The Charleston Ballet

A Labanotation score.In capturing the spirit of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ Jerome Robbins’ Charleston Ballet is agem. It came to life in the 1945 Broadway show Billion Dollar Baby, providing a highlightdespite being only seven minutes long. Robbins depicted the various characters of thetime, the gangsters, bootleggers, a policeman (who was always looking the other way)and various other characters who entered – and also exited – the Speakeasy. For each ofthese people Robbins selected appropriate Charleston steps of the period to illustrate theirparticular personality. Three young Flappers had great fun whooping it up; the RichCouple exuded elegance and disdain as they swept into the Speakeasy; the doddery OldCouple, dancing the familiar steps with caution; the over exuberant Collegiate Couplewildly sharing a flask of booze; two Younger Generation, he with banjo, joyfully beatingtime to the music; two Gangsters furtively casing the joint before the Bootleggers bringin the boxes of likker. The poor Timid Girl (who lives alone in an attic), meets up withGood Time Charlie who soon drags her into the Speakeasy. Before long, wildly drunk,the Timid Girl comes bursting out the Speakeasy and introduces exaggerated Charlestonsteps which leads into the group finale.