Oh That Wicked Jazz Dancing!
“Polite society has tabooed it in larger cities. Young girls are ignorant of this tough
dance, or they would not consent to learn it or dance with those who do. Better
cut it out now, than to have it ruin our dances.”
The Gilroy Advocate, 1912
F
rom 1896 to 1918, a fresh music
craze swept the nation. Called
Ragtime, the music was popular-
ized by such composers as Scott
Joplin and Irvin Berlin, whose catchy piece,
“Alexander’s Rag Time Band,” was enjoyed
from sheet piano music in home parlors.
New dances sprang up to accompany the
captivating tempo. Called the Grizzly,
Castle Walk, and the Shag, the dance sensa-
tions shocked decent Americans. “Before
Ragtime fastens itself upon our young
46
people, let us investigate the source of this
latest fad,” the Gilroy Advocate Editor
bemoaned. “The rag dance comes from the
Barbary Coast dance hall, where sailors and
low men and women nightly revel in this
pastime.”
The Grizzly was particularly shocking,
with its awkward, heavy side steps during
which the dance partners shouted, “It’s a
bear!” One move had the woman hurl-
ing herself at the man, wrapping her body
around his. Abandoned quickly, this dance
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
was soon replaced with the Turkey Trot,
composed of four hopping steps sideways,
first on one leg, then on the other, followed
by quick stops and fast trots.
To the dismay of teachers, parents and
church leaders, the popular dances also
hit Gilroy, where they were roundly con-
demned as ungainly contortions. “If we
now wish to be up to date and modern, we
seek out the dregs of society and faithfully
copy their misbehavior and vulgarity,” the
local newspaper complained.
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