 Vernon and Irene Castle's ragtime revolution.
Author: Golden, Eve Published: 2007 Vernon and Irene Castle popularised ragtime dancing in the years just before World War I and made dancing a respectable pastime in America. The whisper-thin, elegant Castles were trendsetters in many ways: they travelled with a black orchestra, had an openly lesbian manager, and advocated for animal rights decades before this became a public issue. Irene was also a fashion innovator, bobbing her hair ten years before the flapper look became popular. From 1911, when they were married, until Vernon was killed in a plane crash in 1918 while serving in the Royal Canadian Flying Corps, the Castles were the most famous and influential dance team in the world. Their club and dancing school attracted both society figures and white-collar workers, and brought about the advent of dancing establishments as suitable for 'nice' people. This is the story of a couple who re-invented dance and established its place in twentieth-century culture. |
