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This is the modern version of Lindy Hop as it was danced in the Swing Era and then revived starting in the 1980s and 1990s. Unlike its predecessor, and its sibling, which use single steps, this version of Swing dancing is based on triple steps.
There are six count Lindy variations, eight count Lindy variations, and Lindy variations that are longer than eight counts. All of them can be mixed and matched at will. In other words, while classes sometimes focus on only one of the two basic timings, teaching only six count variations or only eight count variations, when people dance socially, they mix the different timings.
Charleston variations can also be incorporated into Lindy Hop.
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Originally seen as a variation of Early Lindy Hop in the late 1920s, and danced through the 20th century until today, East Coast Swing is a popular option for dancing to faster Swing music.
Unlike six count Lindy Hop, which has two triple steps and a rock step, East Coast Swing has two slow single steps and a rock step.
Charleston variations can also be incorporated into East Coast Swing.
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This is the 1930s version of Charleston that is regularly incorporated into both Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing.
While it could theoretically be danced on its own, it is more often seen as an add-on to those other dances.
The way you incorporate Charleston into those other dances is open up on any closed position rock step and start doing Charleston Kicks side by side.
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Originally seen in the 1950s, and particularly popular in the 1970s, Street Swing is an easy four-count evolution of Swing.
It's particularly useful today, as it's the easiest and most satifying option to dance to walking tempo pop music (i.e., most songs you'll hear at a party or wedding reception).
In our classes at UT, we teach it first, for two reasons: a) it's easy to pick up and a lot of fun, and b) our students know and love the music. Once they love one kind of Swing dancing, it's easy to adapt the timing and styling to teach them other kinds, like East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop.
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This is the three-count Hustle that has been danced since the 1980s.
It evolved from Latin Hustle as it was danced in the 1970s. Specifically, it is an abbreviated version of that dance: three-count Hustle is simply the second half of Latin Hustle, danced repeatedly.
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While the footwork is different, the basic shapes that are danced in Six Count Lindy, East Coast Swing, Street Swing, and Hustle are largely interchangeable.
In this section, you'll see these basic shapes danced in one or more of the four different timings:
T = Six Count Lindy 6 = East Coast Swing 4 = Street Swing 3 = Hustle
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This is Early Lindy Hop as danced by "Shorty" George Snowden and his dancers at the Savoy Ballroom in the 1929 film After Seben.
Filmed in 1928, this is Lindy Hop as it was danced in the year that is was given the name "Lindy Hop." Over the next five years, the music evolved into the more recognizable swung rhythm that characterized the Swing Era, and the single slow step was replaced with a triple step, resulting in the Lindy Hop we know today.
While this version of the dance died out, and wasn't revived, the steps are still quite fun to dance today, and can be easily mixed with East Coast Swing.
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These are some of the essential variations of 1950s Rock 'n' Roll dancing, as seen on American Bandstand and reconstructed by Richard Powers based on interviews with the dancers.
These variations represent the innovations of the '50s kids on the earlier forms of Swing that were danced by their parents.
In these variations, we can clearly see the origins of Hustle and West Coast Swing.
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These are some of the different types of Hustle that were danced in the 1970s. They are some of the descendants of the innovations on Swing dancing that were seen in the 1950s.
Latin Hustle is the predecessor of the three-count Hustle that has been danced from the 1980s to today.
The pre-history of Swing dancing begins with the Polka, introduced in 1844. Later in the 19th century, the bouncy Polka evolved into the smoother Two-Step, which, alongside the Waltz, dominated the dance floor at the turn of the 20th century. In the early 20th century, the Two-Step evolved into a variety of new dance forms.
The actual history of Swing dancing begins with one of these new 20th century dance forms, the Texas Tommy, which became popular on the Barbary Coast of San Francisco around 1910. A video of the Texas Tommy being danced in San Francisco c. 1910 can be see here, and a reconstruction of the steps can be found here. The fundamental innovation of the Texas Tommy was that it was a spot dance in which you broke away from your partner and did arm-based figures. (Today, in all dances, we call these figures "Swing Moves.")
Two African-American dancers, Johnny Peters and Ethel Williams, traveled from San Francisco to New York City, where the Texas Tommy they brought with them mingled with another African-American dance, the Charleston, evolving into Early Lindy Hop (a.k.a. Breakaway), as seen in this video from 1928, and reconstructed here. It got its name, Lindy Hop, from "Shorty" George Snowden, who, when asked what he was dancing, provided that name, which is a reference to Charles Lindbergh's famous "hop" across the Atlantic in 1927. It's interesting to note that in 1928, Lindy Hop was based on single steps ("rock step, step, rock step, step"), not triple steps, and that in addition to dancing early versions of Swingouts and Lindy Circles, one of the couples in the video dances the basic footwork of East Coast Swing, meaning that both footworks (triple step and single step), and both timings (eight count and six count) are equally authentic.
As Swing music and dancing co-evolved, dancers eventually replaced the single steps with triple steps ("rock step, triple step, rock step, triple step"). (One theory as to why this might be is that there's more you can do with a triple step than a single step.) In any case, Lindy Hop continued to evolve throughout the Swing Era, until WWII, when a 30% excise tax on clubs that allowed dancing put a damper on things.
After the war, the history of Swing dancing diverges into many interesting threads:
A Continental Divide: After WWII, we begin to see advertisements for (and eventually, descriptions of) two different types of Swing dancing: Eastern Swing and Western Swing (or East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing). The former evolved into today's East Coast Swing, while the latter evolved into today's West Coast Swing. Even within Lindy Hop itself, two main regional styles evolved: Savoy Style and Hollywood Style.
The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll: In the 1950s, TV shows like American Bandstand showcased teenage dancing, including Swing. Two major forces caused these dancers to evolve the dance: 1) they were dancing to Rock 'n' Roll, which has a different sound, and 2) teenagers don't want to dance like their parents. Some of these teenagers' many innovations on Swing dancing can be seen here.
From Rock 'n' Roll to Disco: A generation later, in the 1970s, these same forces resulted in further evolutions of Swing dancing, including a variety of different Hustles, which can be seen here. Despite its differences from Rock 'n' Roll dancing, the origins of Disco can clearly be seen in some of the 1950s Rock 'n' Roll steps.
The Lindy Hop Revival: Beginning in the 1980s, and continuing into the 1990s, dancers began seeking out the original Lindy Hoppers, hoping to learn how they danced in the Swing Era. Thus, original Lindy Hoppers like "Mama Lou" Parks, Al Minns, Frankie Manning, and Norma Miller taught a new generation of Lindy Hoppers the original version of the dance. Today, this revived original version coexists with its many descendants (including new evolutions of the revived form).
Here are some of our favorite Swing songs, arranged by tempo:
And are some of our favorite songs for Street Swing and Hustle, arranged by tempo:
© 2016-2024 Nick Enge
If you or your community is interested in learning Swing, .
For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.
For full-length teaching videos, visit: University of Dance.
For help crafting a life you love, visit: Project Quartz.
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