About Swing Dancing
What is Swing Dancing?
Swing dancing is FUN. Swing dancing is electrified with a spirit of joy and exhuberance — it's what all the kids were doing in the 30's and 40's to the big bands. With names like Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, or Shag, what we call swing dancing is actually an entire family of vernacular or "street" dances, done solo or with a partner, to music based on Jazz and Blues.
Roots of Swing Dancing
Swing is a blending of European and African traditions. Just as Jazz evolved as African-American musicians adapted African sounds to Western instruments, the first swing dances combined rhythmic African solo dancing with European partner dancing. Dances such as the Cakewalk, the Waltz, the Tango, the Charleston, the Texas Tommy, the Turkey Trot and the Black Bottom evolved into the partner dance known as Lindy Hop, or Jitterbug, the first true swing dance.Styles of Swing Dance
Modern dancers enjoy many different styles of swing, from across regions and time periods.
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East Coast Swing
Originally East Coast Swing was the name that dance teachers on the West Coast used to refer to Lindy Hop. Eventually it evolved its own distinct vocabulary and style. With the swing revival of the 90's, East Coast Swing was revived as a street dance, and it remains the lingua franca of many swing dancers worldwide. At Swing Dynamite we teach a "street style" of East Coast Swing, which is a form of Lindy Hop taught starting with the moves that are easiest to learn! -
Lindy Hop
The original swing dance and the most popular one worldwide, Lindy Hop creates addicts quickly because it lets dancers improvise, interpret the music their own way, and still enjoy a partner connection that is rarely found in other dances. Lindy Hop also became known for its crazy aerials, an innovation brought into the dance by the legendary Frankie Manning. -
Balboa
Originating on the Island of Balboa in California, it was originally known as a "sweetheart dance": as famous Balboa dancing legend Willie Desatoff pointed out, it's the only way you can hold someone close in your arms and dance to fast swing music. Pure Balboa is danced in a very close embrace, with emphasis on connection with your partner and subtle footwork. -
Bal-Swing
Evolved from Balboa, originally it was just called "swing." It's a more dynamic version of Balboa that opens up into movements that look a little more like what people usually think of as "swing." -
Blues
Blues dance is in fact a family of related dances done to blues music. Individual blues dances tend to involve very simple movements, an intimate feel, a high degree of musical interpretation, and a strong partner connection. -
Collegiate Shag
In the 30's one competitor for Lindy Hop's popularity on the dance floor was the Shag. It works best on fast music, and it's known its furious and flashy footwork. -
Solo Charleston
Solo Charleston is basically the Hip Hop of the 20's--it can be fun and exhuberant, or intense and competitive. -
Partner Charleston
The dance rage of the 20's, partner charleston is great for fast rhythms or early jazz.
