Lindy Hop

Lindy Hop is the dance of Big Band Swing, a form of jazz that was popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Though it was the most popular dance of the day, it was largely forgotten and lost in history until the late 1990s.  

Big bands were the “boy bands” and rock stars of the day and as there was no television or movies, people entertained themselves by going to dances. Ballrooms were found on almost every street corner and one of the biggest, most popular (think “Zouk”!) was the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem.  

But first let’s go back in history a little. Understanding where the dance comes from and how and why it developed will hopefully put it into context and help you understand certain moves and styles that characterise Lindy Hop.  

The development of jazz dance (and Lindy Hop) follows the development of jazz music.  

Before 1920s  

The roots of Lindy Hop began with the Afro-American slaves. They brought to America their rhythms and movements which were earth-oriented and often based on animal movements. This style contrasted greatly with the Western traditions of upright stances as seen in Ballet, Waltzes and other European dances. The slaves entertained themselves (and their masters) by creating their own music and their own dances, sometimes parodying their master’s European based dances. The Cakewalk, an early partner dance, was a competition amongst the slaves where the prize was . a cake. Improvisation played a great part in African traditions so the music they played and the dances they performed incorporated this, much to the surprise of the Western traditional musicians and dancers who were schooled in playing it “straight”.  

Early 1920s  

The original Afro-American dances were very “raw” and “natural” which also met with disapproval from the conservative white folk. However, the young people loved it! The Charleston was one of these dances that took America by storm but for public consumption it was toned down and made “respectful”. Charlestons, which you see in movies, are often performed in the straight up, upright, position, quite different from the raw, grounded, energy of the original.  

Late 1920s  

Music forms continued to develop and the 20-piece big band emerged. The sound that they produced was smoother and swingier than the earlier Dixieland jazz. And alongside the change in music came the change in dance. Dancers began to add a “breakaway” in the dance. Previously, dancers would keep hold of each other throughout the dance, but in a breakaway, they would open out and do individual steps for a while and then pull back in to hold each other again.  

Doesn’t sound like rocket science, but in those days it was considered innovative and daring!  

The birth of Lindy Hop can be pegged to 1927 because that was the year Charles “Lindy” Lindburgh became the first man to hop the Atlantic in an aeroplane. Lindy’s feat was the buzz word of the time . And around that time a dancer named Shorty Snowden was pulling off some breakaways in a competition and a reporter asked him what kind of dance he was doing, he quipped “The Lindy Hop!”  

1930s  

And so Lindy Hop and Big Band Swing flourished. As mentioned earlier, there were ballroom and dance halls on every corner and the Savoy Ballroom, two blocks long, was the most famous of them all.  

The Savoy was one of the first places where blacks and whites danced together. It was the mecca for all jazz bands and Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington were just some of the famous names that played for the dances. Their music was written and played for the dancers. The advent of radio helped spread the music, and when the bands toured they brought dancers with them who showed the whole country and the world how to dance to the fabulous music.  

Lindy Hop was featured in movies and on stage. A young dancer named Frankie Manning tossed his partner in the air during a competition and the first aerial or “airstep” was born, ingraining itself into youth culture forever.  

1940s  

WW2 brought the American GIs to Europe…and the GIs brought the American dance. Soon the whole of Europe was jiving to the Jitterbug as it was known by then.  

The 40s was the height of the Big Band era. After the war, unfortunately, clubs found that they could not afford to hire the 20-piece bands and many of the musicians were forced to spilt up. Smaller four or five-piece groups became the norm and of course the sound changed. A new form of jazz emerged – Bebop. This freeflowing form took innovation and creation to a further extreme, creating music that was essentially for listening to, not dancing to.  

1950s  

Apart from Bebop, Rhythm and Blues also developed, which was popularized by a young white man named Elvis Presley. Rock and Roll, its simpler rhythms played by small four-man bands, influenced the dancers who simplified the dance to six-count Rock and Roll. We are probably more familiar with this genre of dance because by the 40s and 50s, the media was more developed and movies, TV, records and radio helped spread it.  

1960s  

Until then, all social dances involved partner work – a guy holding on to a girl while they danced. Then in 1960, Chubby Checker recorded a No.1 hit “The Twist”. And with that dance craze, partner work became passe and old fashioned. The Fly, The Pony and the Locomotion ensured no one touched while dancing and of course this continued into the disco age.  

1970s  

The disco age. Nuff said! Though in 1977, John Travolta managed to sexy up the Hustle partner dance in Saturday Night Fever.  

1980s  

While the mainstream had forgotten Lindy Hop and Big Band music, there were a few enthusiasts who, when watching some vintage films were so entranced by the dancing they saw that they researched and revived the dance. The invention of the VCR machines helped them view and review the dance sequences over and over again. They interviewed surviving dancers from the 1930s and learnt all they could. Thanks to their interest, Lindy Hop emerged as an underground cult in cities like London, Los Angeles, New York and Stockholm.  

1990s  

In 1998, the clothing company Gap released a TV commercial called “Khakis Swing” which showed young couples lindy hopping to “Jump Jive” and “Wail”. This sparked a wave of Swing across the US, albeit slightly skewed towards the flashy airsteps rather than the pleasure of dancing with a partner. New Swing bands popped up and Big Band sound became fashionable once more.  

Today  

Nowadays, most people have heard or seen Lindy Hop. The music of Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra also more recognisable, thanks to Michael Buble, Diana Krall and Robbie Williams who have recently released pre-50s hits.  

In cities all over the world, swing communities gather to enjoy the music and the dance of the Swing era. They bring to it modern influences, cultural diversity and new ideas, ensuring that this dance continues to develop and remain relevant many decades after the dance began.  

Frankie Manning, now 92, still travels the world, sharing his deep understanding and love of the dance. Picture shows Manning in Singapore in February 2006 at a Lindy Hop workshop at SEA Jam.

Contributed by Lim Sing Yuen
Executive Creative Director, Jitterbugs Swingapore
1993 American Lindy Hop Champion
2000 World Lindy Hop Championship Judge