How to Dance the Charleston

By Lauri Gregoire
Lauri Gregoire

Lauri Gregoire began her dancing, singing and acting career at a young age. She received her Bachelor of Performing Arts in dance performance from the prestigious Oklahoma City University in 1995. Upon graduation, she moved to Nashville, where she performed with Opryland U.S.A. as a lead dancer. While at Opryland, Gregoire performed in such shows as, "And the Winner Is," "Country Music USA," "I Hear America Singing," and as a lead dancer on the "General Jackson Showboat." Gregoire began teaching at the Bellevue Dance Center in January of 1998 and became owner and director in May of 2004. She is also the resident choreographer at the Boiler Room Theatre in Franklin, Tenn.

www.bellevuedancecenter.com

To dance the Charleston, break the dance down into a few simple steps, practice each step until it is mastered, and combine all the steps to form the completed dance. Practice dancing the Charleston, with or without a partner, with helpful information from the owner and director of a dance studio in this free video on dancing.

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Video transcription

How to dance the Charleston. The Charleston is a dance form that originated in the roaring twenty's. There's several different versions of it and I will show you one today. Keep in mind that this step can be done with or without a partner. Starting on your right foot you're going to take one step forward, touch your left foot, step back on the left and touch your right. Step front and touch, step back and touch. After you've completed this with ease then you want to start turning your feet in and out in the process of that... and out... and out. It's a little twisting move on the balls of your feet... and out... and out. When that becomes more comfortable, you can also start to pick your knees up in the process of it... in out... back up... in up... back up... thinking of keeping your knees close together... being that the women back then had dresses that didn't allow them to have as much freedom of movement. There's also a Charleston step that involves a little kick. Stepping front on one foot, kick the other forward, step back on that foot, and touch it back, swinging the arms. Step and kick and step and back. Step and kick and step and back. This is just one version of the many different forms of Charleston steps.