Description
The Ragtime Dance by the American composer Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was first performed in 1899 but wasn’t published until 1902. In its original form – as a ballet with narration – it was a commercial failure. However, four years later it was shortened and republished for solo piano.
The piece was subtitled ‘A Stop-Time Two Step’. ‘Stop-time’ refers to the incorporation of heel stamping in the second half of the piece. It was an effect that Joplin reused in his 1910 Stoptime Rag.
Marvin Hamlisch incorporated The Ragtime Dance in a medley for the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning 1973 film The Sting. The song also featured in the soundtrack of the 1978 film Pretty Baby and the 1980 Broadway musical revue Tintypes. The Ragtime Dance was also included in Joshua Rifkin’s 1970 LP Joplin: Piano Rags. The LP was a huge success and, according to Alan Rich of the New York Magazine, “created, almost alone, the Scott Joplin revival”.
