Does anybody dance the Charleston?

[vitanola]

I used to passably dance the Chareleston, the Shimmy, the Black Bottom, the Two-Step, the One-Step, the Turkey Trot, the Maxxie and the Grizzly Bear, as well as a reasonably good Czesky Polka and the Rhinelander. Unfortunately the Better Half does not dance at all, so the past twenty-five years have been pretty sedate. Mostly the odd fox trot or waltz at a wedding.

You should see me dance the Charleston
You should see my limbs flying round
You should see my legs a wobble
To the syncopated sound
When the Gramophone is playing
I always have to go
For a toddling, bouncing Charleston
Is the merriest fun I know

But now I'm old and shaky
I've lost my breath, you see
My limbs are getting quaky
and scarcely will bear me
I'm never asked to dances
I'm long since on the shelf
(but) A Victrola's in the attic
So I'll dance it by myself!

You should see me dance the Charleston
in the attic all alone
You should see my arms a-flying
you should hear me bump my dome
When the Graphophone is playing
If my knees they do not give
I will dance the snakey charleston
as long as I may live!

 

[vitanola]

I don't think anyone will be particularly surprised that I dance a 20s style Charleston (with more of the sideways flicking action). Flicking in a "bees knees" move is always fun! Friend and I developed a "you can Charleston to anything" theory late one night...not sure how good our judgement was after the copious quanities of champagne, but proved it at least to our own satisfaction.

Oh, REALLY? Try THIS on your talking machine:

 

[robrinay]

For most of my life I was too scared to dance in public, though I would have a secret quiet bop to music while cooking and drinking wine. My second wife has helped me to 'face my dragon'. She agreed to learn to Ski if I learned to dance. We've been having private dance lessons for around five years now and We are now passable in a number of ballroom dances (Waltz Foxtrot Cha Cha etc), and I now have the confidence to dance in public. The basic steps in ChCha and Rhumba are perfectly transferable to disco and the wedding dance our dance teacher designed for us is very rock and roll- Jive influenced so works well in discos and tea dances. I really want to learn how to Charleston, having read this thread and seen it on 'Strictly' (UK tv Dance Competition).
Somehow my wife has managed to avoid learning to ski?

 

[ChrisT]

If you know the basic of Cha Cha, you will be able to Lindy.
In Cha Cha you have back, step, cha, cha, cha, and in Lindy you have back, step, tri, ple, step

and lindy is not far from Rock N Roll

 

[vitanola]

and lindy is not far from Rock N Roll

Hmmph! You say that as if it is a good thing.

 

[ChrisT]

it's a good thing if you want quick result.
But if you want to be good you have to separate Lindy from Rock n Roll