So, what is the Lindy Hop anyway?
We like to say that the Lindy Hop is the original form of swing dancing. Perhaps you've heard of East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Hustle, Jitterbug, Ballroom Swing, Carolina Shag, Charleston, Balboa, Hand Dancing, Jive, or Rockabilly. These are all forms of swing dancing. All of the above (except Charleston) grew out of the Lindy Hop, which is what we teach. Lindy Hop and swing dancing evolved as the music it is danced to evolved and changed, beginning with Dixieland Jazz in the 1920s.
The evolution of the music and the dance
As Dixieland jazz and the famous Charleston of the flapper era moved North with black Americans, it found its way to Harlem and the Savoy Ballroom. Here, "first generation" Lindy Hoppers, including the famous Shorty George Snowden and Frankie Manning, and dance troupes like Whitey's Lindy Hoppers incorporated the breakaway, the Charleston, and traditional African-American movements to create the Lindy Hop. The Lindy Hop was so named for Charles "Lucky Lindy" Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic Ocean. A reporter saw Shorty George dancing in a marathon and asked what dance he was doing. Snowden had seen the recent headlines that "Lindy Hops the Atlantic," so he replied, "I'm doing the hop, the Lindy hop!"
Recently, some writers have challenged the authenticity of the popular story about Short George naming the Lindy Hop. When asked about this, Frankie Manning has said, "All I can say is that I heard the story from Shorty George himself. The other fellas from that time were standing around listening and they didn't say 'Aw, come on Shorty, quit the BS' --- which they would have said if it wasn't true."
Taking the beat to the masses
Social dances were segregated in the early 20th century, so white onlookers watched in wonder from balconies as Frankie Manning tossed his partner through the air in the first airsteps, or aerials, that are now commonly associated with swing dancing. One white dancer, who worked for Arthur Murray, took what she could remember of the fancy footwork back to Murray for incorporation in his studios. Because the Lindy Hop was thought to be too difficult to learn with its triple steps, the moves were watered down to what is now East Coast Swing, with "step-step-rock step," which is taught in traditional Ballroom classes throughout the country.
Throughout the decades, the "original form of swing" has been modified to fit various musical styles. To the rock of the Fifties, courtesy of Elvis Presley and others, it soon became Jitterbug, Jive, and Rockabilly. In the Sixties, the Carolina Shag was born in the coastal regions of the Carolinas and was and still is danced to Beach Music. In the Seventies, it became Hustle and was danced to disco music. Additional variations, such as Hand Dancing and West Coast Swing also emerged.
The cool thing about Lindy Hop is the ability to improvise and stylize the dance so that each dancer has his own individual style. (We cover this in our upper level classes.) Often, you will hear Lindy Hoppers talking about Savoy-style or Hollywood-style. Savoy-style refers to a more circular style given to the movements. This style was danced by those at the Savoy Ballroom, thus the name. Hollywood-style gets its name from its prevalence in the Hollywood films of the Golden Era. Dean Collins was known for dancing Hollywood-style. In Hollywood-style, moves are performed on a track or a line. Counterbalance allows the dancers to move more quickly and provides a smooth look. A great place to see both Hollywood-style and Savoy-style is in the film Hellzapoppin'.
Balboa can also be considered another style. It grew up somewhat simultaneously to Lindy Hop and was danced in California especially during World War II. Pure Balboa is danced in a tight, closed position. It is very subtle and often danced to faster swing tunes. When breaks are added in and the couple separates, it is called Bal-Swing.
We dance primarily Hollywood-style Lindy Hop, so that is basically how we teach our moves. We also teach partnered Charleston moves and hope to eventually learn enough Balboa to offer classes in that as well. We are trying to attend as many workshops as our time and budget will allow, so we can offer a wider variety of classes here in Charlotte!
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