The characteristic Charleston beat, basically the first bar of a 3-2 clave, came to have widespread use in jazz comping and musicians still reference it by name today. Harmonically, the song features a five-chord ragtime progression, all of which were inspired by the dockworkers of South Carolina and Johnson’s own piano artistry. Johnson actually recorded several "Charlestons" and in later years derided most of them as being of "that same damn beat." Several of these were recorded on player piano rolls, some of which have survived to this day!

The Charleston has danced its way into a number of films set in the 1920s. Ginger Rogers dances to the music in the film Roxie Hart (1942). In the movies Margie (1946) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946), the song is played during school dance scenes. In the movie Tea for Two (1950), with Doris Day and Gordon MacRae, the song is a featured production number. A version performed by Enoch Light and the Charleston City All Stars is used in Woody Allen's 2011 film Midnight in Paris, which largely takes place in the 1920s. The track "Bang Bang" from the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, performed by Will.I.Am, samples the song. And one of the most famous recordings of The Charleston was by The Golden Gate Orchestra in 1925, which has been inducted into the National Recording Registry.

The song was first widely heard by audiences in the Broadway musical Runnin’ Wild. The musical also featured a dance, set to the tune of the song, also called The Charleston. This dance wasn’t totally a new invention though – it is based on a dance that originated from an African/African-American dance called Juba. The particular sequence of steps that appeared in Runnin' Wild were likely added and devised for popular appeal. By the time The Charleston hit the speakeasies and juice joints, it was a fast kicking step, forward and backward, done with a tap combination of African, European, jazz, and tap dance! Many note that the dance was known well before that; in particular, The Charleston composer James P. Johnson said that he had seen it danced as early as 1913 in New York City in the San Juan Hill neighborhood, at the Jungles Casino.

Ready to give it a try? It’s pretty easy! Here’s how to Dance The Charleston:

• Place your hands in front of you, fingers splayed (like jazz hands).

• As you slowly point the toes on your left foot in front of you, sway your hands to the left.

• Sway your hands to the right as you tap your left big toe on the floor next to your right.

• Shift your weight to point the toes on your right foot behind you as you sway your hand to the left again.

• Sway your hands to the right as you tap your right big toe on the floor next to your left.

• Continue for as long as you’d like!

Or, just watch some of the pros doing it here in the videos!