this year’s history day
project because it connects to a hobby I have outside of school. I have been dancing at
Manchester School of Dance Arts for 14 years now and it is my passion, so learning about how
it all came together is very interesting. Dance connects to this year’s theme because the 1920s
dance moves are still incorporated in today’s dance society in America.
The most interesting thing that I have learned about this topic is how many particular
steps like The Charleston, Lindy Hop, Shimmy, etc. first started in the 1920s. Before this time,
dance was still common but the steps and styles were more standard and old fashion. Once
dance hit the 20s, it became more relaxed, fun, and gave off a better connection with the
partner or group. Throughout my dancing experience, the dances I’ve performed have had
many of these styles included. Knowing exactly when and where they came from helps me
understand how goofy some steps look but relates to themes in dance. It is very common to
have different variations of specific dances or styles but no matter what each of them have
their own unique look that dancers master and learn.
When I first started my research on this topic, I expanded my search to something as
simple as dance in the 1920s, or as they called it “The Roaring Twenties”. Once I found a few
sites that explained specific styles and dates these styles came from, I narrowed it down to the
more specific things like Flappers; women, or Sheiks; men. Doing this gave me a lot more
thorough information that will help me put together my project. With the research I have
gathered so far, I can set up my project in sections of each dance style that began in the 1920s
and explain the importance and creativity in each step. Also, I can connect a good portion of
this information with a picture showing exactly what each style looks like with a group or
partner. As I was looking for pictures, I came across a few that are actually taken from the 20s
which will help me give off a better description.
The National History Day theme this year can connect with almost any topic if you really
put your mind to it. I wanted to choose a topic of interest that will inspire me to complete my
history day project instead of putting it off. Researching dance in the 1920s falls under the
revolution category because of the impact it made on the American dance life and how much it
changed from the time before the 20s to then. My topic could really fall under all three
categories because people in this time obviously reacted to the dance changes and put them
into action. At first, it was looked down upon to dance most of the 1920s styles because of how
different and intimate they were from before, but if dancers did not react and incorporate
these different changes then dance would not have evolved to what it is today.
Finally, I constructed my poster with my own organization. I used the outline on regular
paper to try to plan out where I was going to place everything on the actual board. This was
very helpful, however, I stayed organized the whole time I worked on this project. Everything
had their own section in my folder and I always kept track of my work. The information I
included was mainly about the types of dance in the 1920s and how they were really important
to my topic. I did not go outside my topic and link music or fashion to my project too much
because I think that just 1920s dance really explains my thesis.