SWING DANCE STYLES & HISTORY
Here are some short descriptions of the different social swing dance styles that we offer in our classes.
Video examples coming soon!
 
     
  LINDY HOP
The original swing dance developed in the 1920s and 30s as a derivation of the Charleston in Harlem, New York. Lindy Hop can feature many different styles, looks, and feels depending on the music being played, and the geographical place it’s being danced. Lindy Hop styles include Savoy, Harlem, Hollywood, and Smooth.		  
     
  EAST COAST SWING
Originally a ballroom studio adaptation of the Lindy Hop, this 6-count dance developed in the early 1940s as an easier, more teachable way of swing dancing. Nowadays, it is considered the “gateway drug” that introduces swing dancing to future addicts.		  
     
  LINDY CHARLESTON
The 1940s version of the 1920s dance. Lindy Charleston adapted the original to fit the swinging jazz music of the big band era. Lindy Charleston is typically performed in the “open side-by-side” dance position and incorporates wild, rhythmical kicks.		  
     
  BALBOA / BAL-SWING
Created on the Balboa Peninsula in Southern California in the late 1920s, this dance facilitated energetic swing dancing on an extremely crowded floor. In this dance, dancers mush their bodies together and move as a single four-legged person. In Bal-Swing (a variation of balboa), breakaway patterns allow partners to separate before returning to “closed” position.		  
     
  COLLEGIATE SHAG
Popular with college students in the late 1920s, this dance is said to predate Lindy Hop. It is usually danced to fast, energetic swing music.
The clip to the left was put together by our friends, The San Fracisco Jitterbugs, using bits from the original Arthur Murray Shag clip as well as dancing from some of the top Collegiate Shag dancers of today.
To the right, a great clip from the movie "Blondie Meets the Boss" filmed in 1939 with great dancing by Ray Hirsch & his crew.
     
  20s CHARLESTON
The grandfather of all swing dances. The original version of this dance was created in black communities near Charleston, South Carolina and embellished in Harlem, New York. With swaying arms and the fast, kicking movement of the feet, this energetic, kicking dance "flapped" it's way into popular culture in 1923 after the song "The Charleston" appeared in the Broadway musical Runnin' Wild. The music for the Charleston is ragtime jazz, in quick 4/4 time with syncopated rhythms.		  
     
  WEST COAST SWING
The Lindy Hop of the 1930s continued to evolve over the years. West coast swing is the refined, updated version of the original. It is the state dance of California, and a slower, smoother, more refined form of swing dancing.