Rebecca Bryant

Shaking Things Up: Popularizing the Shimmy in America

Dancing was one of the most popular American pastimes during the 1910s and 1920s, and a multitude of new social dances developed, especially during the 1910s. One of the most talked-about dances of the time was the shimmy. Developed from African American roots, the shimmy was not really a dance in the sense of having specific steps. Instead, it was defined by a rapid horizontal shaking of the upper body, especially the shoulders. Movements sometimes also included shaking of the torso and hips. Once female entertainers added the shimmy to their stage acts for white American audiences, it received nationwide exposure in newspapers, theatrical magazines, and popular song. While conservatives attacked the shimmy for the impropriety and sensuality of its movements, as well as for its nexus with new musical trends, Americans enthusiastically embraced it as both an exhibition dance and a social dance. Amateurs performed the shimmy on dance floors in cabarets and dance halls, signaling socially important shifts in American views of female sexual autonomy.

Supporting Research Information Management in the Research University: Partnerships, Challenges, and Possibilities

Part of the Scholarly Communication Commons An indexed, print copy of the Proceedings is also available for purchase at: http://www.thepress.purdue.edu/series/ charleston. You may also be interested in the new series, Charleston Insights in Library, Archival, and Information Sciences. Find out more at: http://www.thepress.purdue.edu/series/charleston-insights-library-archival-and-information-sciences.