Charleston Hen Party Dance Class

Charleston Hen Party in Your City

One flat rate from £140 for any group size, and the choreographer comes to you. Choose your city for local venues and booking details.

How Your Charleston Party Runs

Arrival and the swivel

Your choreographer arrives with a hot-jazz playlist and teaches the swivel first — heels in, toes out, knees doing something your ankles need a moment to believe. It clicks fast, and the room is bouncing within minutes.

Building the routine

Kicks, bees knees, scarecrow arms and comic freezes stack into a full 1920s routine, taught in short sections at your speed. Silly faces are not just allowed but choreographed — the Charleston has been funny on purpose for a century.

The speakeasy finale

Headbands adjusted, flat caps on, one full run-through filmed on your phones with a big freeze-frame finish. It cuts together beautifully with the rest of the weekend's 20s footage.

Why Charleston for the Hen Do?

Because the Charleston is the only dance in history that improves the sillier it gets. It was built for laughing — wild knees, flying kicks and comedy faces were part of the package from the very start — so a group of best friends attempting it together is basically the dance operating as designed. No partners are needed, and the moves land quickly because the bounce does most of the work.

Your routine draws on the solo 1920s style: swivels, flapper kicks, bees knees and scarecrow arms, plus an optional partnered section for any hens who fancy it, all built around the bride and finished with a freeze-frame pose. Add headbands, pearls or flat caps and the finale film looks like restored newsreel.

The Charleston exploded from the Broadway show Runnin' Wild in 1923 and never really left Britain — the UK swing scene still dances it at socials every week, and Peaky Blinders single-handedly revived the nation's appetite for 1920s dress-up. If your hen do already has a Peaky or Gatsby dress code, this is its soundtrack.

Knees in, heels out, grin like it's 1923.

Swivels

The signature twisting footwork — heels and toes trading places on every beat. Oddly moreish once it clicks.

Bees Knees

Hands crossing over bouncing knees — the 1920s party trick everyone recognises and everyone gets wrong the first time.

Flapper Kicks

Low, fast and flicked with attitude — the move that turns a routine into a proper flapper number.

Scarecrow Arms

Loose, jazz-age arm flails straight from the era's comic dancers. Precision is actively discouraged.

Partner Charleston

An optional side-by-side pairs section from the swing era — for hens who want the full speakeasy picture.

Speakeasy Finale

The filmed run-through, freeze-frame ending included — best performed in whatever the 20s dress code demands.

Charleston Facts for the Group Chat

A 1923 breakout

The craze ignited when James P. Johnson's song The Charleston featured in the Broadway show Runnin' Wild in October 1923.

Named for a city

The dance takes its name from Charleston, South Carolina — Johnson said dockworkers from the state inspired the tune's rhythm.

Josephine Baker's calling card

Baker helped make the Charleston world-famous from 1920s Paris, dancing it with crossed eyes and comic faces entirely on purpose.

The Peaky effect

The BBC's Peaky Blinders, first broadcast in 2013, sparked a UK-wide craze for 1920s-themed parties — flat caps, sequins and all.

Charleston Questions, Answered

How does the pricing work for a Charleston hen party?

One flat rate for the whole group: from £140 plus venue hire for an hour, or £165 plus venue for ninety minutes. The price is fixed for any group size — nobody recalculates when plans change.

It looks fast — will beginners keep up?

Yes. The routine is taught at half speed in short sections and only speeds up when the group is ready, and the Charleston is famously forgiving — looking slightly out of control is authentically 1923.

Can the choreographer come to our venue?

Yes — to your hotel, Airbnb or hired hall in any city we cover, or to a partner studio if you would rather have mirrors. If the hen weekend already has a speakeasy-style bar booked, ask them about their function room.

Are costumes provided for the Peaky look?

Costumes and props are not supplied, so bring your own — feather headbands, pearls, flat caps and waistcoats are cheap to find and make the finale video spectacular. Shoes you can pivot in are the only practical note.

Quick Enquiry

Tell us what you need and we will reply within one working day — no phone tag required.

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By Order of the Hen Party

Give us the city and the date — we supply the choreographer and the roaring twenties, you supply the flat caps.

67 cities

Book in Your City

Flat rate from £140 + venue, any group size — details on your city's page.

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Questions? Call 07759 656300 or email info@dancecentreuk.co.uk

Charleston Hen Party

Charleston Hen Party in Your City

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