On first read, The Harlem Dancer is thought to be about an attractive and mesmerizing girl dancing sensually in a night club for an eager crowd of young men and women. In the first line of the poem, the narrator describes the spectators in the club as, “Applauding youths” (Mckay, line 1) and furthermore adds that the youths were laughing. This displays a positive image of innocence. This becomes tainted when the reader is introduced to the young prostitutes among the audience. When prostitutes are mentioned in the reading it challenges and goes against the innocence of the youth. In the second line the half-dressed Harlem dancer enters and it becomes evident that the audience is captivated by her sexual appeal as they watch her, “body sway”
