Started in the late 1920s in Harlem and spread worldwide, the Lindy Hop gathered elements of other earlier dance forms and fused them into a exciting new dance that remains popular close to 80 years later. While other ballroom forms kept partners together in closed position, the Lindy Hop allowed dancers to separate, providing them more room to improvise. We teach two styles of this dance.
Savoy Style. The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem was the undisputed home of Lindy Hop. On its blocklong mahogany floor, the very best dancers swung nightly for more than 30 years. While each dancer at the Savoy Ballroom had his or her own style, what we now term “Savoy style” represents the set of steps and stylistic approaches passed down from some of the Savoy’s best dancers, specifically, Frankie Manning, Al Minns and Norma Miller. This style is very athletic and exhuberant. It includes kicks, lifts, jumps, tosses and—for the intrepid dancer —aerial or air steps (though we do not teach air steps).
Smooth Style. As the beat of jazz music began to soften, the dancing became smoother to match the change. Smooth style emphasizes more intricate lead and follow partnering, movements that flow seamlessly from one to the next, silky footwork, dips and slides.
Posted on January 21st, 2005 by chad
We perform and teach popular and historical social dances of the Jazz Age and Swing Era and have appeared on stage, independent film, and local and national television. Known for our performance and our research of social dancing, we also consult and choreograph for period productions, particularly those set in the Roaring Twenties. Though we do not regularly compete, we have placed in a number of competitions, including 1st in the 2004 American Lindy Hop Championships Fast Dance division.