Hmm, here are the lists of what I teach on my jazz/charleston DVD, and I guess I think of these as being all the fundamentals. If you know all these moves, then you've pretty much got a handle on it:
1920s Charleston Basics
1. The Charleston Basic
2. Arm Styles
3. Moving forwards
4. Moving backwards
5. Stay on one side
6. Tap around
7. Half turn
8. Lock turn
9. Front leg styles
10. Rear leg styles
11. Windmills
12. Chugs
13. Breaks
14. Scarecrow Charleston
15. Round the World Charleston
16. Squat Charleston
17. Jump Charleston
18. Knee Illusions
19. Pushes & Knee Slaps
20. Shoe Shines
21. Blackbottom
Vintage Jazz Dance Basics
1. The Messaround
2. Hip Swings
3. Pecking
4. Swivels
5. Rusty Dusty
6. Grapevine
7. Iceskating
8. Smack the Baby
9. Crazy Legs
10. Slip Slops
11. Run on the Log
12. Boogits
13. Hangman
14. The Rock
15. Hot Potatoes
16. Boogie Drop
17. Fall Off The Log
18. Shim Sham
19. Gloria
20. Apple Jacks
21. Shorty George
22. Camel Walk
23. Suzie Q
24. Tacky Annie
25. Truckin'
26. Boogie Forwards
27. Boogie Back
28. Fishtails
29. Half Breaks
30. Broken Leg
31. Happy Feet
And then all the classic routines to know are: Frankie's Shim Sham Shimmy, the Trankey Doo, the Keep Punchin' Big Apple, the Al Minns & Leon James Shim Sham, maybe Steven Mitchell's Jitterbug Stroll? haha
And watch the first section of the Spirit Moves, plus the Al Minns and Leon James interviews with Marshall Stearns in the 60s.
Then if you want names to look up on YouTube:
Hal Leroy
The Nicholas Brothers
Berry Brothers (particularly Nyas Berry)
Al Morgan
Earl Snakehips Tucker
Bill Bojangles Robinson
Fred Astaire
Gene Kelly
Bill Bailey
Sammy Davis Jnr
Buck & Bubbles
Cab Calloway
The Four Flash Devils
The Clark Brothers
Daniel L Haynes
Rubberneck Holmes
The Three Chefs
Patterson & Jackson
Tip Tap & Toe
The Condos Brothers
Al Minns
Leon James
Cholly Atkins & Honi Coles
The Four Step Brothers
The Three Sparks of Rhythm
Jimmy Slyde
Donald O’Connor
The Wiere Brothers
The Four Hot Shots
Tops & Wilder
Red & Struggs
Stump & Stumpy
Leonard Reed
Hope that helps!
Got all that? lol"
Sharon's wonderful DVD is available by clicking here:
