A Brief History of Swing Dancing

The history of swing dancing had been traced that it began in the early 1920s,among the loud bang of jazz music in Harlem.This place plays an important role in shaping its origin.Ever since its introdction the popularity of swing and jazz spread like a wild fire among the 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 Romina Santiago - All Rights Reserved

Technorati Tags: Swing Dancing, History Of Swing Dancing

• Swing Dancing
• Professional Swing Dancing
• History Of Swing Dancing
• Shag Swing Dancing
• Country Swing Dancing
• East Coast Swing Dancing
• Harlem Swing Dancing
• Online Swing Dancing Videos
• Swing Dancing Instructions
• Swing Dancing Basic Steps
• Swing Dancing Couples
• Swing Dancing Dress
• Swing Dancing In The 1930s
• Swing Dancing Moves
• Swing Dancing Music
• Swing Dancing Spin Moves
• Swing Dancing Steps
• Boys Dancing Swing
• Swing Dancing Video Clips
• Watch Swing Dancing Video Here
• Social Bookmark This
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• Privacy Policy
• Sitemap