The Cakewalk was the first American dance to cross over from black to white society, as well as from the stage to the ballroom. The accompanying Cakewalk sheet music would also list the March and Two-Step as dance options to the song, so that white audiences would still be interested in buying it even if they did not know the Cakewalk.

The underlying genius of such expressions as the Cakewalk lay in the clever combination of satire, creativity and originality. For white audiences, the Cakewalk was simply a form of amusement, free from any cultural significance. Yet beneath the entertainment value, the Cakewalk was a truly subversive, subtle social commentary on white society. It contributed to the evolution of later American and European dances based on jazz culture, rhythms, and the growth of ragtime. The Cakewalk eventually died in the 1920's, but traces remained in the newer, more modern forms of dance, like the Lindy Hop and Apache.

 

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