History of Swing Dancing
The history of swing dates back to the 1920's, where the black community, while
dancing to contemporary Jazz music, discovered the Charleston and the Lindy Hop.
On March 26, 1926, the Savoy Ballroom opened its doors in New York. The Savoy
was an immediate success with its block-long dance floor and a raised double
bandstand. Nightly dancing attracted most of the best dancers in the New York
area. Stimulated by the presence of great dancers and the best black bands,
music at the Savoy was largely Swinging Jazz. One evening in 1927, following
Lindbergh's flight to Paris, a local dance enthusiast named "Shorty George"
Snowden was watching some of the dancing couples. A newspaper reporter asked him
what dance they were doing, and it just so happened that there was a newspaper
with an article about Lindbergh's flight sitting on the bench next to them. The
title of the article read, "Lindy Hops The Atlantic," and George just sort of
read that and said, "Lindy Hop" and the name stuck.
In the mid 1930's, a bouncy six beat variant was named the Jitterbug by the band
leader Cab Calloway when he introduced a tune in 1934 entitled "Jitterbug".
With the discovery of the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug, the communities began
dancing to the contemporary Jazz and Swing music as it was evolving at the time,
with Benny Goodman leading the action. Dancers soon incorporated tap and jazz
steps into their dancing.
In the mid 1930's, Herbert White, head bouncer in the New York City Savoy
Ballroom, formed a Lindy Hop dance troupe called Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. One of
the most important members of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was Frankie Manning. The
"Hoppers" were showcased in the following films: "A Day at the Races" (1937), "Hellzapoppin"
(1941), "Sugar Hill Masquerade" (1942), and "Killer Diller" (1948).
In 1938, the Harvest Moon Ball included Lindy Hop and Jitterbug competition for
the first time. It was captured on film and presented for everyone to see in the
Paramount, Pathe, and Universal movie newsreels between 1938 and 1951.
In early 1938, Dean Collins arrived in Hollywood. He learned to dance the Lindy
Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy and Swing in New York City and spent a lot of time in
Harlem and the Savoy Ballroom. Between 1941 and 1960, Collins danced in, or
helped choreograph over 100 movies which provided at least a 30 second clip of
some of the best California white dancers performing Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy
and Swing.
In the late 1930's and through the 1940's, the terms Lindy Hop, Jitterbug,
Lindy, and Swing were used interchangeably by the news media to describe the
same style of dancing taking place on the streets, in the night clubs, in
contests, and in the movies.
By the end of 1936, the Lindy was sweeping the United States. As might be
expected, the first reaction of most dancing teachers to the Lindy was a chilly
negative. In 1936 Philip Nutl, president of the American Society of Teachers of
Dancing, expressed the opinion that swing would not last beyond the winter. In
1938 Donald Grant, president of the Dance Teachers' Business Association, said
that swing music "is a degenerated form of jazz, whose devotees are the
unfortunate victims of economic instability." In 1942 members of the New York
Society of Teachers of Dancing were told that the jitterbug (a direct descendent
of the Lindy Hop), could no longer be ignored. Its "cavortings" could be refined
to suit a crowded dance floor.
The dance schools such as The New York Society of Teachers and Arthur Murray,
did not formally begin documenting or teaching the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy,
and Swing until the early 1940's. The ballroom dance community was more
interested in teaching the foreign dances such as the Argentine Tango, Spanish
Paso Doblé, Brazilian Samba, Puerto Rican Merengue, Cuban Mambo and Cha Cha,
English Quickstep, Austrian Waltz, with an occasional American Fox-trot and
Peabody.
In the early 1940's the Arthur Murray studios looked at what was being done on
the dance floors in each city and directed their teachers to teach what was
being danced in their respective cities. As a result, the Arthur Murray Studios
taught different styles of undocumented Swing in each city.
In the early 1940's, Lauré Haile, as a swing dancer and competitor, documented
what she saw being danced by the white community. At that time, Dean Collins was
leading the action with Lenny Smith and Lou Southern in the night clubs and
competitions in Southern California. Lauré Haile gave it the name of "Western
Swing". She began teaching for Arthur Murray in 1945. Dean Collins taught Arthur
Murray teachers in Hollywood and San Francisco in the late 1940's and early
1950's.
After the late 1940's, the soldiers and sailors returned from overseas and
continued to dance in and around their military bases. Jitterbug was danced to
Country-Western music in Country-Western bars, and popularized in the 1980's.
As the music changed between the 1920's and 1990's, (Jazz, Swing, Bop, Rock 'n'
Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Disco, Country), the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy, and
Swing evolved across the U.S. with many regional styles. The late 1940's brought
forth many dances that evolved from Rhythm & Blues music: the Houston Push and
Dallas whip (Texas), the Imperial Swing (St. Louis), the D.C. Hand Dancing
(Washington), and the Carolina Shag (Carolinas and Norfolk) were just a few.
In 1951 Lauré Haile first published her dance notes as a syllabus, which
included Western Swing for the Santa Monica Arthur Murray Dance Studio. In the
50's she presented her syllabus in workshops across the U.S. for the Arthur
Murray Studios. The original Lauré Haile Arthur Murray Western Swing Syllabus
has been taught by Arthur Murray studios with only minor revisions for the past
44 years.
From the mid 1940's to today, the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy, and Swing, were
stripped down and distilled by the ballroom dance studio teachers in order to
adapt what they were teaching to the less nimble-footed general public who paid
for dance lessons. As a result, the ballroom dance studios bred and developed a
ballroom East Coast Swing and ballroom West Coast Swing.
In the late 1950's, television brought "American Bandstand", "The Buddy Dean
Show" and other programs to the teenage audiences. The teenagers were rocking
with Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry leading the fray. In 1959,
some of the California dance organizations, with Skippy Blair setting the pace,
changed the name of Western Swing to West Coast Swing so it would not be
confused with country and western dancing.
Quickstep
Fast Facts:
During the 1920s, many bands played the Quickstep too fast and some couples
couldn't keep up. Over time, a faster version was born, absorbing extra elements
of ragtime such as the Charleston. This led to the creation of what we today
call the Quickstep.
This is a light, bright, twinkling and happy dance with tricky footwork. Quite
sporty in its delivery as it is very springy and fast paced.
The basic feel is slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick. The majority of the
slow should be taken on the heel; the majority of the quick should be taken on
the toe.
Distinctive moves:
The characteristic motion of a quickstep is an up-and-down swing motion. This
rise-and-fall motion must be done at a fast pace.
It is important to move powerfully and positively across the floor while
remaining light on the feet.
Two bodies moving in the speed of the quickstep require first of all a high
level of synchronization and understanding about leg tension and use of the
ankles. During execution of the "tricksteps," both dancers need the same tension
of feet and legs.
There needs to be lots of work on the balls of the feet and lots of spring from
the feet.
To achieve the right musical interpretation, the timing of the "Slows" should be
slightly extended to force a sharp action in the ankles in the "Quicks."
Look out for the facial expressions. They are not compulsory but help to capture
the essence of the dance.
Also watch out for Runs - quick little repetitive movements/steps.
Floorcraft is required in this dance more than in the others.
|
