The origins of the Charleston go back possibly to a dance very similar in the 1520’s named the Branle or other dance historians say the “Ash-Ante Peoples” of Africa originated the dance. There are also pictures and descriptions to a dance in Harper’s Weekly Magazine from October 13th, 1866 depicting a dance like the Charleston. The more familiar Charleston are believed to originate from Charleston, South Carolina as early as 1903 and appeared in Harlem stage productions 1913. The Charleston later lost popularity in the 1920's to The Lindy Hop, or later known as the Jitterbug.