Satan in the Dance Hall explores the overwhelming popularity of social dancing and its close relationship to America's rapidly changing society in the 1920s. The book focuses on the fiercely contested debate over the morality of social dancing in New York City, led by moral reformers and religious leaders like Rev. John Roach Straton. Fed by the firm belief that dancing was the leading cause of immorality in New York, Straton and his followers succeeded in enacting municipal regulations on social dancing and moral conduct within the more than 750 public dance halls in New York City.
Ralph G. Giordano conveys an easy to read and full picture of life in the Jazz Age, incorporating important events and personalities such as the Flu Epidemic, the Scopes Monkey Trial, Prohibition, Flappers, Gangsters, Texas Guinan, and Charles Lindbergh, while simultaneously describing how social dancing was a hugely prominent cultural phenomenon, one closely intertwined with nearly every aspect of American society from the Great War to the Great Depression. With a bibliography, an index, and over 35 photos, Satan in the Dance Hall presents an interdisciplinary study of social dancing in New York City throughout the decade.

eBook - PDF
Satan in the Dance Hall
Rev. John Roach Straton, Social Dancing, and Morality in 1920s New York City
- 304 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
Satan in the Dance Hall
Rev. John Roach Straton, Social Dancing, and Morality in 1920s New York City
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Information
Subtopic
North American HistoryTable of contents
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 01. The War, the Flu, and New York City
- Chapter 02. Dr. Straton Tells of Buying Drinks
- Chapter 03. The Dance of Death and Satan’s Circus
- Chapter 04. The Dance Masters Respond to Issues of Morality
- Chapter 05. Flappers and the Dance of Life
- Chapter 06. The Devil’s Music and the Scopes Trial
- Chapter 07. Searching for Satan in the Dance Hall
- Chapter 08. Fighting the Devil in Modern Babylon
- Chapter 09. Eulogy for the Last Dragon Slayer
- Bibliography
- Index
- About the Author
- Photospread 1
- Photospread 2
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Yes, you can access Satan in the Dance Hall by Ralph G Giordano in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & North American History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.