The Charleston, The Butterfly, & The Tootsie Roll

Editor:
In my haste to publish this page on Black social dances that include "woobly legs" movements that resemble the early 1923 African American dance called The Charleston, I completely forgot two popular 1990s dances- "The Butterfly" and "The Tootsie Roll." My apologies to fans of those dances.

This post includes videos & information about The Charleston and those other two dances. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/charleston-dance-movement-in-african.html for the post entitled "The Charleston In African & African American Dances"

Note: I do not mean to imply that the creators of the Butterfly or the Tootsie Roll purposely clipped movemnts from The Charleston to come up with those dances. I'm merely pointing out that each of those dances (and the dances featured on my previous post on this subject) includes that woobly legs movement.

My thanks to all those dances, musicians, singers who are featured in these videos, and to all those who produced and uploaded those videos. My thanks also to those who included information about those dances, and song lyrics with their uploader comments.

These videos and the information in this post are shared for educational, historical, folkoric, aesthetic and/or entertainment values.

VIDEOS & COMMENTS

THE CHARLESTON

1920s Charleston

Uploaded by swingitshaz on Oct 19, 2009

The Charleston was the dance that captured the spirit of the 1920s. It was danced with wild abandon by a new generation of independent young Americans, to the new hot jazz that was flooding the country.

The dance began in Charleston, South Carolina, the city from which it takes its name. In 1923, The Charleston was featured in the Broadway show Runnin Wild, one of the biggest hits of the decade. The song from the show - James P. Johnsons tune The Charleston - spread the fad across the nation and onwards to the rest of the world. Josephine Baker became famous for performing the Charleston in Paris in the 1920s. The Charleston is both a solo and partnered dance, both wildly exuberant and exciting to watch. As the hot jazz of the 1920s gave way to the swingin jazz of the 1930s and 40s, the partnered version of Charleston evolved into Lindy Hop.

For more jazz dance history visit my blog:
www.sharondavis.com.au

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Charleston -- Original Al & Leon Style!!

Uploaded by 7roach on Aug 31, 2007

Al Minns & Leon James from the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem

Filmed during the 50s
Danced by original jazz dancers from the 30s

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THE BUTTERFLY

Step Butterfly

Uploaded by DHnounours on Sep 10, 2006
An old step (ragga)

-snip-
From this video's viewer comment thread:
"they are speaking french not creole or patwa
-maptchil; 2010

-snip-

I have found two Jamaican dance records from 1990 or 1991 that refer to the new dance "The Butterfly": Macka B "Do The Butterfly" and Byron Lee's "Soca Butterfly". My guess is that Macka B's record came first. Because I was unable to find the words to that song online, I made a transcription from the YouTube sound file. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/02/do-butterfly-macka-b-lyrics.html for that post which also includes the sound file for Byron Lee's song.

By the way, the 1980 song "Butterfly" by Jamaican Reggae crooner Barrington Levy has no connection to The Butterfly dance. However, I've added a link to that song on the above mentioned post.

Before turning to another video of "The Butterfly", as a collector of English language playground rhymes & children's cheerleader cheers, it's interesting to note that a number of such rhymes include the line "do the butterfly". However, usually the only movement that I've seen on with those chants is criss crossing your arms slightly above your waist and flapping your hands back & forth (thus mimicking a butterfly's wing movements). Click http://cocojams.com/content/childrens-cheerleader-cheers under "Butterfly" and "Pepsi Cola" to find several videos of those cheerleader cheers.

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How to Dance to Reggae Dancehall : How to Do the Butterfly in Reggae Dancehall

Uploaded by expertvillage on Jan 18, 2008

Learn how to do the butterfly in dancing to reggae dancehall music with expert advice on dance moves and skills in this free dance lesson video.

Expert: Safi A. Thomas
Contact: www.bdanyc.com
Bio: Safi A.
Filmmaker: Paul Muller

Editor:
In the viewer comment thread for this video, several commentaters indicated that these dancers are doing The Tootsie Roll & not The Butterfly. Here is an excerpt of that comment exchange*

*Be aware that some comments on that thread are sexually explicit, and some include profanity.

Also, one commentater corrected the video title indicating that "Dancehall" came from "Reggae" and is considered a different music genre than "Reggae". Therefore, the term "Dancehall Reggae" is a misnomer.

I Believe Thats Simply The Tootsie ROLL !!!
-JadaMonaee1234; 2011

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@JadaMonaee1234 Its not completely different but the tootsie roll is American and the Butterfly is Caribbean I believe it's Jamaican. If you listen to the lyrics of Tootsie Roll you will hear "The butterfly, uh uh that's old. Let me see your tootsee roll." So 69 Boyz tried to make it different but it is ultimately its still the butterfly .
-dtborde; 2011

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@JadaMonaee1234 Butterfly came out is '91, Tootsie roll came out in '93. If i remember right?? But i'm pretty sure the Butterfly came out first.
-biggahbounceent; 2011

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TOOTSIE ROLL

69 Boys- Tootsie roll

Uploaded by langseth80 on Mar 9, 2008

the music video tootsee roll

The butterfly? Uh-uh, that's old!
Let me see the Tootsee Roll!
Yeah, 199Quad!
69 Boyz backed up by the Quad City DJ's!
One time !
Cotton candy, sweetie go, let me see the Tootsee Roll!
Tootsee Roll! (8x)
To the left! (2x) To the right! (2x)
To the front! (2x) To the back! (2x)
Slide! (8x)
To the left! (2x) To the right! (2x)
To the front! (2x) To the back! (2x)
Dip, baby, dip! (4x)

Cotton candy, sweetie, go,
Let me see the Tootsee Roll!
(Verse 1)
I don't know what you've been told
It ain't the butterfly, it's the Tootsee Roll
A brand new dance SO,
Grab a partner and get on the dance FLO'
And work them hips a lil' bit
Then do that dip a lil' bit
Oh yeah, you got it, now whip, baby, no buts about it
And you over there, with the long hair
Keep rollin' that derriere
'Cause it ain't hard
Just a brand new dance for the 199Quad
69 in the place to be
Hey yo, 'Ski! What we came to see?
Cotton candy, sweetie, go,
Let me see the Tootsee Roll!
Chorus 1
Bridge:
I feel a whoop comin' on, a whoop comin' on (2x)
Whoop! (8x)
Tootsee Roll! (8x)
To the left! (2x) To the right! (2x)
To the front! (2x) To the back! (2x)
Slide! (8x)
I feel a whoop comin' on, a whoop comin' on (2x)
Whoop! (8x)
Cotton candy, sweetie, go,
Let me see the Tootsee Roll!
I don't know what you've been told
It ain't the butterfly, it's the Tootsee Roll
A brand new dance SO,
Grab a partner and get on the dance FLO'
69 in the place to be
Hey yo, 'Ski! What we came to see?
The butterfly? Uh-uh, that's old!
The butterfly? Uh-uh, that's old!
Let me see the Tootsee Roll!
Tootsee Roll! (8x)
To the left! (2x) To the right! (2x)
To the front! (2x) To the back! (2x)
Slide! (8x)
To the left! (2x) To the right! (2x)
To the front! (2x) To the back! (2x)
Dip, baby, dip! (4x)
I feel a whoop comin' on, a whoop comin' on (2x)
Whoop! (8x)
Just roll! (16x)

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