Energetic Outburst Jazz is the most thoroughly American creation ever to be let loose on an unsuspecting world. Everyone is beguiled by its unrestrained energy. Duke Ellington leads the charge, while other black performers help keep the pulse going. The Cotton Club in New York's upscale black district, Harlem, is the white-hot, glowing center of this powerful new force.

	Performers Fan the Frenzy The fuel behind the dance craze is music, and Fats Waller's 'Ain't Misbehavin' (top left) is emblematic of the playful mood. Wild and unrestrained, jazz explodes with innovation, while it's catchy 'swing' rhythm gets feet tapping and dancers out of their chairs. It's unexpected, and refreshingly jubilant, blending Dixieland with New Orleans ragtime.  Without jazz, there would be no flappers, and almost all the great musicians are black. It marks the beginning of the integration of black culture into American life.
	Bobbed Hair and Short Skirts Fashions reflect the relaxed, playful atmosphere. Makeup is now a must-have element of urban chic. Clothing is altogether slinkier, from swishing skirts and diaphanous gowns to the revealing tease. It's America's first performance art, elevating women from the status of elegant background furnishings to center-stage performers. Women's self-liberation is arriving all at once, without anyone's permission.