Eccentric dance

It developed as a genre in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a result of the influence of African and exotic dancers on the traditional styles of clog and tap dancing.

Instead of holding the body stiff and straight in the style of a jig, acrobatics such as flips and contortions were used in a more exuberant, expressive and idiosyncratic way.

[6] Rubberlegging involved leg shaking or snaking which later evolved into Shag and the showcase style of Elvis Presley, while legmania added leaps and kicks in the air.

"[8] Marshall Winslow Stearns defines it as follows: The term "eccentric" is a catchall for dancers who have their own non-standard movements and sell themselves on their individual styles.

Thus, George M. Cohan, Leon Errol, Joe Frisco, George White, Harland Dixon, Jack Donahue, James Barton, Tom Patricola, Hal Leroy, Buddy Ebsen, and Ray Bolger have all been labeled eccentric dancers at one time or another, although some are much more than that, and James Barton, for example, used eccentric movements along with a wealth of other and perhaps finer steps.

The Anglo-American act of Wilson, Keppel and Betty have been acclaimed as the greatest eccentric dance act. [ 1 ] Their routine had a mock Egyptian style and their dance moves included tap , soft-shoe and sand-dancing .