A Brief History of Swing Dancing

The history of swing dancing begins in the early 1920s, in the smoky jazz clubs of Harlem. It was here that the origins of this form of dance began to take shape. The swing craze and popularity of jazz spread throughout the nation, quickly finding its place in mainstream society. In 1926, the Savoy Ballroom opened to much fanfare and welcomed dancers to its spacious dance floor. The Lindy Hop as it is now known was born at the Savoy and named by a man named Shorty George Snowden. Snowden was asked what the name of the dance taking place on the dance floor was, at which time he made up the name the Lindy Hop. Legend has it that he got the name from a newspaper headline about Charles Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic.

In the 1930s the world was introduced to the dance known as the Jitterbug, named after a piece of Cab Calloway music. Eventually the dancers themselves were known as Jitterbugs. Band leader Benny Goodman was big during this era, and held his position as a leader in the world of upbeat jazz music which provided a perfect backdrop for the enthusiastic form of dance known as swing. Although swing dance was huge in the 30s, it was not until the 40s that official swing dance schools and serious competitions were established.

After all, throughout the 30s, this style of dance was thought of as a rebellious expression practiced by degenerate members of society. The president of the Dance Teachers Business Association made this very observation, while the president of the American Society of Teachers of Dancing predicted the trend would soon die out. As swing continued to thrive, these associations grudgingly began to accept this form of dance and agreed that the energetic cavorting could be restrained to suit the average dance floor.

From the 1940s to the present day, the history of swing dancing has been one that has changed to suit the preferences of the dancers themselves. For example, there are numerous varieties of swing which evolved from the original version. There is Western swing, Carolina shag, 50s rock and roll style swing and many more. What's interesting is that even in today's modern society, most swing dancers are unfamiliar with other variations of the dance outside their own locality. This means that many Carolina Shag dancers, for example, may not be familiar with the Savoy form of swing and vice versa. The Internet is changing all this, however, bringing swing dancers of all styles together on the World Wide Web. Swing dancing shows no signs of impending extinction, and is in fact becoming more popular than ever!

Copyright 2007 Janice J. Sterling - All Rights Reserved

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