Shake It Like Elvis, 1956
Updated: 2 days ago
The Charleston is a dance named after the harbour city of Charleston, South Carolina. While the dance is probably derived from the “star”, or challenge dances, that were all part of the African-American dance style called Juba, the particular sequence of steps which appeared in the Charleston was newly devised for popular appeal. People encountering the Charleston couldn’t help but be mesmerised by its exotic moves. At first, the step started off with a simple twisting of the feet, with a lazy sort of rhythm. When the dance hit Harlem, a new version emerged: it became a fast kicking step, flicking the feet both forward and backward, and later done with a tap. It was a style with real flair. These days, though, it was Elvis who had rediscovered that fever to impress those southern belles.
A few days previously, this couple of Elvis fans had seen their legendary singer perform in Charleston itself. They wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world, not even if it cost them their jobs. Elvis Presley had caused a sensation ever since he burst onto the scene with Heartbreak Hotel. The song had just spent its seventh consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100. The crowd had gone wild, with thousands of teens roaring the king’s name. The audience tried desperately to get to the singer, holding their arms out to the stage. They wanted to touch him, even just to brush their fingertips against him, and see him up close. Elvis Presley had made sure to swivel his hips, his legs kicking like a wild Charleston. The crowd had screamed in support. The combination was new to them; a new genre that felt as if it had been conjured from another world entirely. Elvis Presley made his legs vibrate and shudder, rocking on his heels. It was an unforgettable moment.
What was it that made Elvis tick? The king of rock ’n’ roll had given an interview before the show. Cynical reporters who saw the concert insisted that Elvis would “skip town just as soon as he gets all the young folk hereabouts broken out in a real cool rash.” But was that the whole story? Under the spotlights, the cameras and the journalists, lots of people were beginning to suspect they knew what Elvis was really about: dollar bills. Elvis claimed he didn’t know what his take-home pay was, but the reporters had their doubts. “It’s enough, anyway, to satisfy some pretty ridiculous whims – and he gives the impression of being smart enough to put some aside for the day when, to some, he’ll be just a distasteful memory… Matter of fact, he’s pretty much a country kid who manages to keep a sharp eye on the dollar bills he missed so much when he was younger,” wrote one reporter.
This couple of fans had paid exactly 1 dollar each to see Elvis in concert. They’d bought their concert tickets at a drugstore. It had been an unforgettable night, and they didn’t regret a thing. Elvis Presley had been flamboyant, his legs shaking with majestic ease. The couple tried to do it like him. They twisted their feet and jolted their knees rapidly, feeling like they were right up there on the stage with their idol. Memories of the show flashed through their minds. Elvis Presley, the king, was there with them. He sang into his microphone and winked at the audience. If only Elvis would come back to Charleston. If only they could hear him sing one more song. The couple went on dancing, never tiring of the thrill.
Shake it like Elvis!
Alan Alfredo Geday