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Lindy Hop
Copyright © 2007
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3
Introduction
Introduction
4
Lindy exchange...................................................................137
Lindy Hop.................................................................................7
Frankie Manning.................................................................147
Cakewalk................................................................................ 37
Dean Collins........................................................................157
Charleston (dance)............................................................... 51
Ragtime................................................................................ 189
Jitterbug..................................................................................69
Wikipedia:Text
Herräng Dance Camp........................................................141
History of Lindy Hop.......................................................... 17
Norma Miller....................................................................... 153
Balboa (dance)....................................................................... 43
Hot Shots (dance companies)..........................................161
Tap dance.............................................................................. 61
Jazz....................................................................................... 203
Swing (dance)........................................................................ 75
License.................................................................................. 233
of
the
GNU
Free
Documentation
Boogie-woogie (dance)........................................................ 85
Blues dance............................................................................89
Savoy Ballroom..................................................................... 97
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers................................................... 101
Hellzapoppin'...................................................................... 105
Jitterbug Stroll.................................................................... 109
Shim Sham...........................................................................113
Lindy hop today................................................................. 117
5
Contents
Contents
6
Lindy hop is an African American dance that evolved in
New York City in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It was
an organic fusion of many dances that preceded it or
were popular during its development but was predominantly based on jazz, tap, breakaway and charleston.
Lindy hop co-evolved with jazz music and is a member
of the swing dance family. It is frequently described as
a jazz or street dance.
In its development, lindy hop combined elements of
both solo and partner dancing by using the move-
ments and improvisation of African dances along with
the formal eight-count structure of European partner
dances. This is most clearly illustrated in lindy's basic
step, the swingout. In this step's open position each
dancer improvises alone; in its closed position men and
women dance together — a practice usually forbidden
in African dances.
Dancing the lindy hop at the Sacramento Jazz
Jubilee, Sacramento, California, USA (2006)
7
Lindy Hop
Lindy Hop
Revived in the 1980s by American, Swedish, and British
dancers, lindy hop dancers and organizations can now
be found in North America, South America, Europe,
Asia, and Oceania.
Ballroom. Their dancing accentuated the difference in
size with Big Bea towering over Shorty.
[2]
In 1935, "Shorty" George was upseated by a twenty year
old dancer named Frankie Manning. Manning heralded
History
a new generation of lindy hoppers, and is perhaps
Swing era (1920s-1940s)
Al Minns and Leon James, as well as surviving dancer
the most famous living original lindy hopper today.
Born in African American communities in Harlem, New
York in the United States from about 1927 into the
early 1930s from four possible sources: the breakaway,
the charleston, the Texas Tommy, and the hop.
[1]
Of
these, only the breakaway and the charleston continue
to be danced, and the historical influence of the Texas
Tommy and the hop is rarely cited and often disputed.
The 'first generation' of lindy hop is popularly associated with dancers such as "Shorty" George Snowden,
his partner: Big Bea, and Leroy Stretch Jones. "Shorty"
George and Big Bea regularly won contests at the Savoy
8
Norma Miller also feature prominently in contemporary histories of lindy hop. It should also be noted
that Frankie Manning, working with his partner Freida
Washington, invented the ground-breaking 'Air Step' or
'aerial' in 1935. An Air Step is a dance move where both
of your partners' feet leave the ground in an often quite
dramatic manner and most importantly it is done in
time with the music. This type of move is now seen as
quintessentially lindy, however, "Shorty" George never
adopted these new moves, and adamantly adhered to
"floor steps" in his dancing.
Lindy Hop
The Lindy hop is popularly thought to get its name
from famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, nicknamed
"Lucky Lindy" in 1926.
[3]
After Lindberg's solo non-stop
United States is popularly associated with Dean Collins,
who brought lindy hop to Los Angeles after (according
to popular opinion) learning it at the Savoy Ballroom in
flight from New York to Paris in which he "hopped"
New York.
marathon contest at the Manhattan Casino in Harlem
again in films and news reels, but also with American
the Atlantic, Shorty George Snowden was dancing in a
Lindy hop moved off-shore in the 1930s and 40s,
when a reporter asked him what dance he was doing.
troops stationed overseas, particularly in the United
The headlines in the newspapers had stated "Lindy
Hops the Atlantic", so he told the reporter, "I'm doing
the Lindy hop."
[4]
Lindy hop entered mainstream American culture in the
Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and other allied
nations. Despite their banned status in countries such
as Germany, lindy hop and jazz were also popular in
other European countries during this period.
1930s, popularised by touring dance troupes (including
Lindy hop disappeared from popular culture in the
the Harlem Congaroos, Hot Chocolates and Big Apple
jazz, and jazz itself moved towards hard bop and
the Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, which were also known as
Dancers), dance sequences in films (such as Hellzapoppin' and A Day at the Races) and dance studios
(such as those of Arthur Murray and Irene and Vernon
Castle). Lindy hop's movement to the west coast of the
1950s as rock and roll music and dancing replaced
cool. Though it was still danced in isolated pockets
throughout the world, in the 2000s there are very few
dancers still alive who were dancing lindy in the 1930s
or 40s.
9
Revival (1980s and 1990s)
Today (2000 to present)
In the 1980s American and European dancers from
While the United States is home to the largest number
as Sylvia Sykes, Erin Stevens, Steven Mitchell, Terry
communities throughout Europe (including Slovenia,
California, New York, London, and Sweden (such
Monaghan and Warren Heyes who formed London's
Jiving Lindy Hoppers performance troupe, and the The
Rhythm Hot Shots of Stockholm) went about 'reviving'
lindy hop using archival films such as Hellzapoppin'
and A Day at the Races and by contacting dancers such
as Frankie Manning, Al Minns, Norma Miller, Jewel
McGowan and Dean Collins. In the mid-to-late 1990s
the popularity of neo swing music of the swing revival
stimulated mainstream interest in the dance. The dance
was propelled to wide visibility after it was featured
in the popular 1993 movie Swing Kids and 1998 tele-
vision commercials for GAP. The popularity led to the
founding of local lindy hop dance communities in many
cities.
10
of lindy hoppers in the world, there are thriving
Russia, the Ukraine, Hungary, Estonia and other Eastern
European countries, Belgium, England, Scotland,
Ireland, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark,
Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Lithuania),
in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea,
Singapore and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The small
village of Herräng in Sweden (north of Stockholm) has
unofficially become the international mecca of Lindy
hop thanks to the annual Herräng Dance Camp run by
the Harlem Hot Shots, which celebrated its 25th year in
2007, and where Frankie Manning has taught every year
since 1989.
Lindy hop tends to be concentrated in small local
scenes in different cities in each of these countries,
Lindy Hop
although regional, national, and international dance
medium for communication between local scenes, and
together. It is worth noting that the local swing dance
Lindy hop today is danced as a social dance, as a
events bring dancers from many of these scenes
communities in each city and country (for whom lindy
hop is almost always the most important dance) feature
different local cultures, though they do share common
general traditions and practices.
Many Internet forums have emerged in these dance
scenes. These message boards serve to provide infor-
mation to dancers about lindy hop and dance events in
the geographic area. Yehoodi has become the largest
of these and now caters to an international audience,
although many smaller local forums (such as Swing-
monkey) also exist. Local swing dance related Internet
forums often reflect the local variations in scenes'
cultures and dancing. Because swing dancers travel to
dance quite regularly, Internet forums are an important
for dancers visiting a particular city or country.
competitive dance, as a performance dance, and in
classes and workshops. In each, partners may dance
alone or together, with improvisation a central part of
social dancing and many performance and competi-
tion pieces. Solo sequences in lindy hop are sometimes
executed as part of a partner dance when one or both
of the partner initiates a "breakaway" causing the partners to separate their connection and dance solo with
each other using (if at all) visual lead and follow cues.
These sequences may include charleston moves, traditional jazz dance moves (such as boogie steps, Shorty
George, Suzie Q, etcetera) and contemporary jazz and
modern dance movements.
11
Mass media
Retrieved on 2007-07-23. “Lindbergh got his nickname, Lucky
Lindy hop has been featured in the mass media since
Lindy, not from his successful transatlantic flight, but from his
airmail service. ... While flying the mail on September 16, 1926,
its inception.
Lindbergh was forced to jump from his airplane during a blinding
In the 1953 episode of I Love Lucy called "Lucy has her
snow and rain storm after he had gotten lost in the darkness and
eyes examined", Lucy dances lindy hop with a "cool
cat" dance partner in a showcase at Ricky's nightclub
but can't do the dance properly due to the dilating
eyedrops the eye doctor gave her.
Lindy Hop can be seen in the 2006 music video to
Christina Aguilera's song Candyman.
References
1.
^ Stearns, Marshall and Jean (1968). Jazz Dance: The Story of
American Vernacular Dance. New York: Macmillan. 2.
^ Lindy Hop Biographies: Shorty George Snowden. Judy Pritchett
with Frankie Manning (2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
3.
^ Fad to Fundamental: Airmail in America: Pilot Stories: Charles
Lindbergh. Smithsonian: National Postal Museum (2004).
12
his airplane ran out of fuel.”
4.
^ Manning, Frankie; Cynthia R. Millman (2007). Frankie Manning:
Ambassador of Lindy Hop. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple
University Press, 79. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. “I [ Frankie Manning ]
got this one from Shorty himself. He was a wonderful, humorous
person, and I'm telling it just the way he told it to us: Shorty
was dancing in a marathon contest at the Manhattan Casino in
Harlem, up on 155th Street off Eighth Avenue. ... One night, this
reporter came over to him and asked, 'Hey, Shorty, what's that
dance you're doing?' Shorty told us that after Charles Lindberg
had flown the Atlantic, the headlines in the paper read, 'Lindy
Hops the Atlantic,' so he said, 'I'm doing the Lindy hop.' As I've
mentioned before, at that point, they were still doing the breakaway. You only separated a little from your partner, but it was
Lindy Hop
this release that gave the dancers the opportunity to improvise
on the footwork. That's what Shorty was playing around with
when the reporter asked what he was doing. Shorty gave the
breakaway a new name and—voilá!—the Lindy hop was born. We
• Gottschild, Brenda Dixon. Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance. Connecticut and
London: Greenwood Press, 1996.
• Hazzard-Gordon, Katrina. Jookin': The Rise of Social
called Shorty Snowden the father of Lindy hop because he actually
Dance Formations in African-American Culture.
named the dance.” Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.
Further reading
• DeFrantz, Thomas. Dancing Many Drums: Excavations
in African American Dance. Wisconsin: University of
Wisconsin Press, 2001.
• Emery, Lynne Fauley. Black Dance in the United States
from 1619 to 1970. California: National Press Books,
1972.
• Friedland, LeeEllen. "Social Commentary in AfricanAmerican Movement Performance." Human Action
Signs in Cultural Context: The Visible and the Invisible
in Movement and Dance. Ed. Brenda Farnell. London:
Scarecrow Press, 1995. 136 - 57.
• Jackson, Jonathan David. "Improvisation in AfricanAmerican Vernacular Dancing." Dance Research
Journal 33.2 (2001/2002): 40 - 53.
• Malone, Jacqui. Steppin' on the Blues: The Visible
Rhythms of African American Dance. Urbana and
Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996.
• Stearns, Marshall, and Jean Stearns. Jazz Dance: The
Story of American Vernacular Dance. 3rd ed. New
York: Da Capo Press, 1994.
• Szwed, John F., and Morton Marks. "The Afro-American Transformation of European Set Dances and
Dance Suites." Dance Research Journal 20.1 (1988):
29 - 36.
13
• Batchelor, Christian, This Thing Called Swing. Christian Batchelor Books, 1997,(ISBN 0-9530631-0-0)
See also
• Frankie Manning
• Swing dance
• thelindyhop.com - A list of every lindy hop related
website in the world
• The Jiving Lindy Hoppers - The site of London's
main professional Lindy hop performance troupe,
containing much about the history of the dance.
• Hollywood-style Lindy Hop
• Savoy-style Lindy Hop
• Lindy Exchange
• Jitterbug
• Yehoodi
• Swingmonkey
• Minnesota Lindy
External links
• Savoystyle Archives of early lindy hop - the most
useful resource for lindy hop history, sanctioned by
Frankie Manning
14
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_Hop"
Lindy Hop
15
16
closely related to earlier African American vernac-
ular dances but quickly gained its own fame through
dancers in films, performances, competitions, and
professional dance troupes. It became especially
popular in the 1930s with the invention of aerials. The
popularity of Lindy Hop declined after World War II,
and the dance remained dormant until revived by European and American dancers in the 1980s.
Early influences (1900s-1920s)
Lindy Hop combined a number of dances popular in
the United States in the 1920s and earlier, many of
which developed in African American communities.
Just as jazz music emerged as a dominant art form that
Lindy Hoppers at a Jitterbug contest in 1942.
The History of Lindy Hop begins in the African American communities of Harlem, New York during the late
1920s in conjunction with swing jazz. Lindy Hop is
could absorb and integrate other forms of music, Lindy
Hop could absorb and integrate other forms of dance.
This hybridity is characteristic of vernacular dances, in
which forms and steps are adapted and developed to
suit the social and cultural needs of its participants in
17
History of Lindy Hop
everyday spaces. Therefore, Lindy Hop was not origi-
dancers to introduce a 'delay' in their timing which
academies or institutions.
to tempo within Charleston and Breakaway.
nally the creative or economic project of formal dance
Lindy Hop's genealogy can be seen in the ideolog-
ical themes, social uses, and specific steps that it has
absorbed during its development. For many Lindy Hop
historians, the Charleston is Lindy Hop's most influential predecessor, and Lindy Hop's basic footwork
and timing reflects that of the Charleston. The transition from Charleston to Lindy Hop was facilitated by
the Breakaway, a partner dance which introduced the
'throw out' and 'open position' of dances such as the
Texas Tommy to the 'closed position' and footwork of
partnered Charleston. The development of Breakaway
is largely associated with the dancer Shorty George
Snowden in the late 1920s.
As jazz music in the late 1920s changed, so did jazz
dances. The swung note of swinging jazz encouraged
18
influenced the execution of footwork and approaches
Classic era (1927 to 1935)
Harlem and the birth of Lindy Hop
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s raised the
profile of African American vernacular culture in white
communities within the United States, particularly in
New York. The popularity of African American dance
and music fed what became a fascination with the
somewhat illicit nature of the ghettoised area. White
patronage in the area brought much-need income to
the bars, clubs and theaters of Harlem, as well as work
for black artists in a city increasingly belabored by
economic depression.
Upper and middle class white audiences were exposed
to Harlem's working class entertainment, at first
through white audiences attending black venues
and shows in Harlem, but later through traveling
shows, popular music and cinema and prompting a
the creation and popularizing of Lindy Hop, both in
social dance spaces and on the stage.
mainstream thirst for "black" cultural forms. By the
Origin of the name 'Lindy Hop'
stream white audiences, however, they had often been
in Lindy Hop communities today, and the fact that
time dances such as the Lindy Hop reached main-
The origins of the name 'Lindy Hop' are much debated
reworked by white teachers and film studios to accord
there are no living Lindy Hop dancers from the late
with the aesthetics and social values of white main-
stream America. White dancers such as Dean Collins
in Hollywood films played pivotal roles in popular-
izing Lindy Hop, and Collins' dancing not only spread
the form across the United States, but also provided
less 'risque' versions for more conservative American
palates.
Harlem's increasing popularity as an entertainment
district, as well as a vibrant creative center for African
Americans in the 1920s and 30s eventually saw both
1920s available for comment only adds to the confusion.
In one account it is argued that, in the slang of the late
19th and early 20th centuries, a 'Lindy' was a young
woman.
[citation needed]
The word "hop" was documented as
early as 1913 as a term for swing dancing and was also,
apparently, a term used by early Texas Tommy dancers
to describe the basic move for their dance.
[citation needed]
In a more influential account, however, popular
legend has it that dancer "Shorty" George Snowden
renamed the breakaway Lindy Hop in a dance contest.
19
In this version, Snowden was a competitor in a dance
trans-Atlantic flight may or may not have inspired the
New York ballroom. During the contest "as he remem-
George Snowden and the dance continues in Lindy Hop
marathon on June 17, 1928 at the Manhattan Casino, a
bers it - Snowden decided to do a breakaway, that is,
fling his partner out and improvise a few solo steps of
his own. In the midst of the monotony of the marathon,
the effect was electric, and even the musicians came
to life. ...Fox Movietone News arrived to cover the
marathon and decided to take a close-up of Shorty's
feet" and an interviewer then asked him "What are you
doing with your feet?" Snowden, "without stopping,
replied 'The Lindy'"
[1]
name "Lindy Hop", the association between the aviator,
folklore.
Often referred to as the "first generation" of Lindy
Hop, dancers such as George Snowden, Leroy "Stretch"
Jones, Twistmouth George and Edith Matthews inspired
many other dancers and troupes (including Frankie
Manning) to take up Lindy Hop. Twistmouth George
and Matthews are credited with inventing the "twist"
that characterises the first few steps of the follower's
footwork in the Swingout. By the end of the classic era
Whether Snowden intended it or not, Lindy Hop was
Lindy Hop was danced across Harlem in ballrooms,
airplane flight, completed in 1927. "Lindy" was the
ments, and street parties — almost anywhere people
associated with Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic
night clubs, cabaret clubs, rent parties, private apart-
aviator's nickname. The reporter interviewing Snowden
came together with music to dance.
apparently tied the name to Charles Lindbergh to
gain publicity and further his story. While Lindbergh's
20
Aerials era (1935 to 1941)
Ballrooms across the United States hosted the big
bands of the day, with Chick Webb leading one of the
most popular at the Savoy Ballroom. It was with his
orchestra that the teenage Ella Fitzgerald first gained
fame. These ballrooms continued a national tradition
of sponsoring contests where dancers invented, tested
and displayed new steps for prizes. At first banning
lindy hoppers because they took more space than other
dancers and often kicked nearby couples, the Savoy
eventually relented and welcomed them as an attraction for other guests.
[2]
As the 'Home of Happy Feet',
the Savoy became the hottest ballroom in New York
Lindy Hop at an Elk's Club dance.
City, if not the world.
In 1935 Lindy Hop - with swing music - had became
The first air steps
in part to the success of musicians such as Benny
(an African American man nicknamed for a white
increasingly popular throughout America, attributable
Head bouncer at the Savoy Herbert "Whitey" White
Goodman, Count Basie, and Chick Webb.
streak in his hair) managed a team of local dancers that
21
included George Snowden. White arranged for dancers
to Lindy Hop. The precise history of events cannot be
parties and shows, all over the city and country.
ment of aerial steps in Lindy Hop is told by still-living
to perform at professional engagements, including
George Snowden's absence from the ballroom with
these performances gave a new generation of dancers
the opportunity to shine, Frankie Manning among
them. With the most popular dancers returning to the
Savoy between engagements, rivalries soon devel-
oped between different groups, particularly between
Shorty George and his friends and newer dancers such
as Manning. These rivalries were often played out in
formal competitions between groups. It was at one such
competition that the first air steps were performed.
Since the beginning of jazz dance, acrobatics were an
essential part of vernacular dance, commonly known
as flash dancers who toured with bands across United
States during the first part of the 20th century. In the
early 1930s, however, they had not yet been introduced
22
ascertained, yet the most popular story of the develop(and so most influential) dancer Frankie Manning.
Determined to out-do rival dancers, Frankie Manning
devised the Over the Back air step with his partner,
Frieda Washington, for a dance competition designed
to resolve the rivalry between Snowden and Manning's
dancers. Shorty George and his partner, Big Bea, often
finished dances with Big Bea picking Shorty George up
on her back and carrying him off the floor while he
kicked his feet in the air. Manning planned the Over the
Back aerial to top Shorty George and Big Bea's trade-
mark move. The Over the Back not only won Manning
and Washington the competition, but saw the beginning
of Lindy Hop's most famous family of steps.
It is important to note, however, that Al Minns rebutted
Manning's story and claimed that he was the first
[citation needed]
dancer to do aerials in the Savoy Ballroom.
Either story may be true, but Manning, now in his 90s,
remains an influential figure in contemporary Lindy
Hop and his stories gain credence from his living presence.
Manning went on to dance extensively with one of
the most influential Lindy Hop troupes, the Whitey's
Lindy Hoppers (also known as Whitey's Lindy Maniacs,
Whyte's Hopping Maniacs, The Harlem Congaroos,
The Hot Chocolates, and other names). Based at the
Savoy and managed by White, they also performed
around the world from 1935 to 1941 at private parties
and in stage shows and films. These performances
contributed to the spread of Lindy across America as
performed in films and around the world, and he still
teaches and dances today.
Dean Collins and Hollywood
See Dean Collins and Hollywood-style Lindy Hop for further
details
Lindy Hop's movement into the American and international mainstream is largely attributed to four factors:
Hollywood films, dance studios and instructors such
as Arthur Murray and Irene and Vernon Castle, touring
dance troupes, and ordinary people (e.g., American
troops in WWII bringing Lindy Hop to new countries).
One of key figures in Lindy Hop's move to Hollywood
was Dean Collins.
well as Manning's status in the dancing world. Frankie
According to swing culture legend, Dean Collins
Hop's most famous dancers. He choreographed and
dance to the west coast of the United States. He danced
Manning went on to become one of contemporary Lindy
learned Lindy Hop in the Savoy ballroom and took the
in a number of Hollywood films that quickly capital-
23
ized on the popularity of swing music and dancing.
Frankie Manning and other African American dancers
World War II era (1941 to 1945)
also appeared in key films of the era, however, their
films were not as numerous and they frequently had
inferior working conditions.
Two men dance aboard the USS Wenonah.
24
musicians. Frankie Manning and other members of the
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers were drafted, prompting the
disbanding of the group.
Lindy hop became a wartime recreation, with white
dancers developing as the most well-known and
common faces in popular musical films.
In 1943, Life magazine featured Lindy Hop on its cover
and called it America's National Folk Dance.
Post-war era (1945 to 1984)
After the Second World War, music changed. Jazz
clubs, burdened by new taxes and legislation limiting
venues' ability to employ musicians and dancers or
host dancing, employed only smaller bands and filled
Life magazine cover featuring Lindy Hop.
During the war many top performers were called to
military service, including many Lindy Hoppers and
dance floors with tables. Musicians, immersed in the
new world of bebop and cool jazz wanted patrons to
pay attention and listen, not dance. The rise of rock
and roll and bebop in the 1950s saw a further decline
25
in the popularity of jazz for dancing, and Lindy Hop
slipped from the public eye, replaced by Rock and Roll
dancing, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing and other
dances.
Revival era (1980s)
Lindy Hop was revived in the 1980s by dancers in
New York City, California, Stockholm, and the United
Kingdom. Each group independently searched for orig-
inal Lindy Hop dancers and, for those who lived outside
British revival
Louise "Mama Lou" Parks
Ballroom
[4]
[3]
was a hostess at the Savoy
that had promised Charles Buchanan that
she would continue holding the Lindy Hop portion
of the Harvest Moon Ball dance competition after the
Savoy Ballroom closed.
[3]
She helped preserve the dance
by teaching the performance and competition aspects
to a new generation of dancers, and in doing so, helped
a generation of youngsters living "in the 'hood" from
[5]
of New York City, traveled to New York City to work
getting in trouble with the law.
Norma Miller came out of retirement and toured the
'N' Roll Federation in Germany about sponsoring the
with them. Al Minns, Pepsi Bethel, Frankie Manning and
world teaching Lindy Hop, later to be joined by dancers
such as George and Sugar Sullivan.
After Mama Lou
Parks contacted Wolfgang Steuer of the World Rock
winners of her Harvest Moon Ball at their interna-
tional swing dance competition, she started to become
more well known in Europe and eventually caught the
attention of the British TV company London Weekend
Television. "In 1981 they paid for one of Mama Lou's
events to be re-staged at Small's Paradise Club on
26
7th Avenue in Harlem."
[3]
The program aired in late
1982 on the arts program The South Bank Show and
featured Mama Lou Parks, her Traditional Jazz Dance
Company, and the Lindy Hop.
[6]
The TV show sparked
so much interest in the dance that Mama Lou Parks and
Hoppers.
[9]
During the 1990s, Ryan Francois became
considered one of the most talented modern Lindy
Hoppers and traveled internationally to teach and
perform the Lindy Hop with his dance company Zoots
and Spangles Authentic Jazz Dance Company (formed
[10]
her Traditional Jazz Dance Company toured the UK in
in 1987).
1983 and 1984.
March 1985, the Jiving Lindy Hoppers (Warren Heyes,
[7]
Terry Monaghan and Warren Heyes
met each other at her workshops in London in 1983.
Afterwards, they decided to form the British dance
company The Lindy Hop Jivers, later renamed to the
Jiving Lindy Hoppers.
[8][9]
During the 1980s, the Jiving
Lindy Hoppers were instrumental in spreading Lindy
Hop throughout the UK by teaching and performing at
shows, festivals and on TV.
January 1984, the Jiving Lindy Hoppers started
Terry Monaghan, Ryan Francois, Claudia Gintersdorfer,
and Lesley Owen) traveled to New York City on their
first research visit. Their goal was primarily to meet Al
Minns but when they arrived, they learned that he was
in the hospital and not expected to live much longer.
(Al Minns died on 24 April 1985.) Through Mama
Lou Parks, they met Alfred "Pepsi" Bethel and trained
with him for two weeks in New York City followed
[6]
teaching Lindy Hop in London. After the first few
by another week in London.
that year, he became a member of the Jiving Lindy
Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, dance historians
classes, Ryan Francois joined the classes and later
While in NY, they also
met two former members of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers,
27
Mura Dehn, Sally Sommer, and Ernie Smith, as well as
dance enthusiasts that had just formed the New York
[9][11]
Swing Dance Society in 1985.
Julie Oram taught Lindy Hop classes followed by DJed
music from the 1930s, 40s, ad 50s. Sing Lim, "an extra
enthusiastic and energetic dancer",
[14]
became good
In 1986, Simon Selmon started taking Lindy Hop
friends with Ryan and Julie and in 1991, she started to
dance instructor who had now converted to Lindy
when Ryan and Julie were out of town performing for
classes from Warren Heyes, his previous rock and roll
Hop.
[12]
The dance classes inspired Simon Selmon
to travel to New York City later that year, where he
met Margaret Batiuchok, one of the founders of the
New York Swing Dance Society.
[11]
Upon his return to
London, he started the London Swing Dance Society
in a similar manner to the New York Swing Dance
[13]
Society.
Later, Simon Selmon traveled throughout
Europe, America, and Japan teaching Lindy Hop.
On 31 October 1987, Simon Erland, a sculptor and
dance enthusiast, started Jitterbugs London, a Lindy
[14]
Hop and Swing club in London.
28
Ryan Francois and
help run Jitterbugs. Sing Lim taught the dance classes
Zoots and Spangles, as well as helped advertise and
promote the club.
[14][15][10]
When Sing Lim returned to
Singapore in 1994, she started Jitterbugs Swingapore
and helped spread Lindy Hop to Singapore, Australia,
and Japan, as well as parts of the US.
Swedish revival
See also: Hot Shots (dance companies)
Three Swedish dancers who later formed an influen-
tial performance and teaching group called The Rhythm
Hot Shots traveled to New York City in April 1984 in
search of Al Minns, one of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
They invited Al Minns to Stockholm, where he held a
with convincing him to begin instructing Lindy Hop.
Swing Society. When Al Minns died in 1985, they found
Hop to California and other locations within the US.
dance workshop in 1984 for the newly created Swedish
Frankie Manning. The Swedish Swing Society and The
Rhythm Hot Shots helped spread Lindy Hop throughout
Sweden and the rest of the world, partly through the
Herräng Dance Camp held every summer since 1982 in
the town of Herräng.
Erin Stevens and Steven Mitchell helped spread Lindy
With Frankie Manning out of retirement, he continued
where Al Minns left off at the Sandra Cameron Dance
Center. Eventually the demand for his dance instruction increased and Frankie Manning started to travel
and teach worldwide spreading his joy of Lindy Hop.
American revival
Neo-swing era (1990s)
In 1982, Al Minns was convinced to start teaching Lindy
The 1990s saw the rise of popular neo-jazz bands such
Hop at the Sandra Cameron Dance Center in New York
City.
[16][17]
Californian dancers Erin Stevens and Steven
Mitchell flew to New York City to take classes with him
[18]
in 1983 and 1984.
When Al Minns died in 1985, they
learned about Frankie Manning through Bob Crease, a
[19]
board member of the New York Swing Dance Society.
They visited Frankie Manning in 1986 and are credited
as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin' Daddies in
the swing revival, and many other artists moving on
from ska and punk rock based music to a reworking
of swinging jazz musical themes and standard songs.
Almost overnight, neo-swing bands and clubs popped
up in most large cities in the United States, with the
music's popularity growing internationally, with bands
such as The Louisville Sluggers in Australia and many
29
others. Neo-swing music was a deviation from jazz and
swing dancers often dressed up with fancy zoot suits
blues and ska rhythms played with blazing horns and
simpler and easy to sell - was mainly taught as a six-
swing and instead was based on rock, rockabilly, jump
over-the-top presentation.
and many accessories. The dance - in order to be made
count form based on East Coast Swing.
Film such as Swing Kids (1993) and Swingers (1996)
Revivalist Lindy Hoppers such as The Rhythm Hot
former discussing youth resistance to the Nazi party
were able to offer classes in Lindy Hop and other swing
capitalized on the popularity of neo-swing, with the
in Germany through jazz and Lindy Hop, and the latter
becoming a cult-hit story of love and misadventure in
Los Angeles. The popularity of films such as Swingers
(which featured the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and land-
mark Lindy Hop venue The Derby) prompted the American Gap commercial "Khaki Swing" in 1996 exploited
the popularity of neo swing music with a sequence
of swing dancing and the song "Jump Jive and Wail".
Many swing dancers who came to Lindy Hop in the
1990s cite these films, advertisements and bands as
key factors inspiring them to take up lindy hop. Neo30
Shots in Sweden and Sylvia Sykes in the United States
dances to interested young people in the late 1980s and
1990s.
As the fad died towards to end of the 1990s, the
numbers of dancers dwindled and Lindy Hop was
taught again as a jazz dance, and dancers had turned
back to jazz music and continued to develop their
dance. The neo-swing era, with all its problems, had
one important contribution to Lindy Hop - popu-
larizing the dance revivalists were researching and
learning, and bringing it once again to the general
public and creating a popular basis that has been a firm
foundation for the continuation of the art form into the
21st century.
See also
• Lindy Hop
3.
• Hollywood-style Lindy Hop
• Savoy-style Lindy Hop
References
1.
^ Stearns, Marshall, and Jean Stearns. Jazz Dance: The Story of
American Vernacular Dance. 3rd ed., pages 315-316. New York:
Da Capo Press, 1994. ISBN 0-306-80553-7.
2.
^ Frankie Manning, Northern California Lindy Society workshop
interview, January 2002.
Monaghan, Terry. "MAMA LU" PARKS: CRASHING
2007-07-23.
4.
University Press, 12. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. “Savoy hostess Mama
• Swing (dance)
• Vernacular dance
a b c
CARS & KEEPING THE SAVOY'S MEMORY ALIVE. Retrieved on
• Lindy Hop today
• African American vernacular dance
^
Lu Parks” 5.
^ Tan, Jacqueline (August 2001). "of Hoopers and Hoppers".
Blackspeak 9. Retrieved on 2007-07-23. 6.
^
a b
Jiving Lindy Hoppers: Our mentors. Jiving Lindy Hoppers.
Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
7.
^ Spotlight on Lindy Hop. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
8.
^ Monaghan, Terry. "Lady Lindy Hop", The Guardian Newspaper,
1990-10-01. Retrieved on 2007-07-23. 9.
^
a b c
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE JIVING LINDY HOPPERS. Jiving
Lindy Hoppers. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
10. ^
a b
Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas (2007). Retrieved on
2007-07-23.
31
11. ^
a b
Batiuchok, Margaret. About Margaret. Retrieved on
2007-07-23.
12. ^ Sachs, Annemarie. Simon Selmon: "A dream comes true".
13. ^ London Swing Dance Society: History & Activities. London
Swing Dance Society. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
14. ^
a b c
Oram, Julie (2006-02-14). History of Jitterbugs - a
personal account as remembered by Julie Oram. Retrieved on
2007-07-23.
15. ^ Jitterbugs Swingapore: About Us. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
16. ^ Larry Schultz. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
17. ^ Manning, Frankie; Cynthia R. Millman (2007). Frankie Manning:
University Press, 225. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. “In 1982, they [Larry
Schultz and Sandra Cameron] had hired Al Minns ... to teach at
the Sandra Cameron Dance Center, which, to my knowledge, was
the first time that a dance studio brought in one of the original
Savoy Lindy hoppers as a teacher.” 32
18. ^ Lindy Hop History: Part III: Recent History: 1983 - 2005.
Retrieved on 2007-07-23. “We met Al Minns and had exposure
with him for two years, and then we found Frankie. We had to
fly back and forth between New York and Pasadena. I think that
probably my only regret is that we didn’t work with Al more than
we did, because he died shortly thereafter. However, we were
young and didn’t have money. It was a big deal for us to make the
trek out to the east coast.”
19. ^ Manning, Frankie; Cynthia R. Millman (2007). Frankie Manning:
University Press, 227. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. Further reading
Wisconsin Press, 2001. ISBN 0-299-17314-3.
• Emery, Lynne Fauley. Black Dance in the United States
from 1619 to 1970. California: National Press Books,
1972. ISBN 99928-11-04-8.
• Friedland, LeeEllen. "Social Commentary in AfricanAmerican Movement Performance." Human Action
• Gottschild, Brenda Dixon. Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance. Connecticut and
London: Greenwood Press, 1996. ISBN 0-275-96373X.
• Hazzard-Gordon, Katrina. Jookin': The Rise of Social
Dance Formations in African-American Culture.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990. ISBN
0-87722-956-2.
• Govenar, Alan (2006). Stompin' at the Savoy: The
Story of Norma Miller. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick
Press. ISBN 0-76362-244-3. • Jackson, Jonathan David. "Improvisation in AfricanAmerican Vernacular Dancing." Dance Research
Journal 33.2 (2001/2002): 40 - 53.
Rhythms of African American Dance. Urbana and
Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996. ISBN
0-252-06508-5.
29 - 36.
• Manning, Frankie; Cynthia R Millman (2007). Frankie
Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop. Philadelphia, PA:
Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. • Miller, Norma; Evette Jensen (1996). Swinging' at the
Savoy. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. ISBN
1-56639-494-5. External link
• Transcript of an interview with Frankie Manning
and Normal Miller for Ken Burn's Jazz documentary,
1997. Retrieved 12 July, 2006.
33
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
History_of_Lindy_Hop"
34
35
36
competitions slaveholders sometimes held, in which
they offered slices of hoecake as prizes for the best
[1]
This article is about the form of music and dance. For other
dancers.
meanings, see Cakewalk (disambiguation).
The dance was invented as a satirical parody of the
formal European ballroom dances preferred by white
slave owners, and featured exaggerated imitations of
the dance ritual, combined with traditional African
[2]
dance steps.
One common form of cakewalk dance
involved couples linked at the elbows, lining up in a
circle, dancing forward alternating a series of short
hopping steps with a series of very high kicking steps.
Costumes worn for the cakewalk often included large,
Cakewalk, 1892
exaggerated bow ties, suits, canes, and top hats.
Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of
Dances by slaves were a popular spectator pastime for
the Southern United States. The form was originally
held for their pleasure. Following the American Civil
music and dance which originated among slaves in
slaveholders, evolving into regular Sunday contests
known as the chalk line walk; it takes its name from
War, the tradition continued amongst African Ameri-
cans in the South and gradually moved northward. The
37
Cakewalk
Cakewalk
dance became nationally popular among whites and
Today, one version of the cakewalk is kept alive by
The
traditional Scottish Highland dancers. The cakewalk is
ally popular force in American mainstream music, and
Highland Dance community, especially in the southern
into ragtime music in the mid 1890s. The music was
community, a version of the cakewalk seen in vintage
[1]
blacks for a time at the end of the 19th century.
syncopated music of the cakewalk became a nation-
sometimes taught, performed and competed within the
with growing complexity and sophistication evolved
United States.
adopted into the works of various white composers,
film clips from the early 1900s is kept alive in the
including John Philip Sousa and Claude Debussy.
Debussy wrote Golliwog's Cakewalk as the final move[3]
ment of the Children's Corner suite (1908).
Modern times
The term "cakewalk" is often used to indicate some-
thing that is very easy or effortless. Though the dance
itself could be physically demanding, it was generally
considered a fun, recreational pastime. The phrases
"takes the cake" and "piece of cake" also come from this
[1]
practice.
38
[2]
In addition to the Highland Dance
Lindy Hop community through performances by the
Harlem Hot Shots and through cakewalk classes held in
conjunction with Lindy Hop classes and workshops.
The cakewalk is also now seen as a game in church,
school and other bazaars and fairs. Participants walk
around a path with numbered squares in time with
music; when the music stops, a number is called out
and the person standing on that square receives a cake.
Cakes are usually donated by members of the church or
school and the participants buy tickets to play.
[4][5]
Cakewalk
Quotations
However, it was at one of these balls that I first
saw the cake-walk. There was a contest for a
gold watch, to be awarded to the hotel head-
waiter receiving the greatest number of votes.
There was some dancing while the votes were
being counted. Then the floor was cleared for
the cake-walk. A half-dozen guests from some
of the hotels took seats on the stage to act as
judges, and twelve or fourteen couples began
to walk for a sure enough, highly decorated
cake, which was in plain evidence. The spectators crowded about the space reserved for the
contestants and watched them with interest and
excitement. The couples did not walk round in
a circle, but in a square, with the men on the
inside. The fine points to be considered were
the bearing of the men, the precision with which
they turned the corners, the grace of the women,
and the ease with which they swung around
the pivots. The men walked with stately and
soldierly step, and the women with consider-
able grace. The judges arrived at their decision
by a process of elimination. The music and the
walk continued for some minutes; then both
were stopped while the judges conferred; when
the walk began again, several couples were left
out. In this way the contest was finally narrowed
down to three or four couples. Then the excitement became intense; there was much partisan
cheering as one couple or another would execute
a turn in extra elegant style. When the cake was
finally awarded, the spectators were about evenly
divided between those who cheered the winners
and those who muttered about the unfairness of
the judges. This was the cake-walk in its original
form, and it is what the colored performers on
39
the theatrical stage developed into the prancing
4.
^ Kimberly Reynolds. Bake Sale Fundraiser. Arti-
which some Parisian critics pronounced the acme
5.
^ Cakewalk Fundraiser. Innoko River School.
—James Weldon Johnson: The Autobiography of
External links
movements now known all over the world, and
of poetic motion.
an Ex-Colored Man, 1912, Chapter 5
cleBin. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
• Britannica Brief article on the cakewalk
References
1.
2.
^
a b c
^
a b
Cakewalk Dance. Streetswing Dance History
Archive. Retrieved on 2007-04-01.
Kirsty Duncan PhD. Introduction to High-
land Dancing. Electric Scotland. Retrieved on
3.
2007-04-05.
^ Crawford, Richard (2000). An Introduction to
America's Music. New York City: W. W. Norton &
Co.. 40
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cakewalk"
Cakewalk
41
42
Forms
Balboa is a form of swing dance that started as early
while shuffling the feet on the floor. The leader often
as 1915 and gained in popularity in the 1930s and
1940s. It is danced primarily in close embrace, and is
led with a full body connection. The art of Balboa is the
subtle communication between the lead and follow, like
weight shifts, that most viewers cannot see. As a result,
Balboa is considered more of a "dancer's dance" than a
"spectator's dance".
Balboa is danced to a wide variety of tempos. Because
the basic is so small, Balboa can be danced to fast
music (over 300 beats per minute). Balboa is also
danced to slow music (under 100 beats per minute),
which allows more time for intricate footwork and variations.
Balboa involves chaining two-step movements together
wears leather soled dress shoes, while the follow often
dances in high heels.
The dance was originally a response to overcrowded
ballrooms where the break away (a move popular in
lindy hop at the time) was often difficult, if not banned
by the venue. Balboa is often perceived as a restrained
or introverted dance, with most movement below the
knees.
• Balboa: sometimes referred today as "Pure Bal".
Dancers stay in close embrace at all times, their
torsos touching, doing variations based on footwork,
turning as a couple, and moving as a couple.
• Bal-swing: originally known as just "Swing" or sometimes "Randy Swing" in Newspaper articles of that
time is an eccentric dance unlike Balboa, which
43
Balboa (dance)
Balboa (dance)
allows for improvisation. This dance style came from
wide due in part to the efforts of Jonathan Bixby and
in Venice Beach in 1932. The name "Bal-Swing" came
Some original Balboa dancers quotes:
Charleston and its earliest known use was a contest
about during the 1970s from an attempt to differ-
entiate the dance from the much more general term
"Swing Dancing." While dancing Bal-swing, the closed
connection of the Pure Bal can be broken, with partners doing other variations.
History
Balboa came from Southern California during the 20's
and increased in popularity until World War 2. Balboa
is named for the Balboa Peninsula, in Newport Beach,
California where it was invented. It is believed to have
started at the Balboa Pavilion [1] in Newport Beach.
A small, active Balboa community has always existed in
the Los Angeles area. Today, Balboa is resurging world-
44
Sylvia Sykes.
"We can't tell you how to dance Balboa, but we can tell you
when you are not dancing Balboa."
"As soon as you start attracting attention to yourself, you
[are] not doing Balboa anymore"
Comparisons to Lindy Hop
Balboa is a contemporary of Lindy Hop, so comparisons
are hard to avoid.
• Both dances evolved at the same time with the same
swing music. Both are considered evolutionary
descendants of Charleston, though some consider it
to be an adaptation of various Latin dances such as
the Rumba done to American Big Band music. Balboa
has also typically been recognized as a regional dance
Balboa (dance)
done in Southern California while Lindy Hop is more
Body Lead
widespread nationally.
There are many variations on how dancers move during
considered dances done by jitterbugs during the 30's
ation communicates movement to the follow differ-
• Both Bal-swing and Lindy Hop would have been
and 40's, unlike Balboa which was done by a more
mature dancer who wanted to avoid the Jitterbugs
eccentric floor work.
Description
Body Position
The dancers stand close, touching from hip to upper
chest. This makes communication with body language
very easy. The man's right front torso (rib cage) touches
the woman's center front torso (rib cage). They are
offset by about 30 degrees.
the basic step. Each variation looks different. Each variently. Dancers do all of the following (from the lead's
point of view):
• Stay in place while doing the footwork.
• Move back and forth between 2 positions on the floor
• Move in a box: back - side - middle - forward - side
- middle.
Regardless of basic variation, the dance is done in
place, without any traveling on the floor.
Basic footwork
The Balboa basic is performed to 8 counts of the music,
with footwork as follows: (assuming both dancers shift
forward and back between two positions on the floor 4
to 8 inches or 10 to 20 cm apart).
45
Lead:
1.
- Step back with left foot.
3.
- Slide left foot forward.
2.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
- Step back with right foot, bringing feet together.
- Slide left foot back beside right foot.
- Step forward with right foot.
- Step forward with left foot, bringing feet
together.
- Slide right foot back, bringing heel off the
ground.
- Slide right foot forward beside left foot.
Follow:
1.
2.
3.
4.
46
- Step forward with right foot.
- Step forward with left foot, bringing feet
5.
- Step back with left foot.
7.
- Slide left foot forward.
6.
8.
- Step back with right foot, bringing feet together.
- Slide left foot back beside right foot.
Note that the lead and follow footwork is identical,
although offset by four beats. That is, both perform the
same footwork when moving backwards and forwards.
Footwork Variations
Dancers vary their footwork, to respond to the music or
their partner.
Many footwork variations can be done independently of
the partner. The three most common footwork variations are single, double, and triple time.
together.
• Single time or down hold: Counts 3-4 and 7-8 are
ground.
• Double time or up hold: Counts 3-4 and 7-8 are
- Slide right foot backward, bringing heel off the
- Slide right foot forward beside left foot.
step-holds.
kick-steps. This is the most common variation.
Balboa (dance)
• Triple time: Counts 3-4 and 7-8 are triple steps.
• Fan step: In single time, the left foot fans out to the
left, on the 3-4 for leads or 7-8 for follows.
• Slide step: When moving the left foot back or the
right foot forward, slide it.
• Dig Dig Step: Counts 3-4 or 7-8 are kick - kick -
step. This move crosses double time motions with
triple time timing.
Some footwork patterns require cooperation with the
partner.
• V Slide: On the 3-4 or 7-8, slide both feet out in a V
to hit a break. Use the following 1-2 or 5-6 to return
to the basic pattern.
Main Variations
Five loose categories of variations are pure, throwouts,
lollies, crossovers, and fancy. Bal-swing also borrows
moves from other dances, especially Charleston. Pure
Balboa variations are often called "ad libs."
Most of the following moves would be done strictly in
Bal-swing. However, these moves can been seen some-
times in Balboa if they are done very small, with feet on
floor and no travelling.
• Paddle Turns: Can be done clockwise or counter-
clockwise. For counterclockwise paddles, the lead
begins with the usual back left, together right,
step left, hold. During the step hold the lead starts
turning. The lead then turns with a step right -
step left - step right - step left. The lead continues
turning with this pattern, until he changes to another
variation. Clockwise paddles begin by starting with
the hold on counts 7-8.
• Paddle Walks: Using down-hold footwork, turn
slightly counter-clockwise on the 8. Then the lead
moves to the right on the 1, 2, and 3. Then turn
47
slightly to clockwise on the 4. Then the lead moves to
the left on the 5, 6, and 7. Repeat as desired. This will
move the couple across the floor in a zig-zag.
• Move Forward and Backward: Normally, on the 1-2
the lead steps backwards, and on the 5-6 the lead
steps forward. The lead can simply keep going backward or forward for as many steps as desired.
• Move Sideways: (Also known as "Scoots")
• Shuffle Step:
• Crab Walk: This variation keeps the step - together
footwork pattern of the 1-2 or the 5-6 going. From
the 1, this would be back - together - forward -
together - etc. From the 5, this would be forward together - back - together - etc. This can be exag-
gerated from the 1, back - together side - forward side - back - etc. Exaggerated from the 5, forward together - side - back - side - forward - etc. After
doing 8 counts, one can return to the basic pattern.
48
• Come Around or Break Step: This is the first part of
many variations, especially throwouts.
Throw Outs: See also Throwouts (dance).
•
• Swing Outs:
• Lollies: Kick step, kick step. Usually, the lead slowly
walks around the follow, who spins in place. See also
Lollies (dance)
• Crossovers: Crossovers have an in-out feel. See also
Crossovers (dance).
• Push and Pull: with twists
• Swivels:
• Fall off the log: By default, the kicks occur on the 3
and 7 counts. Both step in front and behind variations.
Fancy: These are special variations that are part of the
•
history.
• Texas Tommy: The follow spins away with a Texas
Tommy, while the lead does a heel slide.
Balboa (dance)
• Pop Turns: The follow does rock - step - spin - spin.
The big difference is that the lead closes and moves
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balboa_%28dance
%29"
forward on the 5-6.
• V Slides: The follow does standard footwork. The
lead pushes the follow a little bit on the 5-6 to create
some space between them. Then the lead does a V
Slide on the 7-8.
• Charleston: It is very common to add Charleston variations.
As a rule, transitions between moves are made on the
slow (3-4 or 7-8) counts, because there is more time to
signal and make adjustments.
External links
• Balboa Nation
• Only Balboa: international portal about Balboa
• california historical jazz dance foundation
49
50
Charleston (dance)
Charleston (dance)
A USPS stamp from the Celebrate the Century series:
Flappers Doing the Charleston by John Held Jr.
The Charleston is a dance named for the city of
Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm is a tradi-
tional one from West Africa, popularized in mainstream
Josephine Baker dancing the Charleston
at the Folies Bergère, Paris, in 1926
dance music in the United States of America by a 1923
51
tune called The Charleston by composer/pianist James
Lindy Hop. In this later Charleston form, the hot jazz
Runnin' Wild and became one of the most popular hits
the swing jazz music of the 30s and 40s. This style of
P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show
of the decade.
While it developed in African-American communities in
the USA, the Charleston became a popular dance craze
in the wider international community in the 1920s.
Despite its black history, Charleston is most frequently
associated with white flappers and the speakeasy. Here,
these young women would dance alone or together as
a way of mocking the "drys," or citizens who supported
the Prohibition amendment, as Charleston was then
considered quite immoral and provocative.
Charleston was one of the dances from which Lindy
Hop developed in the 1930s, though the Breakaway
(dance) is popularly considered an intermediary dance
form. A slightly different form of Charleston became
popular in the 1930s and 40s, and is associated with
52
timing of the 1920s Charleston was adapted to suit
Charleston has many common names, though the most
common are 'Lindy Charleston', 'Savoy Charleston', '30s
or 40s Charleston' and 'Swing(ing) Charleston'. In both
'20s Charleston' and 'Swinging Charleston' the basic
step takes 8 counts and was danced either alone or
with a partner.
Charleston today
Today Charleston is an important dance in Lindy Hop
dance culture, danced in many permutations: alone
(solo), with a partner or in groups of couples or solo
dancers. The basic step allows for a vast range of vari-
ations and improvisation. Both the 1920s and Swinging
Charleston styles are popular today, though swinging
Charleston is more commonly integrated into Lindy
Hop dancing.
Charleston (dance)
Solo
Solo 20s Charleston
Charleston can be danced solo, its simple, flexible basic
Solo 20s Charleston has recently gained popularity
step making it easy to concentrate on styling, improvisation and musicality.
Whichever style of Charleston one chooses, whether
dancing alone, with a partner, or in groups, the basic
step resembles the natural movement of walking,
though it is usually performed in place. The arms swing
forward and backwards, with the right arm coming
forward as the left leg 'steps' forward, and then moving
back as the opposite arm/leg begin their forwards
movement. Toes are not pointed, but feet usually form
a right angle with the leg at the ankle. Arms are usually
extended from the shoulder, either with straight lines,
or more frequently with bent elbows and hands at right
angles from the wrist (characteristics of many African
dances). Styling varies with each Charleston type from
this point, though all utilise a 'bounce'.
in many local Lindy Hop scenes around the world,
prompted by competitions such as the Ultimate Lindy
Hop Showdown (in 2005 and 2006 particularly) and
workshops in the dance taught by high profile dancers
such as the Harlem Hot Shots (formerly known as the
The Rhythm Hot Shots) and a range of independent
dancers. Usually danced to jazz music recorded or
composed in the 1920s, 20s solo Charleston is styled
quite differently to the Charleston associated with the
1930s, 1940s and Lindy Hop, though they are structurally similar.
Solo 20s Charleston is usually danced to music at
comparatively high tempos (usually above 200 beats
per minute, with tempos above 300 BPM considered
'fast'), and is characterised by high-energy dancing.
53
Faster movements are often contrasted with slower,
intervals of a phrase or number of phrases). Competi-
As it is danced today, solo 20s Charleston often
line, usually taking advantage of this movement to
the 1920s (such as the Black Bottom and the Cakewalk),
opportunity to "shine".
Charleston combines choreography with improvisation
competitions, there is often much interaction between
dragging steps and improvisations.
tors move forwards to the audience out of an informal
combines not only steps from dances associated with
perform 'strolls' or other 'travelling' steps, taking the
but also jazz dance. The most valued form of solo 20s
Despite the emphasis on solo dancing in these sorts of
and creative variations on familiar dance steps. Above
competitors and between the audience and competi-
all, the most popular and most "successful" solo 20s
Charleston dancers respond to the music in creative
ways to express themselves.
Solo 20s Charleston is often danced in groups on the
social dance floor or in formal choreography.
Solo 20s Charleston Competition
Solo 20s Charleston competitions often utilise elements
of the jam circle format, where individual competitors
take turns dancing alone for the audience (usually for
54
tors, frequently in the employment of comic devices
(such as "silly walks" or impersonations) or showy
and physically impressive "stunt" moves. This type of
interaction is typical of the call and response of West
African and Afro-American music and dance. In this
call and response, audiences and fellow competitors
encourage dancers with cheers, shouts, applause, physical gestures and other feedback.
This sort of competition structure is increasingly
popular in Lindy Hop communities around the world,
Charleston (dance)
providing added challenges for dancers, new types of
pleasure for audiences and emphasising social dancing
skills such as improvisation and musicality. This structure also echoes the cutting contests of jazz music
which Ralph Ellison describes in his stories about live
jazz music in the 1930s.
Partner Charleston
20s Partner Charleston
In 20s partner Charleston couples stand facing each
other in a traditional European partner dancing pose,
often referred to as closed position which aids leading
and following. The leader's right hand is placed on
the follower's back between their shoulder blades.
The follower's left hand rests on the leader's shoulder
Partner Charleston uses the basic step described
or biceps. The leader's left hand and the follower's
30s and 40s affected the styling, as well as ways of
shoulder height or higher. Partners may maintain
was danced by a man and woman, but now - as then -
touching. The basic step is for the leader to touch their
frequently.
counts 1 and 2, while the follower mirrors the motion
above, though stylistic changes over the 1920s,
right hand are clasped palm to palm, held either at
holding a partner. Traditionally partner charleston
space between their bodies or dance with their torsos
men and women dance together, though women more
left foot behind them, but not to shift their weight, on
by touching their right foot in front of them without
shifting weight. On counts 3 and 4, both partners bring
their feet back to a standing position, but shift their
weight onto the foot they have just moved. On counts
55
5 and 6, the leader touches their right foot in front of
and side-by-side Charleston the leader steps back
back. On 7 and 8, both feet are brought back to the
their right. In "tandem Charleston" one partner stands
themselves while the follower touches their left foot
standing position where the necessary weight shift
occurs to allow the basic step to repeat.
30s and 40s Partner Charleston
onto their left foot, while the follower steps back onto
in front of the other (usually the follower, though the
arrangement may vary), and both step back onto their
left feet to begin. The partner behind holds the front
partner's hands at their hip height, and their joined
30s and 40s Partner Charleston involves a number of
arms swing backwards and forwards as in the basic
position is opened out so that both partners may face
There are numerous other variations on these holds,
In "side-by-side" Charleston partners open out the
variations on the footwork (including Johnny's Drop,
connection are at their touching hips, and where the
in different local lindy hop scenes, though most have
and the follower's left hand and arm touch the leader's
in the community of the day.
positions, including "jockey position", where closed
step.
forward, without breaking apart.
including "hand-to-hand" Charleston, and countless
closed position entirely, so that their only points of
freezes, Savoy kicks and so on). Names for each vary
lead's right hand and arm touch the follower's back,
historic names associated with their creators or people
shoulder and arm. Both partners then swing their free
arms as they would in solo Charleston. In both jockey
56
Charleston (dance)
Groups
In swing dance or Lindy Hop communities today, both
solo 20s Charleston and solo swinging Charleston are
often danced in groups arranged in a loose circle on the
social dance floor, in two long lines of facing dancers
(evenly spaced) or in other formations in more strictly
choreographed performances.
They may choose to follow steps 'called' either by a
designated caller or by each dancer in turn. In this
called context, the group perform the same step for a
measures. If the caller doesn't call another step immediately, the dancers return to the (default) basic step.
Switching sides is sometimes called, upon which the
dancers hop on the left foot across to the other side on
counts 5-8, turning 180 degrees to the left.
In the more casual social group context, individual
dancers may choose to dance "alone", improvising in
response to the music or copying dancers around them.
Tap Charleston
Phrase (music), or until the new step is "called". Indi-
Tap Charleston (1925 to 1926): Leonard Reed was said
the called step, bringing their own personal "flavour".
1925. Tap Charleston was the Charleston with breaks
vidual dancers often improvise within the structure of
There are many local variations on this group dancing,
including the following. One person will typically call
out a variation (such as turning 360 degrees in place
on counts 5-8), which is then done by everyone begin-
to have invented Tap Charleston after he learned tap in
into open position to do tap steps. The connection
between Breakaway and Tap Charleston is murky. It
could be the same thing attributed to Leonard Reed or
something else.
ning the next measure and again for the following 2
57
Depictions in media
• In the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life, the dance
External links
competition features the Charleston. George Bailey
and Mary Hatch (played by James Stewart and Donna
Reed) are featured.
• The Charleston features prominently in the 2001
film, The Cat's Meow, starring Kirsten Dunst.
• On June 14th, 2007, actress Kyra Sedgwick was on
Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and stated that she
wasn't familiar with the new dances kids were doing
anymore. Conan O'Brien stated that back in his day,
he used to only do The Charleston. [1]
• Cyrax, of Mortal Kombat 3, dances the Charleston
dance as his Friendship finishing move.
• Professional wrestler Mick Foley performed this move
as part of his Dude Love character.
See also
• Lindy Hop
58
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_
%28dance%29"
Charleston (dance)
59
60
Tap dance
Tap dance
Man tap dancing.
61
Tap dance was developed in the United States during
wing" (danced vigorously in wooden-soled shoes) and
many parts of the world. The name comes from the
developed as separate techniques; by 1925 they had
the nineteenth century, and is popular nowadays in
tapping sound made when the small metal plates
on the dancer's shoes touch a hard floor. This lively,
rhythmic tapping makes the performer not just a
dancer, but also a percussive musician (and thus,
for example, the American composer Morton Gould
"soft-shoe" (danced smoothly in soft-soled shoes)
merged, and metal taps were attached to shoe heels
and toes to produce a more pronounced sound. The
dance was also popular in variety shows and early
musicals.
was able to compose a "concerto for tap dancer and
History
orchestra").
The precursors to tap dancing may include:
The Encyclopedia Britannica definition for tap dance
• African dance to drum rhythms
rhythmical patterns of foot movement and audible
• Scottish/Irish Sean-nós step dancing
is: A style of American theatrical dance using precise
foot tapping. It is derived from the traditional clog
dance of northern England, the jigs and reels of
Ireland and Scotland, and possibly the rhythmic
foot stamping of African dances. Popular in 19th-
century minstrel shows, versions such as "buck-and62
[citation needed]
• African welly boot dance
• Zapateado of Spanish flamenco, where nails are
hammered into the heel and the front part of the
dancers' shoes, so that the rhythm of their steps can
be heard
Tap dance
• Spanish mad-step (practiced by early tap practi-
ment before television, and it employed droves of
• Step dancing
dances as part of their show. For a while, every large
cioners Eduardo Corrochio and Henry Rogers)
• Clogging, for example from Lancashire, where there
may be no accompanying music, just the noise of the
shoes
Tap dancing as such may have begun in the 1830s
skilled tap dancers. Many famous bands included tap
city in the U.S. had amateur street tap performers. At
the time, tap dance was also called jazz dance, because
jazz was the music with which tap dancers performed.
in the Five Points neighborhood of New York City
as a fusion of Irish and African Shuffle. Perhaps the
most influential of all was the Irish jig. Dancers from
different immigrant groups would get together to
compete and show off their best moves. According to
theory, as the dances fused, a new American style of
dancing emerged. Master Juba was a prominent dancer
in this period.
Tap flourished in the U.S. from 1900 to 1955, when
it was the main performance dance of Vaudeville and
Broadway. Vaudeville was the inexpensive entertain-
Tap dance class at Iowa State University, 1942.
During the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, the best tap
dancers moved from Vaudeville to cinema and televi63
sion. Steve Condos, with his innovative style of percus-
separately from tap dance to become a new form in its
duced to audiences in Vaudeville, and later to the audi-
1970s included Arthur Duncan and Tommy Tune.
sion tap, created a whole new tap style that he introences of film and Broadway. Prominent tap dancers
of this period included Fred Astaire, John W. Bubbles,
Charles "Honi" Coles, Steve Condos, Vera-Ellen, Ruby
[1]
Keeler, Gene Kelly, Jeni LeGon,
Ann Miller, Fayard
and Harold Nicholas of the Nicholas Brothers, Donald
O'Connor, Eleanor Powell, Prince Spencer,
[2]
Bill "Bojan-
gles" Robinson, Ginger Rogers, and Jimmy Slyde.
own right. Well-known dancers during the 1960s and
No Maps on My Taps, the Emmy award winning PBS
documentary of 1979, helped begin the recent revival
of tap dance. The outstanding success of the animated
film, Happy Feet, has further reinforced the popular
appeal
[3]
National Tap Dance Day in the United States,
now celebrated May 25th, was signed into law by President George Bush on November 7, 1989. (May 25th
During the 1930s tap dance mixed with Lindy Hop.
was chosen because it is the birthday of famous tapper
moves with tap footwork.
dancers have included Brenda Bufalino, Jay Fagan, Ted
"Flying swing outs" and "flying circles" are Lindy Hop
Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.) Prominent modern tap
In the 1950s, the style of entertainment changed. Jazz
Bebblejad,
music and the new jazz dance emerged. What is now
Ribeiro, Jason Samuel Smith, Shirley Temple, and Grant
dances have many moves in common. But jazz evolved
a tap dancer, Jamie Williams, tapping as percussion.
[4]
Savion Glover, Peter Briansen, Gregory
music and tap dance declined, while rock and roll
and Maurice Hines of Hines, Hines, and Dad, Alfonso
called jazz dance evolved out of tap dance, so both
Swift.
64
[5]
Indie-pop band Tilly and the Wall also features
Tap dance
Characteristics of tap dance
grounded sound. This kind of tap dancing also called
"rhythm tap", is typically found in cities or poor areas,
but this is not always the case especially with such a
wide [variety] of styles spreading throughout the world.
Steve Condos rose out of his humble beginnings in
Pittsburgh, PA to become a master in rhythmic tap. His
innovative style influenced the work of Gregory Hines,
Savion Glover and Marshall Davis, Jr. The majority of
hoofers, such as Sammy Davis Jr., Savion Glover, and
Gregory Hines, are black dancers. Dancers like Fred
Tap shoes
Tap dancers make frequent use of syncopation. Choreographies typically start on the eighth or first beat-
count. Another aspect of tap dancing is improvisation.
This can either be done with music and follow the beats
provided or without musical accompaniment, otherwise
known as a capella dancing. Hoofers are tap dancers
Astaire provided a more ballroom look to tap dancing,
while Gene Kelly used his extensive ballet training to
make tap dancing incorporate all the parts of the ballet.
Common tap steps include the shuffle, flap, cramp
roll, buffalo, Maxie Ford, time steps, pullbacks, wings,
cincinnati, the shim sham shimmy, and the paddle and
roll.
who dance only with their legs, making a louder, more
65
References
External links
1.
^ http://www.atdf.org/awards/legon.html
2.
^ http://www.chicagotap.org/summerfestival/artists/
• TapMoves.com - Site that contains video clips of
spencer.htm
3.
^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2006/12/15/AR2006121500372.html
4.
^ http://www.jayfagan.com
5.
^ http://www.inthemix.com.au/life/features/31412/
Dance_The_rhythm_of_truth
See also
• Flamenco
• Dance
• Jazz dance
• Category:Tap dancers
many different tap dance combinations including
notes on how to do each step.
• Unitedtaps.com - Video clips of over 275 tap dance
steps shown slow as well as medium or fast. Also
includes some combinations.
• TapDance.Info - Video, News, and Forums for tap
dancers worldwide.
• The Tap Dance Blog - Site frequently updated with
tap dance news, tap festival info, video clips, and
tips.
• The Tap Dance Fotolog - Photos of Tap dance shoes
and photos of Tap dancers
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_dance"
66
Tap dance
67
68
Jitterbug
Jitterbug
Jitterbugging at a juke joint, November 1939
Jitterbug can be used as a noun to refer to a swing
Jitterbug dancers in 1938
dancer or various types of swing dances, e.g., Lindy
[1]
Hop , Jive and East Coast Swing. This has led to
confusion within the dance community since jitterbug
can refer to different swing dances. It can also be used
as a verb to mean someone dancing to swing music.
For example, "People were top-notch jitterbugging,
jumping around, cutting loose and going crazy".
[2]
69
Various editions of Arthur Murray's "How To Become
culture it became generalized to mean a swing dancer
are hundreds of regional dances of the Jitterbug
you danced the jitterbug), or the act of swing dancing
a Good Dancer" contain the following text. "There
type", "A favorite with young New Yorkers is the
Lindy Hop"(1947), "Whether it's called Swing, Lindy or
Jitterbug.." (1954). "Formerly called Jitterbug, Lindy
Hop and various other names in different parts of the
country... Swing is the newer title"(1959)."
The term "jitterbug" comes from an early 20th century
slang used to describe alcoholics who suffered from
[citation needed]
the "jitters" (delirium tremens).
During the
early 1900s, the term became associated with swing
dancers who danced without any control or knowl[3]
edge of the dance.
This term was famously associated
with swing era dancers by band leader Cab Calloway [1]
because, as he put it, "They look like a bunch of jitter[citation needed]
bugs out there on the floor"
due to their fast
often bouncy movements on the dance floor. In popular
70
(e.g., you were a jitterbug), a type of swing dance (e.g.,
(e.g., you were jitterbugging).
Calloway’s 1935 recording of “Call of the Jitter Bug
(Jitterbug) [2] [3] and the film “Cab Calloway's Jitterbug
Party” [4] popularized use of the word “jitterbug”,
and created a strong association between Calloway
and jitterbug. Lyrics to "Call of the Jitter Jug" clearly
demonstrate the association between the word
jitterbug, and the consumption of alcohol. "If you'd like
to be a jitter bug, First thing you must do is get a jug,
Put whiskey, wine and gin within, And shake it all up
and then begin. Grab a cup and start to toss, You are
drinking jitter sauce! Don't you worry, you just mug,
And then you'll be a jitter bug!" [5]
Jitterbug was also done to early rock n roll. In 1957 the
Philadelphia, PA based American Bandstand was picked
Jitterbug
up by the American Broadcasting Company and shown
across the United States. Bandstand featured then
currently popular songs, live appearances by musi-
References
1.
cians, and dancing in the studio. At this time the most
popular fast dance was Jitterbug, which is described as
“a frentic leftover of the swing era ballroom days that
was only slightly less acrobatic than Lindy”.
University Press, 238. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. 2.
2007-07-22. 3.
just jump on the floor, without any knowledge of what they were
for D-Day, there were nearly 2 million American
[5]
doing, and go mad with the drumming what not and just go
Time maga-
boodedoo boodedoo doo and shakin' their head and just jump
zine reported that American troops stationed in France
up and down without any control ... that's what we called the
in 1945 jitterbugged. [6], and by 1946 jitterbug had
become a craze in England. [7]
^ Al Minns. (1984). Al Minns Part 1. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.
Event occurs at 2:48. “The jitterbug... We called people who would
Europe. For instance, by May 1944 in preparation
troops stationed throughout Britain.
^ Lipton, Shana Ting. "A swing king reemerges", feature, Los
Angeles Times, 2005-07-09, pp. E1, E4-E5. Retrieved on
[4]
World War II facilitated the spread of jitterbug to
jitterbug.”
4.
^ Shore, Michael; Dick Clark (1985). The History of American Bandstand. New York: Ballantine Books, 12, 54. ISBN
034531722X. 71
5.
^ Ambrose, Stpehen (1994). D-Day, June 6, 1944: the climactic
battle of World War II. New York, New York: Touchstone. ISBN
0-671-67334-3. See also
• Lindy Hop
• Jive
• East Coast Swing
• Swing dance
• Swing music
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitterbug"
72
Jitterbug
73
74
City, and Chicago in the Great Migration (African Amer-
The term "swing dance" is commonly used to refer
to escape persecution, Jim Crow laws, lynching and
swing music in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, or to lindy hop,
sion.
swing dances began in African American communities
associated with African American and West African
ican) of the 1920s, where rural blacks travelled north
either to a group of dances developing in response to
unemployment in the South during the Great Depres-
a popular partner dance today. While the majority of
Swinging jazz music features the syncopated timing
as vernacular African American dances, there were a
music and dance - a combination of crotchets and
number of forms which developed within Anglo-American or other ethnic group communities. Balboa is one
of the most commonly cited examples.
quavers which many swing dancers interpret as 'triple
steps' and 'steps' - yet also introduces changes in the
way these rhythms were played - a distinct delay or
Though they technically preceded the rise of swing
'relaxed' approach to timing. Swinging jazz developed
jazz which developed in New Orleans in the south of
dancers during the Great Migration.
charleston and tap dance are still considered members
Western and Asian countries throughout the world, and
music, and are commonly associated with Dixieland
from Dixieland jazz, and travelled north with black
the United States, dances such as the Black Bottom,
Today there are swing dance scenes in many developed
of the swing dance family. These sorts of dances trav-
though each city and country varies in their prefer-
elled north with jazz to cities like New York, Kansas
ences for particular dances, lindy hop is often the most
75
Swing (dance)
Swing (dance)
popular. It is important to note, though, that each local
dances such as salsa and Tango are often taught and
defines "swing dance" and "appropriate" dance music in
tap dancing and a range of other jazz dances are
swing dance community has a distinct local culture and
different ways.
Forms of Swing
In many scenes outside the United States the term
"Swing dancing" is used to refer generically to one
or all of the following swing era dances: Lindy Hop,
Charleston, Shag, Balboa and Blues. This group is often
extended to include Jive, Rock and Roll, Western Swing,
Ceroc, and other dances developing in the 1940s and
later. Within the United States, the swing dance family
is often expanded to include many other social dances,
including West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Hand
Dancing, and so on. A strong tradition of social and
competitive boogie woogie and acrobatic rock and
roll in Europe add these dances to their local swing
dance cultures. In Singapore and other scenes, Latin
76
danced within the "Swing scene", and for many scenes
considered key, as are hip hop and other contemporary African American street dances. The variations
continue, dictated by local dance community interests.
Many swing dancers today argue that it is important to
dance many styles of partner dance to improve technique, but also to reflect the historical relationship
between these dances in the swing era of the 1920s and
1930s. In the Savoy Ballroom, for example, bands would
often play waltzes, Latin songs and so on, as well as
swinging jazz. Dancers were often familiar with a wide
range of popular and traditional dances.
Later forms from the 1930s and 1940s
• Lindy Hop evolved in the late 1920s and early 1930s
as an early swing dance. It is characterized by an
Swing (dance)
emphasis on improvisation and the ability to easily
adapt to include steps from other 8-count and 6count Swing styles. It has been danced to almost
every conceivable style of music with blues or jazz
rhythm (with the exception of jazz waltzes), as well
as non-traditional styles of music such as hip hop.
• Balboa is an 8-count dance that emphasizes a strong
partner connection and quick footwork. A product
of Southern California's crowded ballrooms, Balboa
(or "Bal") is primarily danced in a tight, closed posi-
tion with the follow and lead adopting a firm chestto-chest posture. A library of open figures, called
Bal-Swing, evolved from LA Swing, another Southern
California dance that was a contemporary of Balboa.
While most dancers differentiate between pure
Balboa and Bal-Swing, both are considered to be part
of the dance. Balboa is frequently danced to fast jazz
(usually anything from 180 to 320 beats per minute),
though many like to Balboa to slower tempos.
• Collegiate shag danced in the early thirties these
varieties were single, double, and triple Shag. The
variety names describe the amount of slow (step,
hop) steps performed in the execution of a basic.
These slow rhythmic steps were always accompanied
by a single quick, quick rhythm.
• St. Louis shag done in the "side-by-side" Charleston
position. The steps are: rock step, kick forward, step
down, kick forward (other leg), stag, step, stomp
(repeat). The "stag" is bringing the leg up with the
knee bent. As a variation, when repeating, one can do
two forward kicks (or "switch, switch", referring to
switching feet) in place of the rock step.
• Jitterbug is often associated with one form of swing
dance, but is in fact a general term for all swing
dances and is more appropriately used to describe
77
a swing dancer rather than a specific swing dance
count dance standardized for the American ballroom
swing dance). The term was famously associated
blues or boogie woogie music but usually not to jazz.
(i.e. a jitterbug can dance Lindy Hop, Shag, or another
with swing era dancers by band leader Cab Calloway
because, as he put it, "They look like a bunch of
[citation needed]
jitterbugs out there on the floor"
their fast, often bouncy movements.
due to
Forms from the 1940s, 50s and later
• Lindy Hop continued into the 40's and 50's and is
featured in many movies of the era featuring Whitey's
Lindy Hoppers with Frankie Manning, Dean Collins
(whose style would lead to the creation of West Coast
Swing), and Hal Takier and the Ray Rand Dancers.
• Boogie-woogie developed originally in the 1940s
with the rise of boogie woogie music. It is popular
today in Europe, and was considered by some to be
the European counterpart to East Coast Swing, a Six
78
industry. It is danced to rock music of various kinds,
As the dance has developed it has also taken to 8-
count variations and swing outs similar to lindy hop,
while keeping the original boogie woogie footwork.
• Eastern Swing is an evolution of Fox Trot and the
precursor to the more modern East Coast Swing.
• East Coast Swing is a simpler 6-count variation. It is
also known as Single-Time Swing, Triple-Step Swing,
6-Count Swing, or Rock-a-billy. East Coast Swing has
very simple structure and footwork along with basic
moves and styling. It is popular for its simple nature,
and it is often danced to slow, medium, or fast tempo
jazz, blues, or rock and roll.
• St Louis Imperial Swing Dancing The dance is a cross
between East Coast and West coast as it is done in
slot and in the round. It started at the "Club Impe-
Swing (dance)
rial" in St Louis. George Edick, who owned the club,
let teenagers dance in the lower level and the swing
dancers of the time taught them what was learned
from their trips to the east coast. As people trav-
eled around they added parts of west coast,bop and
Carolina shag to complement the dance and make it
distinctive. People can tell the difference between St
Louis dancers and dancers from other parts of the
country. "The Imperial" has elements of "East Coast",
West Coast", "Carolina Shag", and "Bop".
• Carolina shag originated along the strands between
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North
Carolina, during the 1940s. It is most often associ-
ated with beach music, which refers to songs that are
rhythm and blues based and, according to Bo Bryan, a
noted shag historian and resident of Beaufort County,
is a term that was coined at Carolina Beach, North
Carolina.
• Washington Hand Dancing originated in the Washington, D.C., Area in the mid-1950s as D.C.’s own
version of the “jitterbug” or “swing”. (Swing dance
has existed in many different styles and cultures
since there has been swing-dance-type music to
dance to.) From its very beginning, D.C. Hand-dance
was referred to and called “D.C. Hand-Dance/Hand-
Dancing”, “D.C. Swing”, “D.C. Style” (swing) and “fast
dance” (meaning D.C. Hand-Dance). This is the first
time a version of “swing” dance was termed “handdance/hand-dancing”. D.C. Hand-Dance is characterized by very smooth footwork and movements,
and close-in and intricate hand-turns, danced to a
6-beat, 6 to 8 count dance rhythm. The footwork
consists of smooth and continuous floor contact,
sliding and gliding-type steps (versus hopping and
jumping-type steps), and there are no aerials.
79
• Jive is a dance of International Style Ballroom
dancing. It initially was based on Eastern swing
brought to England by Americans Troops in World
War II and evolved before becoming the now standardized form of today.
• Push and Whip are Texas forms of swing dance.
• Western Swing, also called Country Swing or
Country/Western Swing (C/W Swing) is a form with
a distinct culture. It resembles East Coast Swing,
but adds variations from other country dances. It is
danced to country and western music.
• Skip jive A British variant, popular in the 50s and 60s
danced to trad jazz.
• West Coast Swing was developed in the 1940s and
1950s as a stylistic variation on Lindy Hop. Followers
stay in a slot, which reduces their ability to move left
and right but improves their ability to spin left and
right. West Coast Swing is often danced with blues
80
and rock and roll music, as well as to smooth and
cool jazz. It is popular throughout the United States
and Canada but is uncommon in Europe and much of
Asia. West coast swing communities are developing
in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
• Rock and roll - Developing in the 1950s in response
to rock and roll music, rock and roll is very popular
in Australia and danced socially as well as competitively and in performances. The style has a long
association with Lindy Hop in that country, as many
of the earliest lindy hoppers in the early 1990s
moved to Lindy Hop from a rock and roll tradition.
There are ongoing debates about whether rock and
roll constitutes swing dancing, particularly in refer-
ence to the music to which it is danced: there is some
debate as to whether or not it swings. Despite these
discussions, many of the older lindy hoppers are also
keen rock and roll dancers, with rock and roll charac-
Swing (dance)
terised by an older dancer (30s and older) than Lindy
Hop (25 and under).
• Acrobatic Rock and Roll Popular in Europe, acrobatic rock and roll is popularly associated with
Russian gymnasts who took up the dance, though
it is popular throughout Europe today. It is more a
performance dance and sport than a social dance.
• Modern Jive - also known as LeRoc and Ceroc -
developed in the 1980s, reputedly from a French
form of Jive.
• Blues dancing today is an informal type of dance with
no fixed patterns and a heavy focus on connection,
sensuality and improvisation, often with strong body
contact. Although usually done to blues music, it can
be done to any slow tempo 4/4 music, including rock
ballads and "club" music. Historically, there are many
historically/culturally related to Swing and remains
very popular in many swing dance communities.
Competition, social dancing and music
Competition
Traditionally, distinctions are made between "Ballroom
Swing" and "Jazz Dance Swing" styles. East Coast Swing
is a standardized dance in "American Style" Ballroom
dancing, while Jive is a standardized dance in "Inter-
national Style"; however both of these falls under the
"Ballroom Swing" umbrella.
Jazz Dance forms (evolved in dancehalls) vs. ballroom
forms (created for ballroom competition format) are
different in appearance. Jazz Dance forms include
Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston.
different types of blues dancing, including the slow
drag. While not technically a "swing dance", Blues is
81
Types of Competition
Dance competitions specify which forms are to be
judged, and are generally available in three different
formats:
1) Strictly: One couple competing together in various
heats, to randomly selected music, where no prechoreographed steps are allowed.
2) Showcase: One couple competing together for a
single song which has been previously choreographed.
3) Jack and Jill: Where leads and follows compete
individually in various heats, where their partner is
randomly selected.
Judging Criteria
Judging for competition is based on the three "T's" as
well as showmanship (unless the contest in question
designates the audience as the deciding factor).
82
The three "T's" consist of:
1) Timing - Related to tempo & rhythm of the music.
2) Teamwork - How well a lead and follow dance
together and lead/follow dance variations.
3) Technique - How clean and precise the cooperative
dancing is executed.
Showmanship consists of presentation, creativity,
costumes, and difficulty.
Team Formations
Additionally a "Team Formation" division may also
be specified at a competition. Under this category a
minimum of 3 to 5 couples (depending on indivdual
competition rules) perform a prechoreographed routine
to a song of their choosing, where the group dances in
syncronation and into different formations. This divi-
sion is also judged using the three "T's" and showman-
Swing (dance)
ship; however this criteria no applies to the team as a
whole.
Social swing dancing
Many, if not most, of the swing dances listed above are
popular as social dance, with vibrant local communi-
ties that hold dances with DJs and live bands that play
music most appropriate for the preferred dance style.
There are frequently active local clubs and associations,
classes with independent or studio/school-affiliated
teachers and workshops with visiting or local teachers.
Most of these dance styles - as with many other styles
- also feature special events such as camps or a lindy
exchange.
Music
danced to 2/4 ragtime music, Lindy Hop was danced
to swing music, which is a kind of swinging jazz. West
Coast Swing a modern evolution of Lindy Hop is usually
danced to Pop, R&B, Blues, or Funk. Country & Western
Swing, Push/Whip, and Pony swing are usually danced
to country and western music. Hip hop lindy is danced
to hip hop music, and blues dancing either to historical
blues music forms, or to slower music from a range of
genres (though most frequently to jazz or blues). There
are local variations on these associations in each scene,
often informed by the local DJ's, dance teachers and
bands.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_%28dance
%29"
The historical development of particular swing dance
styles was often in response to trends in popular
music. Charleston, for example, was - and is - usually
83
84
Description
Boogie-woogie is a form of swing dance and a form of
usually cued as "step, step, tri-ple step, tri-ple step",
blues piano playing.
Terminology
The name boogie-woogie is used mostly in Europe; the
closest thing in the US is probably East Coast Swing.
What today is called boogie-woogie would during the
1950s have been called rock'n'roll. The term boogie
woogie is confusing; the dance can be danced to the
music style called boogie-woogie but is most often
danced to rock music of various kinds. The name was
taken since the name rock'n'roll used in competition
dance was already taken by a highly acrobatic dance
form. Boogie woogie as a competition dance is a led
dance, not choreographed, and contains no acrobatic
elements.
The usual step variation is a six beat dance pattern,
with words "step" taking a whole beat and pieces "tri"
and "ple" together taking one beat. Triple forms a
syncopated step, where "ple" is typically somewhat
delayed from being in the half way between the beats,
which matches the syncopated music used in boogiewoogie. has also counts like "one" "two" "one" "two"
"three".
In parts of Europe, boogie-woogie is mostly danced
as a social dance. In others, it is mostly a competition
form.
The competitions are regulated by the World
Rock'n'Roll Confederation. In addition to adults the
competition forms of boogie woogie include formation,
senior and junior classes.
85
Boogie-woogie (dance)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boogie-woogie_
%28dance%29"
86
87
88
History of blues dancing
Blues dancing is a modern term used to describe the
West African rhythms and movement combined with
family of historical dances that developed in response
to blues music, or the contemporary dances that draw
on their tradition. There are various notions circulating
within dance communities today about what consti-
tutes 'blues dancing'. Should only those dances which
are directly descended from African American communities be considered? Should only those dances which
are still danced within African American communi-
ties be considered? Or is there room for other dance
forms which are not necessarily danced to blues music
or directly descended from African American dances,
but which are danced within the contemporary swing
dance communities, alongside dances like Lindy hop,
charleston (dance) and balboa.
As with blues music, blues dancing finds its origins in
[1]
Western European structure and partnering concepts .
In illustration, the Strut - a 19th century dance step
[2]
- became the basis of the Cake walk , a competi-
tive partnered dance which developed within rural
African American slave communities in the southern
American states and was intended to mock the white
slave owners through imitation. In this way it served
as an African American adaptation of African 'derision dances', where dancers would mock or deride
their adversary through imitation, impersonation or
physically dismissive movements. The spectrum of
blues music is large, and consequently there are as
many different forms, interpretations, and styles of
traditional blues dance as there are music. "The Gut-
Bucket," "The Fish Tail," "Struttin'" and "The Slow Drag"
89
Blues dance
Blues dance
are only a few of the dances that have traveled through
century, in many local American and then international
Though it has its roots in Africa, the family of blues
and enjoyed today.
developed in response to blues music - those musial
Though they may have reached their mainstream popu-
time with blues music.
music communities, and is still composed, performed
dances is popularly defined as those dances which
Much the same points may be made of blues dances.
forms developing in African American communities
larity in the 1920s, with some steps taken up by white
throughout America in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Though blues music was at its height of
popularlity in the 1920s, spurred by a burgeoning
recording industry and the rise of radio, the Great
Depression proved disastrous for the mainstream
popularity of blues music as its recording compa-
nies were laid low by economic disaster. That is not
to suggest that blues music simply disappeared in the
late 1920s. Blues structures and aesthetics continued
in other African American musical forms, most particularly jazz, but the blues themselves also continued
as distinct musical forms throughout the twentieth
90
audiences, 'blues dancing' - dancing to blues music
and dancing particularly 'bluesy' steps - continued in
African American communities throughout the United
[3]
States . In fact, the very nature of a vernacular dance
culture ensures the survival of socially and culturally
useful or valuable dances. Many of the steps specific
to dances associated with popular blues songs of the
1920s were adapted for new musical structures in jazz,
and new dance forms like the lindy hop. Early African
American blues dances were very simple and allowed
for a wide variety of musical interpretation, embodying
a black aesthetical approach to rhythm, movement and
Blues dance
melody which permeated black music. They were often
a sharing of human condition that is accessible to all,
ments may have been adapted and integrated into some
one or more feelings from any point on the spectrum of
a simple one-step or two-step and though some movemainstream popular dances, blues dancing as a distinct
dance form and social practice never became a specific
focus for white America in the way that dances such as
the Lindy Hop and Charleston have.
Historical blues dance forms and traditions
Blues dancing today
A common misconception within contemporary swing
dance culture is that a blues dance must necessarily
be slow, sensual, and emotionally intense. Yet, as with
blues music, a blues dance may reflect loneliness,
longing, sadness, anger and joy, as well as love, lust,
and bawdiness and range across tempos and musical
styles. Blues music is about common experiences. It is
and at some level, any given blues dance can include
[4]
human emotion .
Blues dancing in the contemporary swing dance
community
The revival of Lindy Hop in the 1980s and 1990s has
prompted complementary interests in other dances
from Black vernacular dance traditions of the 1920s,
1930s and 1940s. In American Lindy Hop today, after
the revival, Lindy exchanges, with their emphasis on
late night programs of social dance events, saw the
introduction of 'blues dancing' and music to these
events in the late 1990s. Blues music started being
played during after-hours dances, which eventu-
ally led to dancers patronizing blues music clubs and
holding house parties that played a varying amounts
91
of blues and blues-rooted music. In the late 1980s the
through the online community of blues dancers facili-
dancing party on Wednesday nights, which exposed
aging dancers to found local blues dancing communi-
Herräng Dance Camp began featuring an all-night blues
swing dancers from all over the world to the idea
of slow dancing to blues, jazz, and early rhythm &
blues. In the context of Herräng, and throughout the
historically-minded culture of contemporary swing
dancing, it was almost a natural consequence that blues
dancing attracted the interest of dance historians and
researchers.
There are now blues dancing communities throughout
the international swing dancing community, though
local communities vary, reflecting local social and
cultural values and contexts. The spread of blues
dancing has been largely a result of individual dancers
traveling between local communities and estab-
lishing blues scenes, individual teachers holding blues
dance workshops in different cities and countries, and
92
tating the spread of knowledge and music and encourties.
Blues dancing in swing dance communities today may
range from traditional blues dances to less histori-
cally grounded forms. Traditional styles and steps have
gradually been introduced by teachers and dancers
with an interest in the history of the form, some of
which have been expanded or adapted to suit the needs
and interests of contemporary dancers, and new dances
have also been created, echoing these historical styles
and traditions. Additionally, a freestyle form of part-
nered dancing - usually at slower tempos - has slowly
developed alongside this process of rediscovery and
popularizing of blues dance traditions. Partially based
on the principles of partner connection, aesthetics and
approaches to rhythm and timing of Lindy Hop, this
Blues dance
burgeoning form often combines elements of West
'authentic' or 'true' blues dancing. Some hold the posi-
club dancing. Its growth has, arguably, been largely a
stylistic, aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of Africanist
Coast Swing, Foxtrot, Argentine Tango, and general
result of the lack of established moves or basic steps.
This style of free-form slow dancing has much in
common with other slower dances such as Modern
Jive, it does not bear most of the Africanist stylistic
elements that define the historicized family of black
blues dances, though its acquisitive 'step stealing'
approach to borrowing from other dance traditions to
suit the needs and interests of dancers is very much a
feature of vernacular dance, including black dance of
the 'jazz age'. These newer dances often offer interesting and intriguing interpretation of emotionally
intense music, where the melody and harmonies are
tion that a blues dance that does not possess the
dance cannot qualify as 'authentic' blues dance. Others
argue that a blues dance which has had very little
creative contribution from black dancers does not
qualify either. Yet a third position might hold that a
blues dance is simply dancing to blues music, regardless of the steps performed or whether they involved
partnered or solo steps. It is certainly the case that
even non-black dancers, moving to music which is
not blues, performing steps which have no Africanist
features or historical tradition consider what they do
'blues dancing'.
given precedence over rhythms.
There are ongoing debates within blues dancing and
swing dancing culture today about what constitutes
93
Citations
Further reading
1.
2.
3.
4.
^ Emery, Lynne Fauley. Black Dance in the United
States from 1619 to 1970. California: National Press
Books, 1972
^ Stearns, Marshall, and Jean Stearns. Jazz Dance:
The Story of American Vernacular Dance. 3rd ed.
New York: Da Capo Press, 1994.
^ Hazzard-Gordon, Katrina. Jookin': The Rise of
Social Dance Formations in Black Culture. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.
^ All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide
to the Blues by Vladimir Bogdanov
Gottschild, Brenda Dixon. Digging the Africanist Presence in American Performance. Connecticut and
London: Greenwood Press, 1996.
Wisconsin Press, 2001.
• Friedland, LeeEllen. "Social Commentary in African
American Movement Performance." Human Action
• Jackson, Jonathan David. "Improvisation in African
American Vernacular Dancing." Dance Research
Journal 33.2 (2001/2002): 40 - 53.
Rhythms of Black Dance. Urbana and Chicago:
University of Illinois Press, 1996.
94
Blues dance
29 - 36.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues_dance"
95
96
The Savoy regularly staged "Battle of the Bands"
The Savoy Ballroom located in Harlem, New York City,
a guest band, although not necessarily. Sometimes the
dancing that was in operation from 1926 to 1958. It
between sets. Invariably packed when these events took
Avenue.
would vote as to who was their favourite band, band
promotions that usually occurred between a house and
was a medium sized ballroom for music and public
bands would trade numbers at the change-over point
was located between 140th and 141st Streets on Lenox
place, there was little room to dance, and the crowd
The Savoy was a popular dance venue from the late
leader, vocalist etc.
1920s to the 1950s and many dances such as Lindy
Two of the most famous "battles" happened when the
as the "Home of Happy Feet" but uptown, in Harlem,
1937 and in 1938 when the Count Basie Band did the
Cotton Club, the Savoy Ballroom was integrated where
to Chick Webb.
Chick Webb was the leader of the best known Savoy
It had a double bandstand that held one large and one
Fitzgerald, fresh from a talent show win at the Apollo
was continuous as the alternative band was always
Hop became famous here. It was known downtown
Benny Goodman Orchestra challenged Chick Webb in
as "the Track". Unlike the 'whites only' policy of the
same. The general assessment was that they both lost,
white and black Americans danced together.
The ballroom was on the second floor and a block long.
house band during the mid-1930s. A teenage Ella
medium sized band running against its east wall. Music
Theater, became its vocalist.
ready in position ready to pick up the beat, when the
97
Savoy Ballroom
Savoy Ballroom
previous one had completed its set. The Savoy was
unique in having the constant presence of a skilled elite
of the best Lindy Hoppers. Usually known as "Savoy
See also
• List of jazz clubs
Lindy Hoppers" occasionally they turned professional,
External links
Broadway and Hollywood productions.
• Savoy Ballroom Plaque
such as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers and performed in
• Savoy Ballroom
"Stompin' at the Savoy", a 1934 Big Band classic song
and jazz standard, was named after the ballroom. Its
credits say its music was written by Benny Goodman,
Chick Webb, and Edgar Sampson, and the lyrics by
Andy Razaf, in reality it was Sampson who actually
wrote the number.
[verification needed]
On 26 May 2002, a commemorative plaque for the
Savoy Ballroom was revealed on Lenox Ave between
140th and 141st Streets. The plaque was unveiled by
Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, surviving members
of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
98
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoy_Ballroom"
Savoy Ballroom
99
100
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers was a professional performing
group of Savoy Ballroom swing dancers, started in
Manning are still some of this era's most influential
teachers.
Members
1935 by Herbert "Whitey" White. The group took on
(partial list)
performing under this name or one of a number of
• Tiny Bunch
many different forms, with up to 12 different groups
• Louise "Pal" Andrews
different names used for the group over the years,
• Eunice Callen
including Whitey's Hopping Maniacs, Harlem Congaroo
Dancers, and The Hot Chocolates. In addition to touring
both nationally and internationally, the group appeared
in a number of feature films and Broadway produc-
tions. Of the members of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, Al
Minns and Leon James are amongst the most famous,
in part for their role in the research of Jean and
Marshall Stearns's influential book 'Jazz Dance', and
Al Minns for his work with The Rhythm Hot Shots in
the 1980s revival. Today, Norma Miller and Frankie
• Wilda Crawford
• Mildred Cruse
• Joe "Big Stupe" Daniels
• Joyce "Little Stupe" Daniels
• Eddie Davis
• William Downes
• Elnora Dyson
• George Greenidge
• Connie Hill
• Leon James
101
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers
• Ann Johnson
Filmography
• Frances "Mickey" Jones
• Keep Punching (aka Big Apple, Jittering Jitterbugs)
• Dorothy "Dot" Johnson
• Thomas "Tops" Lee
• A Day at the Races (Marx Brothers) (1937)
(1937)
• Maggie McMillan
• Manhattan Merry-Go-Round (1937)
• Lucille Middleton
• Hellzapoppin' (1941)
• Frankie Manning
• Norma Miller
• Al Minns
• Radio City Revels (1938)
• Hot Chocolates ("Cottontail") (1941 Soundie)
• Mildred Pollard
Broadway Features
• Willamae Ricker
• Black Rhythm (1936)
• Billy Ricker
• Hot Mikado (with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson)
• Stumpy
• Cotton Club Revue (with Cab Calloway) (1938)
• Naomi Waller
• Esther Washington
See also
• Freida Washington
• Swing (dance)
• Russell Williams
• History of lindy hop
• Jerome Williams
102
• Lindy hop
• Savoy-Style Lindy Hop
• African American dance
• Big Apple
• Harlem Renaissance
• Swing dancing at Wikibooks
External links
• Whitey's Lindy Hoppers at Savoystyle.com
• Whitey's Lindy Hoppers at Street Swing
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitey
%27s_Lindy_Hoppers"
103
104
the Aloha Maids, the comedy team Barto & Mann
Hellzapoppin' was a musical revue which was a
singing group The Charioteers, identical-twin dancers
17 December 1941, and was at the time the longest-
celebrity impersonators The Radio Rogues, Reed, Dean
one of only three plays to run more than 500 perfor-
Roberta and Ray, Hal Sherman, The Starlings, Dorothy
(Dewey Barto and George Mann), Bergh and Moore,
Broadway hit, running from 22 September 1938 to
Bettymae and Beverly Crane, Walter Nilsson, J. C. Olsen,
running Broadway musical with 1,404 performances —
and Reed (Bonnie Reed, Syd Dean, and Mel Reed),
mances in the 1930s.
Thomas, Shirley Wayne, June Winters, and Whitey's
A comedy hodgepodge full of sight gags and slapstick,
Steppers (also known as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers).
the show was continually rewritten throughout its run
The songs (decidedly less a factor for the show's
in a Yiddish accent). A circus atmosphere prevailed,
• "Blow a Balloon Up to the Moon"
participation adding to the merriment. The book was by
• "It's Time To Say Aloha"
to remain topical (its opening scene was Hitler speaking
success than its comedy), included:
with dwarfs, clowns, trained pigeons and audience
• "Fuddle-Dee-Duddle"
Olsen and Johnson, a comedy team consisting of John
"Ole" Olsen and Harold "Chic" Johnson.
Olsen and Johnson led a large cast of entertainers:
Billy Adams, the Hawaiian music of Ray Kinney and
• "When McGregor Sings Off Key"
• "Boomps-a-Daisy (I Like a Bustle that Bends)"
• "We Won't Let It Happen Here"
• "When You Look in Your Looking Glass"
105
Hellzapoppin'
Hellzapoppin'
Songs and lyrics featured during the run include
adaptation of Hellzapoppin', and the rest of the movie
Teddy Hall, Annette Mills, Gonzalo Curiel, and Oscar
and Chic Johnson (playing themselves), Martha Raye,
work by Sammy Fain and Charles Tobias, Don George,
Hammerstein II.
depicts Cook's crazy script. The cast includes Ole Olsen
Shemp Howard (between stints with the Three Stooges),
The show opened at the original 46th Street Theatre,
Hugh Herbert, and The Six Hits. The credits for the
Theatre and the Majestic Theatre, and spawned several
poppin' and a motion picture are coincidental"—a truth
Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1973) was an attempt to
than the stage show which engendered it. The film does
sphere for a new generation.
number of special effects that couldn't be duplicated
Film
The dance scenes from the movie are some of the
and moved later in its run to the Winter Garden
movie assert that "any resemblance between Hellza-
successful sequels. The television show Rowan and
that is perhaps responsible for it being less successful
replicate the fast-paced, anything-can-happen atmo-
have some great visual humor, however, including a
A movie version was made by Universal Pictures in
1941, directed by H.C. Potter. In the film, Ole and Chic
are working for Miracle Pictures (their slogan "If it's
a good picture, it's a Miracle!"). A mousy screenwriter
(Elisha Cook, Jr.) outlines his script for the screen
106
on stage.
best-known Lindy Hop scenes from the Swing Era,
and they have made the film popular among modern
Lindy hoppers. One frenetic routine is performed by
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, and another notable dance
scene features Martha Raye and Dean Collins.
Hellzapoppin'
At the present, Hellzapoppin' (like almost all Olsen and
Johnson films) is hard to find on home video. It was
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellzapoppin%27"
released briefly on PAL VHS format, but as of late 2006
there has been no legitimate DVD edition.
"Pig Foot Pete", an Academy Award nominee for
Best Song in 1942 (it lost to "White Christmas"), was
attributed in its nomination to Hellzapoppin', but it
never appeared in that film. It actually appeared in the
Abbott and Costello movie, Keep 'Em Flying.
External links
• Hellzapoppin' at The Internet Broadway Database
• Hellzapoppin' at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/d5hlzply.htm
• http://www.musicals101.com/1930bway3.htm
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108
a break step that helps the dancer turn 90 degrees. The
signature step is different for every group of 6 bars.
The Jitterbug Stroll is a swing line dance choreographed in 1992 by Ryan Francois,
[1]
a Lindy Hop
dancer and teacher. It is usually danced to swing music
with 12 bar blues structure such as Woody Herman's
"Woodchopper's Ball" or Steven Mitchell's "The Jitterbug
Stroll", a modern song created for this choreography.
The dance is very popular among Lindy Hoppers, like
the Shim Sham (dance).
The Step List for the Jitterbug Stroll is as follows:
The dance is organized in groups of 6 bars of 8 beats
each. each group of 6 bars faces a different direction on
the dance floor - meaning the dancer turns 90 degrees
• first group (the first bar in every group starts with
the right leg always)
• Hustle forward (2 beats)
• Skip back (2 beats)
• Boogie Forward twice (4 beats)
• Stroll Around (sometimes also called jazz pivot
turn) (8 beats)
every 6 bars. every group of 6 bars is organized in the
around/pivot turn, 1 bar of signature step and 1 bar of
following way: 3 bars of a signature step, 1 bar of stroll
109
Jitterbug Stroll
Jitterbug Stroll
• Break step (4 beats) (step right, tap left behind
• Knee slap left (2 beats)
• Turn 90 degrees (4 beats) (step right, turn 90
• Break Step and Turn around (8 beats same as
right, step left, tap right behind left)
degrees, step back left, step back right, step
forward left)
• second group
• Knee slap right (2 beats)
• Kick right and Shorty george 3 times (4 beats)
above)
• third group
• Suzie Q left (start with right leg cross over left) (8
beats)
• Suzie Q right (start with left leg cross over right) (8
• Suzie Q left (start with right leg cross over left) (8
• Stroll Around (same as above)
• Kick right and Shorty george 3 times (to the left) (4
beats)
110
beats)
beats)
• Suzie Q right (start with right leg cross over left) (8
beats)
above)
• fourth group (last one)
• Boogie back kicking with right leg (4 beats)
Jitterbug Stroll
• Tick Tock (to the right) (4 beats)
• Boogie back kicking with left leg (4 beats)
• Tick Tock (to the left) (4 beats)
• Boogie back kicking with right leg (4 beats)
References
1.
^ Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas. ryanandjenny.com (2007).
• Tick Tock (to the right) (4 beats)
• Suzie Q right (start with right leg cross over left) (8
beats)
Jitterbug_Stroll"
above)
• and repeat from the top
When doing the Tick Tock you can tilt your head as a
pendelum, starting in the direction you are moving.
This dance can be danced to any song that has a 12 Bar
structure or a 6 bar AABA chorus structure. The AABA
chorus strcture would allow you to do the Suzie Q's on
the B chorus line (sometimes referred to as a Bridge),
adding enhanced musicallity to your dance.
111
112
Variations
The shim sham or sham originally is a particular tap
not one universal "shim sham" choreography - there
dance routine. It is credited to Leonard Reed, who originally called it Goofus, or to Willie Bryant. For swing
dancers, today it is kind of line dance that recalls the
roots of swing.
History
In the late 1920s and the 1930s, at the end of many
performances, all of the musicians, singers, and
dancers would get together on stage and do one last
routine: the shim sham. Tap dancers would perform
technical variations, while singers and musicians would
shuffle along as they were able.
As a result of this conglomerate background, there is
are several variations. When a group of people do the
Shim Sham (especially a group of people from different
cities), their steps will be largely similar with some
variation and even some improvisation. One partic-
ular routine is quite common, and can be learned by
intermediate dancers in a social setting. Three alternative routines (developed by Frankie Manning, Al Minns
and Leon James (also called the "Savoy Shim Sham"),
and another by Dean Collins) are more complicated and
take some practice.
The dance
The Shim Sham is a 10-frame dance (each frame lasting
four 8-counts), so it does not usually take up an entire
song. After the Shim Sham, dancers typically grab a
113
Shim Sham
Shim Sham
partner and break into lindy hop for the remainder
of the song. During this portion of the song, the band
or a DJ may call out "Freeze!" or "Slow!" instructing
the dancers to either stop where they are or dance
slowly, calling out "Dance!" to tell everyone to resumes
normal dancing. The Shim Sham goes best with swing
songs whose melody lines start on beat eight. An
obvious choice is The Shim Sham Song (Bill Elliot Swing
Orchestra), which was written specifically for this dance
and has musical effects (e.g., breaks) in all the right
places.
External links
• Shim Sham steps
• Shim Sham
• The Shim Sham Step By Step by Shesha the swing
dancer
114
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shim_Sham"
Shim Sham
115
116
Lindy hop is only one of many swing dances popular
today, and there are thriving local communities
throughout the world. Structurally, lindy hop's basic
step the swing out combines both closed position and
open position, and is clearly related to the Charleston
(dance). It is the most popular swing dance in Australia
today, and in many other swing dancing communi-
ties, and its revival in the 1980s has since seen local
communities develop in many cities.
International scenes
While the United States is home to the largest number
of lindy hoppers in the world, there are thriving
communities throughout Europe (including Russia,
the Ukraine, Hungary and other Eastern European
countries, Belgium, Estonia, England, Ireland, Spain,
France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Sweden,
Dancing the Lindy hop in Atascadero, California, USA (2005).
Switzerland, Germany and Lithuania), in Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Singapore and
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Lindy hop today
Lindy hop today
Buenos Aires, Argentina. The small village of Herräng
the university-based lindy hop communities in the
the international mecca of Lindy Hop due to the twen-
larger cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, San
in Sweden (north of Stockholm) has unofficially become
tyfive-year-old annual Herräng Dance Camp run by the
Harlem Hot Shots.
Demographics
The majority of lindy hoppers today are middle class
youth. This is in part a result of the high costs of both
learning the dance and attending dance events locally
and internationally, but also a result of the ways in
which it is marketed by dance schools and promoted
by dancers. In the United States, which is home to
the vast majority of lindy hoppers today, universities
and colleges play central roles in organising events
and classes, and most of the on-campus clubs are
populated by students. The high costs of studying at
a tertiary level in the US therefore results in a largely
middle class demographic in these associations. Beyond
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United States, the largest lindy hop communities are in
Francisco, Seattle, and Denver. The cost of classes and
the time demands of this dance often exclude those
without the time, money and opportunity to devote to
lindy hop.
Internationally, similar patterns are found in other
countries, from Canada to the United Kingdom, though
universities play a smaller role. Local dance communities are largely representative of the more affluent
or dominant cultural groups within their wider social
context. In cities such as London there are often more
older dancers, as the higher costs of living in these
cities often prevent many younger or less financially
able dancers attending as many dances or events as
they might wish. In Australia the general population of
lindy hoppers is younger, with most dancers in their
Lindy hop today
teens and early twenties. This is largely the result of
promotional activities by larger dance schools, for
whom this group offers an ideal market, and by (once
again) the time and financial resources demanded by
lindy hopping.
For countries such as Australia and New Zealand, travel
adds an additional financial requirement, as the largest
and most respected teachers and events are located
in the United States and Europe. Similar comments
may be made about the lindy hop community in Singapore. Korea and Japan offer slightly different exam-
ples, though there is again a preponderance of younger,
middle class youth in these local communities. The
lindy hop communities in Russia, however offer an
interesting contrast. Dancers in these cities are occasionally subsidised by wealthier countries, and as an
example, Russian dancers have received subsidised
passes for large dance camps such as the Herräng
Dance Camp in Sweden.
Culture
Despite the cultural and social differences between
local communities, lindy hoppers have much in
common. They not only share specific dance forms,
but also dance cultures. There is great enthusiasm
for social dancing in most lindy hop communities
(with of course allowance for regional variation), and
lindy hoppers are often keen travellers. The lindy
exchange culture which developed in the United States
and Canada, coupled with a European enthusiasm for
holiday camps has seen the development of many
large events held throughout the world, which not
only attract local dancers but also visitors from other
communities. There is a strong culture of hospitality in
lindy hop culture today, and many young lindy hoppers
119
travel internationally or within their own country for
Music
This emphasis on travel is encouraged and facilitated
jazz in the 1920s and 30s, its popularity today can be
hop culture. Many Internet forums have emerged in
of the swing revival in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
to provide information to dancers about Lindy Hop
first century, and jazz and its cousin blues have them-
become the largest of these and now caters to an inter-
'swing era', there are ongoing discussions within the
(such as Swingmonkey) also exist. Local swing dance
best suit the dance. Lindy hop is frequently danced to
tions in scenes' cultures and dancing. Because swing
rhythm and blues, jump blues, jazz, groove, soul and
are an important medium for communication between
ican South and Southeast.
country.
ically and practically associated with artists such as
the first time to visit dancers and dance events.
While lindy hop developed as a response to swing
by the preponderance of online communication in lindy
largely attributed to the popularity of neo swing music
local lindy hop scenes. These message boards serve
As swing jazz is not the popular music of the twenty
and dance events in the geographic area. Yehoodi has
selves undergone significant changes since the original
national audience, although many smaller local forums
lindy hop community about the types of music which
related internet forums often reflect the local varia-
a range of music beyond swing jazz, including blues,
dancers travel to dance quite regularly, internet forums
hip hop, as well as rockabilly and country in the Amer-
local scenes, and for dancers visiting a particular city or
Despite these differences in taste, lindy hop is histor-
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Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny
Lindy hop today
Goodman, Chick Webb, Lionel Hampton and so on.
Lindy hoppers are particularly fond of big band
arrangements by and featuring these (and other) musicians.
Live music is still very popular with lindy hoppers, and
many dancers have formed close relationships with
local artists in their own communities. Newer artists
such as George Gee (bandleader) and the Lincoln Center
Jazz Orchestra have proved particularly popular with
lndy hoppers. Despite this relationship with live music,
recorded music, DJed by dancers, is the most popular
musical medium for lindy hoppers today. DJing itself
has assumed great signifiance in lindy hop culture,
with dancers and DJs alike hotly debating which types
of music should be played, and when. The SwingDJs
discussion board [1] is a clear example of an online
community within the lindy hop community which
has developed solely around the playing of music for
dancing lindy hop.
Local influences
Lindy hop as it is danced today varies not only between
local scenes through the influence of local cultures
and teachers, but as individual dancers model their
movements on the styles of influential dancers of both
contemporary and past eras. These historical influences
may include the African American lindy hoppers of the
Savoy Ballroom (including Frankie Manning and the
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers), white dancers from the west
coast (including Dean Collins and Jewell McGowan), or
dancers from even more specific periods in history.
The 'style wars' of the 1990s and early 2000s (where
lindy hoppers debated the relative merits of different
eras and dancers) resulted in terms such as Savoy-Style
Lindy Hop (generally associated with original New York
City African American dancers) and Hollywood-Style
121
Lindy Hop (based on the Lindy Hop of white dancers in
that his dance troupes social dance every night as well
community recognises a far greater diversity not only
dancing at its highest level. Lindy hop today, however,
Hollywood films). The current international lindy hop
in lindy hop styles than is accounted for by these two
terms, but also in swing dances more generally.
as train for performances, in order to maintain their
is danced as a social dance, as a competitive dance, as a
performance dance and in classes and workshops.
Lindy hop today is not only influenced by historic
In each, partners may dance alone or together, with
and music such as soul, groove, funk, hip hop (styling
performance and competition pieces. Solo sequences
dance forms, but also by popular contemporary dances
and music), West Coast Swing and salsa while others
explore jazz, tap, blues and other traditional jazz and
African American dances as resources to expand and
enrich lindy hop.
Types of lindy
Many dancers with an interest in lindy hop as a historical dance insist that social dancing is essential to
developing the skills of an accomplished dancer. These
dancers frequently cite Frankie Manning's insistence
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improvisation a central part of social dancing and many
in Lindy Hop are sometimes executed as part of a
partner dance when one or both of the partner initiates
a "breakaway" causing the partners to separate their
connection and dance solo with each other using (if at
all) visual lead and follow cues. These sequences may
include charleston moves, traditional jazz moves (such
as boogie steps, Shorty George, Suzie Q, etcetera) and
contemporary jazz and modern dance movements.
Choreographed routines are frequently danced on the
social floor as well as in competitions, performances
Lindy hop today
and classes, with some of the most famous examples
Social dancing
including:
• Shim Sham
• Dean Collins Shim Sham
• Jitterbug Stroll
• Lindy Chorus
• Big Apple
• Tranky Doo
• First Stops
Social dancing in Davis, California, USA (2003).
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Etiquette and traditions
Social lindy hop dancing varies in each city and
country, with each local scene having its own unique
dance etiquette and social conventions. Generally, lindy
hop is danced by a lead and follow partnership, with
the lead most frequently being a man, and the follow
being a woman. This gendering is not essential - men
are as capable of dancing the follow role as women, and
vice versa. In many local scenes women often feel more
comfortable dancing with other women, though there
are frequently wider social and cultural conventions
which discourage men from dancing together.
Dance floor etiquette varies in each scene, where, for
example, one scene may encourage men to ask women
to dance; another encourage advanced dancers to ask
beginners; and, in a third, only friends ask each other
to dance. In some scenes it is considered rude to leave
a partner without having a second dance, while in
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many scenes there are unspoken conventions about
teachers dancing with students, more experienced
dancers dancing with beginners, and so on. There are
no consistent rules between local scenes, though there
are often national or international patterns.
Social lindy hop not only involves partners dancing
unchoreographed dances, but also a range of other
traditions and activities. Jam circles, are a tradition
dating back to the 1930s and earlier in African American vernacular dance culture, and have much in
common with musical cutting contests in jazz. Malcolm
X describes 'jam circles' in his autobiography as a loose
circle forming around a couple or individual whose
dancing was so impressive it captured the attention
of dancers around them, who would stop and watch,
cheering and clapping. This tradition continues in most
lindy hop communities today, with other couples interrupting, joining, or replacing the original couple in the
Lindy hop today
cleared 'circle'. Dancers usually leave or enter at the
end of a musical phrase.
Many lindy hoppers insist that these jams be unchoreographed, with dancers entering or leaving the circle
independently, though many jams are choreographed,
whether as part of a performance, or simply because a
local scene does not practice unchoreographed jams.
The jam format is often used to celebrate a special
event (a birthday, engagement, wedding, etc), to
welcome a visitor or to farewell a local. These jams are
often announced by the DJ, the focus dancer or couple
begin in a cleared circle, with other dancers gathering
to clap and cheer. These watching dancers will 'cut in'
or 'steal' one of the partners in a couple, or the 'special'
dancer to dance with them in the circle until they are in
turn replaced.
Events
Social dancing events run by dancers are diverse and
vary in duration, theme and venues between local
communities. Dancers usually distinguish between
regular events or 'after-class' practice sessions, dancing
to live bands at 'public' events not run by dancers
and special 'dances' or the more formal ball. Social
dancing events may be held as part of a lindy exchange
or camp, or be regular parts of the scene's calendar.
Live bands frequently provide the opportunities for
social dancing in many new or small scenes, and attract
groups of dancers attending gigs at local bars or clubs
to dance socially.
Social, dancer-run lindy hop dances are held in a range
of spaces, from private parties to church and town
halls, bars, gymnasiums, university halls, night clubs,
pub function rooms, and any other space with enough
room for a dance floor. Individual events may attract
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anywhere from ten to a thousand dancers, and may run
'vintage' or historically accurate to a particular 'swing
provided by DJs, by live bands, or by music left to play
wear, again depending on local culture and the event
from as little as half an hour to all night. Music may be
unattended on a sound system, depending on the local
scene's conventions and the nature of that particular
era' (1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc) to casual sports or street
itself.
event. DJs and bands may play a range of music from
Performance dancing
music from the 1930s and 1940s. Live bands play a
of dance. Lindy performances may combine chore-
the 1920s to today, tending to concentrate on big band
Lindy hop is generally considered a very dynamic form
wide variety of music for lindy hoppers, from big band
ographed routines, improvised sequences, solo and
standards and blues to original compositions. There are
ongoing debates about the types of music most appropriate for lindy hop and other swing dances, with the
discussions focussing on whether the music should be
historically accurate (ie matching a dance style with
the popular music of the day) or include other musical
styles and forms.
Social dances attract dancers from a range of ages and
backgrounds, and dress may range from rigorously
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partner dancing and frequently feature the aerial
(dance move) steps for which it is perhaps most
famous. Contemporary lindy hoppers often recreate
or perform historical choreographed routines found in
films or taught by 'swing era' dancers such as Frankie
Manning. The most well known of these include the
Lindy Chorus, the Hellzapoppin' routine from the film
Hellzapoppin' and the Big Apple from the film Keep
Punchin'. Performances are often held at social dancing
events as part of a brief floor show, often to showcase a
Lindy hop today
visiting teacher, a local troupe or to display a particular
dance style. Solo performances and performances by
couples are as important as troupes, and performances
of all types are often integrated into a social dancing
• The Rhythm Hot Shots, from Sweden, founded in
1985, now called the Harlem Hot Shots. The Hot
Shots have been a major driving force in the worldwide revival of Lindy Hop from the 1980s onward.
event rather than held as separate events. There are
Lindy hop performance troupes are often quite
internationally and holding swing dance shows as
company. They are usually amateur groups, their
exceptions to this, with The Rhythm Hot Shots touring
part of a teaching tour. Lindy hop dance schools and
clubs frequently include a performance troupe, with
membership in these troupes determined by a range
of factors, from general auditions, by invitation, as a
prerequisite for a teaching position with a school or to
display a rare dancing skill or style.
Performance groups that had an impact on the development of Lindy Hop include the following:
• Whitey's Lindy Hoppers (aka Harlem Congaroos, Hot
Chocolates, the Big Apple Dancers), New York City,
founded in 1935
different to a professional modern dance or ballet
members may vary in experience and ability, and they
often serve as promotional vehicles for lindy hop
schools and clubs. Lindy hop's nature as a predominantly social dance with its roots as a self-learned
vernacular dance, combined with the comparative lack
of experts, resources, and public demand in many local
communities also contribute to its differences. As does
the fact that most lindy hoppers come to the dance
in the twenties or late teens, rather than as children
who train for many years before joining performance
groups.
127
Reasons to form or be in such a troupe vary, but
usually belong to one or more of the following categories:
• Artistic reasons (pursuing the art of dancing, and the
continuous artistic expression through jazz dance
and lindy hop),
• Commercial reasons (to perform at paid "gigs" -
essentially continuing the tradition of Vaudeville and
supplying entertainment for those who pay for it),
• Competition (to compete with a selected team, set
choreographies and test one's skills versus other
dance teams)
• Practice (to enhance the dancers of the participating
dancers, work on new materials or engage in dance
movement that is not possible on the social dance
floor - such as aerials or other moves that require
pre-arranged agreement between the dancers/partners)
128
• Pleasure (in performing or dancing)
• Promotion (for a particular lindy hop school or club,
or to encourage people to take up the dance)
Competition dancing
Competitions have a long history in lindy hop, from
the informal dance rivalries carried out in jam circles
and on the social dance floor, to more formal competitions such as the Harvest Moon Ball competitions of
the 1920s and 30s, where Shorty George Snowden is
popularly attributed with naming the dance. Today,
lindy hop competitions vary in form and intent, from
lindy hop categories in ballroom dancing and dances-
port competition, to 'national' events run by particular
schools or dancing associations, to competitions held
as part of a camp or exchange weekend, to small and
informal competitions in local communities. There are
ongoing discussions and debates about the relevance
of competitions in lindy hop culture, from criticisms
Lindy hop today
that formal, showcase type events encourage a move-
ment away from the improvised spontaneity and energy
of lindy hop as a vernacular dance, to arguments that
competitions hone dancing and performance skills.
Whichever position a dancer takes on the issue, it is
suffice to say that different competition forms and
specific events develop different dancing skills and
serve different social, political and economic purposes.
There are a range of competition types, and competi-
tion nights frequently feature categories in each of the
following styles. There are some exceptions, such as
the Hellzapoppin' competition, which only features the
'no-rules' competition format.
Almost all of these competitions are couple dances,
though some involve elements of solo dancing. Many
lindy hop competitions distinguish between professional and amateur dancers, include invitation-only
categories, offer cash prizes and are judged by well
respected lindy hop dancers. Most are not regulated by
any national or international body.
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill competitions imitate social dancing.
Dancers enter as individuals, as either a 'jack' (leader)
or 'jill' (follower). Most competitions do not dictate
jills be female or jacks male. There are, however, 'jack
and jack' and 'jill and jill' competitions where men and
women are paired separately. Entrants are paired with
partners randomly and then dance to music (whose
duration varies). They are then allocated another
random partner. Jack and Jill competitions vary in
strict format, with some ending at this point, and
judges awarding points for performances to that stage.
Many Jack and Jills often continue, with dancers paired
with a third partner (or remaining with their second)
for the remaining rounds of the competition.
129
Partners dance to different tempo and style songs,
either in 'all skates' where all dancers are on the floor,
or 'shines' where couples take to the floor alone,
usually at phrase-long intervals.
Entrants are judged on their ability to 'lead' and
'follow', though criteria and judging style and importance vary between competitions and scenes.
No-rules
The 2000s have seen the increasing popularity of lindy
hop competitions 'without rules'. The Hellzapoppin'
competition, named for the film Hellzapoppin', was
held for the first time in 2002 and coordinated by the
American Institute of Vernacular Jazz Dance. It was
originally designed as an alternative to the strictly
Showcase
regulated and ruled 'showcase' type competitions which
Entrants in showcase competitions perform chore-
time. These were frequently run by competitive or
ographed performance routines. Showcases can be
for pairs or groups (though usually not in the same
competition), can involve pairings of 'amateur' and
'professional' dancers (pro-am), and can be judged by
any combination of criteria.
dominated the lindy hop competition culture at that
performance dance organisations such as Dancesport
or by dancing academies who did not emphasise or
promote social lindy hop dancing. The no-rules style
competition was presented as an alternative to these
formal competitions, and were designed to empha-
sise social dancing skills and some references to the
vernacular dance tradition of Lindy Hop.
130
Lindy hop today
The 'no-rules' approach was just that - any dance
as aerials. This type of interaction is typical of the call
heavily codified showcase style competitions. Despite
music and dance. In this call and response, audiences
move or style was allowed - again a reaction to the
this 'no-rules' mandate, couples are frequently disadvantaged if they use extensive choreography in their
performance. No-rule competitions often involve some
degree of audience approval judging.
These competitions usually involve the turn-taking and
shine/all-skate formats described in the Jack and Jill
section, though in a range of combinations. While they
may also be invitation-only, they are frequently open to
all competitors, from all experience levels.
Despite the emphasis on partner dancing in these
sorts of competitions, there is often much interaction
between competitors and between the audience and
competitors, frequently in the employment of comic
devices (such as "silly walks" or impersonations) or
and response of West African and African American
and fellow competitors encourage dancers with cheers,
shouts, applause, physical gestures and other feedback.
Major competitions
• World Lindy Hop Championship (a World wide
competition with an emphasis on showcase and
impovisation organised yearly under the umbrella of
WRRC)
• Hellzapoppin' Lindy Competition (a no-rules competition, held annually in the USA, though with local
rounds in countries such as Australia)
• Ultimate Lindy Hop Show Down (an American
competition weekend including categories from all
competitions styles)
showy and physically impressive "stunt" moves such
131
• American Lindy Hop Championship (an American
competition with an emphasis on showcase categories)
• Canadian Swing Championships (a Canadian compe-
tition weekend including categories from all competitions styles)
• Harvest Moon Ball
• National Jitterbug Championship
• World Jitterbug Championship
Technique and steps
style. In the Brooklyn style of the basic step, the lead
leads a follow to take a step back on the first count of
the step (similar to the footwork of the basic step in
east coast) whereas, in the smooth style, a lead leads
the follow to take a step forward on that same first
count. From scene to scene, dancers are often familiar
with completely different styles, steps, moves, and
patterns of lindy hop. When a number of local scenes
come together in events such as a lindy exchange,
dancers can often be seen exchanging dance moves
with one another.
Dance movement, moves and patterns
See List of lindy hop moves for a list of lindy hop dance
The basic step of lindy hop, a swingout, is the basis of
moves.
a large number of the traditional lindy hop moves and
is done to eight counts of music. While the basic step
is generally universally similar, the resurgence on lindy
hop in the 1990s lead to two distinctly different styles
of the basic step: the "Brooklyn" style and the "smooth"
132
Lindy hop today
Partnering technique
ment, move together, and/or communicate dance ideas
to each other either in an open conversation or a call
and response structure.
See also: Connection
Dancers at social events usually have a wide range of
skill levels, so cooperating with one's partner matters
as much as dancing skill. Dancing with a new partner is
a study in flexibility and calibration. What can the new
partner do? What are his or her limitations? What does
he or she like to do? Dancing with a regular partner is
an opportunity to play and practice difficult moves,
Showing good connection in Sacramento, California, USA (2005).
Partnering technique is the element of lindy hop which
controls the communication of the dancers engaged in
the dance - the dance partners. Partnering technique
allows both dancers to lead and follow dance move-
such as aerials (which are dangerous without regular
practice).
More important than moves is connection (in simple
form, any point of body contact between partners is
connection), which allows both partners to commu-
nicate. Social dancers are generally concerned about
connection, whether their partner "feels good," rather
133
than whether their partner is capable of doing a
still be recognizable through the dance itself. In jazz
allows both partners to style with each other and the
dancer could respond. These elements could be the
number of moves in succession. This connection also
music, resulting in a totally improvised, musical dance.
Musicality
Musicality is the skill allowing the dancer to create and
execute choreography (either prepared in advance or
improvised on the spot on the dance floor) to match -
and, more significantly, represent the music - including
the melody and the rhythm.
Dancers with a good sense of musicality respond to all
elements of the music to which they are dancing. They
may choose to accentuate certain elements to make an
artistic statement about the music through movement.
When watching dancers with good musicality, viewers
should be able to "see" the song in the dancers' movements, so that even without music, the song would
134
music, there are many elements in a song to which a
melody, the counter-melody, the phrases and breaks
in the melody, the beat, the back beat, the drums, the
bass, the keys of the piano and any other musical or
rhythmic components.
Musicality develops slowly over time. New dancers
frequently focus on moves independent of the music,
whereas more advanced dancers will match their movements to what they hear in the music. In order to dance
with musicality a dancer must have a strong sense of
rhythm and a good ear for music, as well as a solid
base of knowledge about the techniques and basic
moves for his or her style of dance.
See also
Lindy hop today
• Lindy exchange
• Lindy bombing
• Yehoodi
• Swingmonkey
External links
• SavoyStyle Archives of early lindy hop - the most
useful resource for lindy hop history, sanctioned by
Frankie Manning
Lindy_hop_today"
135
136
traveller. Visitors at lindy exchanges are often hosted
A lindy exchange is a gathering of lindy hop dancers
tion of the event.
venues and styles of that local community, and to
exchanges, such as the Chicago Lindy Exchange and
by local dancers, staying in their homes for the dura-
in one city for several days to experience the dance
Exchanges can vary in size. Some of the older
dance with visitors and locals alike. Travelling for
the D.C. Lindy Exchange, can easily attract 400 or more
exchanges has contributed to the development of a
global or international lindy hop community. Although
the focus of lindy exchanges is on lindy hop, related
swing dances such balboa, charleston, blues dance,
and collegiate shag are common at 'lindy' exchanges
as well, and 'exchanges' targeting these other dance
styles specifically have also been organised. The
term 'exchange' is derived from school or univer-
sity 'exchange' programs, where students travel to
another country or city to experience the local culture.
Exchange students often 'swap' or exchange their own
home or place at their home university with another
dancers. The first two San Francisco Lindy Exchanges
attracted around 500 people, and the Yehoodi 5th
Anniversary Exchange in New York City pulled in over
600 people. Exchanges in cities with smaller dance
communities may have fewer than 50 people. Lindy
exchanges typically do not have lessons or workshops
since the focus is on social dancing, yet exchanges
in more isolated countries such as Australia or New
Zealand may include workshops to increase the attrac-
tion and versatility of their events for visitors who may
have to spend vast sums simply to travel to the host
city. Despite these differences, the themes of exchanges
137
Lindy exchange
Lindy exchange
internationally are still 'hospitality' and cultural and
cases, from international locations) to one central city
dance community.
United States and around the world host annual lindy
social 'exchange', on the dance floor and in the host
History
for a particular weekend. Now, many cities around the
exchanges.
The first lindy exchange ('the Weekend', linked below)
Format
California, between the cities of Chicago, Illinois, and
exchange, but there are certain features that are
occurred on December 4-6, 1998, in San Francisco,
The schedule of a lindy exchange varies with each
San Francisco, CA. The Chicago participants included
common to many of them. Usually, there is an opening
Nicolle Wood, Riley Wymes,Julie Hamberg, Margot
McGraw, Jimi and Young Jin Kim. The intent of this
exchange was for nineteen dancers visiting from
Chicago to experience the dance styles of San Fran-
cisco by attending many of its established venues and
dancing with the lindy hoppers there. As the popularity
of the lindy exchange increased in the United States,
the events changed from a strict city-to-city swap-
ping of dancers to an open-invitational gathering of
lindy hoppers from around the country (and, in some
138
Friday evening dance followed by a late night party,
which goes on into the early morning. On Saturday,
there is usually an afternoon dance, an evening dance,
and another late night dance. On Sunday, there is
usually an afternoon dance and an evening dance.
Some exchanges also have an evening dance on the
Thursday before the event, a Sunday late night dance,
or a Monday evening dance, and the daylight hours
are often filled with other, non-dancing social activi-
ties such as communal meals or shopping trips. Many
Lindy exchange
cities also include various sight-seeing activities during
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_exchange"
the days of the exchange for the visiting dancers to
get to know the host city. The late night dances often
feature a "blues room" with music that better accom-
modates blues dancing and frequently lasts until - or
after - sunrise. The venues chosen for each dance are
often picked to feature the highlights of the dancing
or culture of the host city, although some of the more
established exchange cities have a challenge balancing
the large capacity and demand for exchange atten-
dees with trying to display the smaller, more intimate
venues that might be a more accurate depiction of the
local social dancing scene. Live swing bands based in
the host city are often chosen for some venues, particularly the evening dances.
External links
• LindyExchange.com
• San Francisco Lindy Exchange'98: The First Exchange
139
140
from around the world. While the camp holds nightly
The Herräng Dance Camp (HDC, officially Herräng
around the world, the main focus of the camp is on
that focuses on African American jazz dances such
include the most experienced and most well respected
balboa. The camp, which is run by Lorenz Ilg and four
Shots both organising the camp and carrying the
Fatima Teffahi, Daniel Heedman, and Lennart West-
HDC is also known for its emphasis on traditional jazz
Sweden. The camp has for several years been held
swing era, including Frankie Manning, Norma Miller,
social dances with music by live bands and DJs from
Dance Camp Aktiebolag) is an annual dance camp
dance instruction. The teachers employed by the camp
as Lindy Hop, boogie woogie, tap, authentic jazz, and
dancers from around the world, with the Harlem Hot
members of the Harlem Hot Shots — Frida Segerdahl,
greater burden of teaching during the week.
erlund — is held in its namesake town of Herräng in
dance and invites surviving dancers from the 'original'
during weeks 28, 29, 30, and 31, which has typically
been the four weeks of July, with week 32 being a
'break-down' week with unofficial parties. For 2007,
week 32 was included in the official program.
HDC is the biggest Lindy Hop dance camp in the world,
with a reputation for offering both the highest stan-
dard of teaching and attracting the best social dancers
Sugar Sullivan and others.
With over 1,000 people attending the camp each
summer, the camp creates--then later disassem-
bles--its own infrastructure each summer to meet
the needs of the large number of dancers; you can
find several cafes, a full cafeteria serving buffet-style
meals, a shop for dance supplies, accessories and daily
141
Herräng Dance Camp
Herräng Dance Camp
essentials, bicycle rental, housing of various standards,
nightly entertainment, airport limo service and much
more.
Camp together.
[3]
The camp began to expand in the 1990s when it started
attracting more and more foreign dancers from around
History
The first Herräng Dance Camp was held for one week,
starting on 1 August 1982, and was organized by the
[1]
Swedish Swing Society in Stockholm, Sweden.
It
attracted around 25 participants and was taught by
John Clancy from New York. The following year, the
camp attracted around 100 students and was taught
and attended by only Swedish dancers.
In 1989, The Rhythm Hot Shots organized a dance
camp in Herräng and invited Frankie Manning to teach
[2]
at the camp.
He has returned to teach at the dance
camp every year since then.
The Rhythm Hot Shots and the Swedish Swing Society
held competing dance camps in Herräng until 1994,
142
when the two groups held their first Herräng Dance
the world, such as Japan, Australia, and the USA.
The first year Internet access was available for the
Herräng Dance Camp participants was in 2000 when
Kuggen, the only grocery store in Herräng, organized
an Internet café for the dance camp's participants. It
costed around 30 Swedish kronor for 30 min.
For many years, the Herräng Dance Camp was
completely organized without the help of computers
because Lennart Westerlund, one of the key organizers,
did not like computers. The 2000 camp was completely
organized by pen, paper, phone and fax, much to the
chagrin of the receptionist Fredrika. It wasn't until after
the 2000 camp that computers were finally used in
organizing the camp.
Herräng Dance Camp
On 5 August 2000 Tim Kask (Zürich, Switzerland)
was SEK 3400 for the entire trip. Participants could pay
the Herräng Dance Camp website. Online registration
SEK 1000.
purchased the herrang.com domain name and created
first became available for the 2001 dance camp through
his website.
2001, 2002 and 2004 a Swing Bus was organized that
preceded the festivities at Herräng. The Swing Bus was
a tour of Europe with the Hot Shots, where the dance
company stopped to teach and perform in various
cities. A limited number of other dancers were able to
travel on the bus with the Hot Shots.
The 2001 Herräng Swing Bus traveled from Zurich/
SwingCity (July 1) via Munchen, Prag (July 2), Berlin
(July 3), Hamburg (July 4), Copenhagen/Lund (July 5),
and Stockholm (July 6) to Herräng (July 7). On the bus
was The Rhythm Hot Shots, the swing band Jennie
Löbel & Swing Kings, Chazz Young, Angela Andrew, and
all of the dancers that traveled with the bus. The cost
for the 2-day bus trip from Stockholm to Zurich for
The 2002 Swing Bus traveled from London (June 30),
Paris (July 1), Brussels (July 2), Amsterdam (July 3),
Hamburg (July 4), Lund (July 5), and Stockholm (July 6)
to Herräng. On the bus was The Rhythm Hot Shots, a
swing band, and all of the dancers that traveled with
the bus. The cost was SEK 3400 for the entire trip or
SEK 600/day.
The 2004 Swing Bus traveled from London (June 21),
Brussels (June 22), Paris (June 23), Strausberg (June 24),
Zurich (June 25), Munich (June 26), Prague (June 27),
Berlin (June 28), Hamburg (June 29), Copenhagen (June
30), and Göteborg (July 1) to Stockholm. The cost was
SEK 5500 for the entire trip or SEK 600/day. Partici-
pants could pay for a no-frills bus trip from Stockholm
to London for SEK 800.
143
Rumours that the camp could be closed in 2007
resulted in record numbers of dancers attending the
2006 camp. In July of that year over 1200 dancers
attended the camp.
In 2007, the camp celebrated its 25th anniversary and
was extended to five weeks.
References
1.
^ History. Herräng Dance Camp. Retrieved on 2007-05-31.
2.
^ Manning, Frankie; Cynthia R Millman (2007). "14: Revival",
Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop. Philadelphia, PA:
Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. 3.
^ Björnström, Ulrika (May 1998). "På korståg för Lindy Hop" (in
Swedish). Swingtime 19: 10-14. External link
• Herräng Dance Camp official site
144
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herr
%C3%A4ng_Dance_Camp"
Herräng Dance Camp
145
146
Frankie Manning or Frankie "Musclehead" Manning,
born Frank Manning in Jacksonville, Florida, on May
26, 1914, is an American dancer, instructor and choreographer. Manning is considered to be one of the
founding fathers of Lindy Hop.
He frequented Harlem's Savoy Ballroom in the 1930s,
eventually becoming a dancer in the elite and pres-
tigious "Kat's Korner", a corner of the dance floor in
which impromptu exhibitions and competitions took
place. During a dance contest in 1935, Manning and his
partner Frieda Washington performed the first air step
(often referred to as an aerial) in a swing dance competition at the Savoy Ballroom. The air step he performed
was a "back to back roll" and was danced while Chick
Webb played Down South Camp Meeting (which was
Frankie's request after having heard the song earlier in
the evening).
Frankie Manning in Herräng, 2005
147
Frankie Manning
Frankie Manning
In 1935, Herbert White organized the top Savoy Ball-
Manning, another surviving member of Whitey's Lindy
which was eventually named Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
Stevens and Steven Mitchell contacted Frankie Manning
room Dancers into a professional performance group
Frankie created the troupe's first ensemble Lindy
Hop routines and functioned as the group's de facto
choreographer, although without that title. The troupe
toured extensively and made several films. Whitey's
Lindy Hoppers became disbanded around the time of
WWII since many of the male members were drafted.
After the war in 1947, Frankie created a small performance group called the Congaroos. When the Congaroos disbanded in 1955, Frankie settled into a career
with the United States Postal Service.
In 1982, Al Minns, a former member of Whitey's Lindy
Hoppers, started to teach Lindy Hop at the Sandra
Cameron Dance Center where he introduced a new
generation of dancers to the Lindy Hop. Before he
passed away in 1985, he told his students that Frankie
148
Hoppers, also lived in New York City. In 1986, Erin
to ask him to teach them the Lindy Hop. He first
said no before agreeing to meet with them. The two
returned to California and helped spread the dance to
the west coast as well as other areas in the US. That
same year, Lennart Westerlund contacted Frankie
Manning and invited him to Sweden to work with The
Rhythm Hot Shots. Frankie Manning traveled to Sweden
in 1987 and has returned to Sweden every year since
1989 to teach at the Herräng Dance Camp.
Frankie Manning received the Tony Award for co-
choreography of the Broadway musical Black and Blue.
In recent years, Frankie Manning's annual birthday
celebrations have drawn together dancers and instructors from all over the world. His 80th birthday was
commemorated by a weekend long celebration in New
Frankie Manning
York City; his 85th culminated in a sold out party at
tion of (often humorous) stories about the early days
dance shoes were placed in a showcase along with
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. The book continues to recount
New York's Roseland Ballroom, where a pair of his
those of dancers such as Fred Astaire. For his 86th
birthday, a huge gala was feted in Tokyo in his honor,
which included workshops taught by the maestro
of swing dancing and his experiences dancing with
his experiences up through the revival of swing dancing
in the 1980's.
himself. The climax of the festivities featured a live
Filmography
foreign expat swing enthusiasts for this memorable
• Keep Punching (1939)
orchestra. Frankie drew a huge crowd of Japanese and
• Radio City Revels (1938)
occasion. Dedicated cruises were organized for his
• Hellzapoppin' (1941)
89th and 90th birthdays. For his birthday dances, he
followed his custom of dancing with one woman for
every year of his life, partnering 89 and 90 women in
succession, respectively.
Autobiography
On May 28, 2007, Frankie's autobiography was
published. It was written by Frankie Manning and
Cynthia Millman. Contained in the book is a collec-
• Hot Chocolates (1941)
• Jittering Jitterbugs (1943)
• Killer Diller (1948)
• Malcolm X (1992) - Choreography
• Stompin' at the Savoy (1992) - Choreography
• Jazz: A Film by Ken Burns (2000) - Interview
See also
• Savoy-Style Lindy Hop
149
• African American vernacular dance
• Lindy hop
External links
• Frankie Manning and the Lindy Hop
• A site devoted to Frankie's life
Frankie_Manning"
150
Frankie Manning
151
152
Dancer, recollects her youthful encounters with Ella
Norma Miller (born December 2, 1919 in Harlem, New
Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Ethel Waters and other
people as The Queen of Swing. She was interviewed
Honored with a 2003 National Heritage Foundation
documentary "Jazz". Discussing the early days of swing
for her role in creating and continuing to preserve “the
Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday,
York) is an American swing dancer known to many
jazz legends.
along with dance partner Frankie Manning in Ken Burns
Fellowship from the National Endowments of the Arts
dancing, Norma describes the start of her dancing
career at the Savoy Ballroom (which was just across
street from where she lived) during the early 30s in
Harlem. Discovered at the age of twelve by the Savoy
Ballroom's legendary dancer Twist Mouth George, Ms.
Miller has been in show business ever since.
Norma was a member of the Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
The author of several books, Norma Miller's latest book,
"Swing Baby Swing" chronicles the evolution of the
swing culture into the 21st century. Norma Miller's
biography, "Swingin' at the Savoy": A Memoir of a Jazz
acrobatic style swing dance, known as the Lindy Hop,”
Ms. Miller (at a young 85 years of age) continues to be
an inspiration to all who know her.
In addition, Norma Miller has been featured performing
in a string of movies including some of the most
viewed vintage movies by Lindy Hoppers and swing
dancers worldwide, the Marx Brother's "A Day at the
Races" (1937) and "Hellzapoppin'" (1941); Spike Lee's
"Malcolm X" (1992); "Stompin' at the Savoy" (1992), John
Biffar's "Captiva" (1995), along with documentaries
153
Norma Miller
Norma Miller
such as the National Geographic's "Jitterbug" (1991)
and the Smithsonian Jazz series on NPR.
In the 1960s, Norma Miller began working with Redd
Foxx at his comedy club and later joined him on the
1970s television series, Sanford and Son, serving as a
stand up comic, actor and choreographer. In Ken Burn's
documentary Jazz (2001) Norma's recollections provide
a first hand account of the Harlem music and dance
Norma Millar and Frankie Manning in Herrang
Sweden.. Photo courtesy of Bryant Gover
scene in the 1930s and 40s.
Since her time at the Savoy Ballroom Norma has also
worked on film and TV with the likes of Richard Prior,
Bill Cosby, and Ella Fitzgerald, to name a few.
Her latest documentary "Queen of Swing", narrated by
Bill Cobbs, takes an inside look at Norma Miller's influ-
This article about someone associated with the art
of dance is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding
it.
ence in the globalization of America's jazz culture and
her and her fellow artist's role in racial integration. The
documentary features interviews with Bill Cosby, Bill
Cobbs, Frankie Manning and the late Leonard Reed.
154
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_Miller"
Norma Miller
155
156
Note: For the actor with the same name, see Dean Collins
(actor).
at the Diana Ballroom and Casino Gardens. During this
time, he adopted the name "Dean Collins". He popularized an original version of the Shim Sham, now called
the Dean Collins Shim Sham.
Dean Collins (May 29, 1917 - June 1, 1984), [1] born
His career started when he was hired by RKO pictures
choreographer, and innovator of swing. He is often
in 1939 and released in 1940. He eventually danced
Sol Ruddosky, was an American dancer, instructor,
credited with bringing swing dance, or Lindy Hop, from
New York to Southern California. He is undoubtedly
the most filmed Lindy Hopper in history with over 30
movie and short credits to his name. [2]
to choreograph the dancing in Let's Make Music, filmed
in or choreographed nearly forty Hollywood movies,
including the classic Hellzapoppin' (1941). He also
taught dancing in Los Angeles from the 1930s until
his death in 1984. During this time, he taught many
He grew up in Newark, New Jersey and started learning
people including Shirley Temple, Joan Crawford, Cesar
sisters. He was soon dancing at the Savoy Ballroom in
Murray.
the Year" by The New Yorker.
by smooth motions and tight footwork, as opposed to
to dance at age fourteen along with his two older
Romero, Abbott and Costello, Sylvia Sykes, and Arthur
Harlem, New York. In 1935, he was named "Dancer of
His style of Lindy Hop in the 1940s was characterized
He moved to Los Angeles in 1936. He worked as a
the outward kicks and horizontal posture of Harlem's
janitor at Simon's Drive-In Diner. At night, he danced
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. This style was the main
157
Dean Collins
Dean Collins
source for what became known in the 1990s as Hollywood-style Lindy Hop. It is said Dean Collins did not
believe in styles himself. He is supposed to have said,
"There is no style, there is only swing." However, some
dancers who knew Dean, such as the wife of fellow
This article about someone associated with the art
of dance is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding
it.
legendary dancer Willie Desatoff, claim both Dean and
Willie saw West Coast as "an abomination to the dance
floor."
Jewel McGowan was his dance partner for eleven years.
She appears with him in Buck Privates (1941), "Ride 'Em
Cowboy" (1942), and many other films.[3]
External links
• http://www.caljazzdance.com/biodeancollins.html
• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032700/fullcredits
"Let's Make Music" credits at Internet Movie Database
158
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Collins"
Dean Collins
159
160
The Hot Shots is a collective name for two closely
related Swedish dance companies based in Stockholm,
Sweden: The Rhythm Hot Shots and the Harlem Hot
Shots. The Hot Shots specialize in faithful reproductions of African-American dance scenes in Amer-
ican films from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Dances that
they perform include Lindy Hop, Tap dance, Cakewalk,
The Rhythm Hot Shots
The Rhythm Hot Shots (TRHS, officially The Rhythm
Hot Shots Dance & Show Handelsbolag or TRHS
Dance & Show HB) is a Swedish performance dance
company founded in 1985 and dissolved in 2002.
Members of The Rhythm Hot Shots were instrumental
in the 1980s and 90s Lindy Hop revival.
Members
Founding member
Charleston, and Black Bottom. The members of the Hot
1985–1986
plished social dancers. The goals of The Rhythm Hot
1985–1988
Shots are also respected dance instructors and accomShots and the Harlem Hot Shots are the same.
On 6 May 2005, all of the current and previous
members of the Hot Shots celebrated 20 years by
Lena Ramberg
Anders Lind
1985–2002
Lennart Westerlund
performing "20 Years With the Hot Shots" at Södra
Teatern in Stockholm.
161
Hot Shots (dance companies)
1985–2002
Catrine Ljung-
1986–199?
gren
1985–2002
1985–2002
Ewa 'W' Staremo
Burak, née Ewa Staremo
Eddie Jansson
Eva Lagerqvist
Jansson, née Eva
Lagerqvist
1988–1989
Lars Lundberg
1990–1994
Martin Wedby
1991–1994
Anita Kankimäki
1993–1995
David Dalmo
1994–2002
Ulrika Larsdotter Ericsson, née
Ulrika Ericsson
1997–2002
Åsa Palm
1997–2001
Benedikt "Beni"
Furrer
199?–2001
162
Ulrika Thulin
1998–2002
Mattias Lund-
1996
1997
mark
2000–2002
2000
Zetterman
Frida Segerdahl
2002
Kenneth &
Helena Norbelie
Hanna
2002
Norma Miller
Sakarias Larsson
Collaborators
Diane van
Haaren (née Thomas)
2001
(Incomplete)
Angela Andrew,
Jumpin´ at the Jubilee
(production)
Swing Camp Catalina
(dance camp)
What is this Thing called
Swing? (USA tour)
Herräng Swing Bus
(Europe tour)
Chazz Young
Other dancers, including former members, have
Harlem Hot Shots
occasions.
Harlem Hotshots) is a Swedish dance company formed
performed with The Rhythm Hot Shots on various
The Harlem Hot Shots (HHS, sometimes spelled
Year
in autumn 2002 that includes several members of The
1990
Dancer
Performance
Harold Nicholas
Come to Broadway
Rhythm Hot Shots.
(production)
163
Members
2002–present
Founding member
Sakarias Larsson
2002–2004
2002–present
Lennart Wester-
Johanna Müller
2005–present
Jenny Deurell
lund
2002–present
Fatima Teffahi
2002–present
Hanna
Zetterman
2002–present
Mattias Lundmark
2002–present
2002–present
2002–present
164
Collaborators
Other dancers, including former members of the Hot
Shots, have performed with the Harlem Hot Shots on
various occasions.
Year
2003
Åsa Palm
2004
Daniel Heedman
(Incomplete)
Frida Segerdahl
Dancer
Performance
Ria DeBiase
Mike Faltesek
Spirit of Swing (USA/
Canada tour)
Herräng Swing Bus
(Europe tour)
History
Anders Lind began studying at the Royal Institute of
Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden in 1978 and
became interested in swing dance as a student. He
became a member of the Swedish Swing Society (SSS,
formed in 1978), a dance club that originally focused
[1]
on competition and show.
The Swedish Swing Society
initially recruited dancers from Lasse Kühlers dance
school. So when Lennart Westerlund started to dance at
Lasse Kühlers dance school in 1980,
[2]
he was recruited
into the Swedish Swing Society in 1981, where he
met Anders Lind. Lennart Westerlund, Catrine Lung-
gren, Anders Lind, and Lena Ramberg started to dance
together in a small performance group as a part of the
Swedish Swing Society in 1983.
Anders Lind became interested in searching for the
history of the dance and in autumn 1983, he found a
copy of "Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular
Dance" by Marshall and Jean Stearns in an unknown
[1]
library in Dansmuseet (dance museum).
Excited
about the discovery, he copied three chapters of the
book and handed them out to his fellow SSS members.
Prior to finding "Jazz Dance", everyone believed that
Jitterbug was a dance that orignated from the 1940s.
They learned from the book that Jitterbug was orig-
inally called Lindy Hop and originated in Harlem, NY
during the end of the 1920s.
At the age of 15, Eddie Jansson and Eva Lagerqvist
started dancing at Lasse Kühlers dance school, where
they met each other in 1983. After one year at the
dance school, they joined the Swedish Swing Society.
[3]
Eddie and Eva and another couple formed a group
called Dance Freaks in spring 1984. Dance Freaks
performed together one time before splitting up.
"Jazz Dance" listed several films that included Lindy
Hop sequences. When A Day at the Races was shown
165
in a theater in Stockholm, Anders and Lennart went
decided to call the dance schools that taught Lindy
so exciting that they returned with a video camera to
called also happened to be the one that Al Minns taught
to watch the movie. They found the dance sequences
record all of the dance scenes. When Hellzapoppin' was
shown at the KTH student theather, they were in awe
by the dancing in the film.
[1]
The speed, acrobatics, and
skill of the dancers was like nothing they had ever seen
before. They started discussing a trip to New York City
to find someone who could teach them how to dance
the same way.
In April 1984, Anders Lind, Lennert Westerlund, and
Henning Sörensen (Secretary for the Swedish Swing
Society) travelled to New York City seeking Al Minns,
a surviving member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers that
[1]
Anders had found in "Jazz Dance".
While in Stock-
holm, Anders Lind had found a copy of the New
York City yellow pages and torn out the pages listing
dance schools. When they arrived in NYC, Anders Lind
166
Hop. As luck would have it, the first dance school he
it.
[1]
They ended up meeting Al Minns two days later at
a nightclub.
Count Basie had just died and his band members as
well as the artists and dancers that had worked with
him had planned a memorial dance in his honor at The
Red Parrot, a nightclub in New York City. Anders Lind
learned about the event and the three Swedes showed
up at the nightclub and found Al Minns dancing Lindy
Hop there.
[1]
Al Minns had started teaching at Sandra
Cameron Dance Center in 1982
[4][5]
and invited them
to his dance class. Anders Lind also took the oppor-
tunity to take some classes with Norma Miller. When
they returned to Sweden, Henning recommended to the
board members of the Swedish Swing Society to invite
Al Minns to Stockholm to teach and give lectures.
[1]
Despite having a fear of flying, Al Minns traveled to
Sweden in October 1984 for a 5-day workshop and
brought a different approach to the dance with him. He
told them to "Forget counting, just listen!"
[3]
Blues & Jazz Band returned to Stockholm.
[1]
They called
themselves The Rhythm Hot Shots. Lennart danced
with Catrine, Eddie danced with Eva, and Anders
danced with Lena.
During the summer of 1984, the Swedish Swing Society
Al Minns was invited back to Stockholm in 1985 but
a few shows during the Stockholm Jazz Festival. The
From Al Minns, TRHS learned that Frankie Manning,
arranged for the SSS performance group to perform for
group asked Eddie and Eva to join them and for their
first performance, the three couples performed on the
main stage in front of 2000 people while accompa-
nied live by The Harlem Blues & Jazz Band. The performances were very successful and afterwards the three
couples considered working together in the future,
perhaps at a professional level.
After months of discussion, Lennart Westerlund,
Anders Lind, Eddie Jansson, Catrine Ljunggren, Lena
Ramberg and Eva Lagerqvist decided to form a dance
company in the summer of 1985 when The Harlem
he became too ill to travel and died on 24 April 1985.
another surviving member of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers,
was also living in New York City. In 1986, Lennart
contacted Frankie Manning and in 1987, invited Frankie
to Sweden for the first time to work with the dance
company.
[2][6]
Before Frankie Manning visited Sweden, The Rhythm
Hot Shots had learned how to Lindy Hop by watching
old movies in slow motion, such as Hellzapoppin' and
A Day at the Races.
[6]
They would spend four hours
watching a film clip on TV just to learn one or two
167
[7]
dance steps.
They trained together intensively six
[3]
days a week for several hours.
When Frankie Manning
In 1989, TRHS became involved with organizing the
Herräng Dance Camp with the Swedish Swing Society.
[2]
visited Sweden in 1987, he stayed for two weeks. At
They invited Frankie Manning back to Sweden to teach
Staremo partnered Anders. Since two members of TRHS
since then.
that time, Lena had left the dance company and Ewa
at the dance camp, where he has returned to every year
now had first names that were pronounced the same
During the 1990s, TRHS achieved international fame
way – Eva Lagerqvist and Ewa Staremo – Frankie nicknamed Ewa Staremo "W" to quickly differentiate the
two. The members of TRHS had regular day jobs so
during the first week of Frankie's visit, they met after
work at around 16:00 or 17:00 and worked together
for four to five hours every night.
[7]
During the second
week, they moved to Herräng, where the Swedish Swing
Society had been holding a small dance camp, the
Herräng Dance Camp, since 1982. They stayed and
practiced in Folkets Hus, the community center in
[6]
Herräng.
During those two weeks, TRHS learned for
[3][6]
the first time how to social dance.
168
[6]
and traveled worldwide to perform and teach at dance
camps and workshops in North America, Europe, Asia,
and Oceania. The Lindy Hop routine from Hellza-
poppin' that they had originally learned in the early
1980s became their hallmark routine that they both
performed and taught internationally.
Members of TRHS were the first international instructors to teach Lindy Hop in the former Soviet Union.
On 5 April 2000, Lennart Westerlund, Catrine Lung-
gren, Mattias Lunmark, Åsa Palm, and Hanna Zetterman
traveled to St Petersburg, Russia to help introduce
Lindy Hop to 15 to 20 Russian dancers during a six day
workshop made possible by a grant from the Swedish
Jansson, Ulrika Larsdotter Ericsson, and Eva Lagerqvist
Institute.
Jansson.
[8]
All of the Russian dancers who attended
the workshop were then awarded scholarships to
attend the Herräng Dance Camp during the summer of
2000. Since then, Lindy Hop has spread to Ukraine and
Lithuania.
[9]
The Harlem Hot Shots was formed by active
members of TRHS in autumn 2002. Individuals who did
not become members of the Harlem Hot Shots – such
as Catrine Ljunggren, Eddie Jansson, Eva Lagerqvist
Jansson, and Ulrika Larsdotter Ericsson – continue to
During the late 1990s/early 2000s, several new
teach and perform worldwide. For example, in 2006,
became inactive and no longer performed or taught
tional Lindy Hop festival in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The 2002 Herräng Dance Camp, which TRHS owned,
so successful that it is planned to be repeated again in
members joined TRHS while some older members
Catrine Ljunggren helped organize the first interna-
classes, but were still members of the dance company.
The dance camp ran from December 1 to 3 and was
almost ended in bankruptcy. In autumn 2002, The
December 2007.
Rhythm Hot Shots dance company was dissolved. The
Rhythm Hot Shots Dance & Show Handelsbolag (organisationsnr 969607-7073) was unregistered and in 2004,
"The Rhythm Hot Shots" trademark was transferred
from The Rhythm Hot Shots Dance & Show Handels-
bolag to Lennart Westerlund, Catrine Ljunggren, Eddie
Swedish Swing Society
The Swedish Swing Society (SSS) is a non-profit dance
organization in Stockholm, Sweden that teaches Lindy
Hop and other swing related dances. As the major
swing dance society in Stockholm, most swing dancers
169
have been a member of the SSS, and the Hot Shots are
The Rhythm Hot Shots hosted the annual Herräng
close relationship from the beginning of the Hot Shots,
Herräng, Sweden that attracts students and teachers
no exception. The Hot Shots and SSS have had a very
with cross-memberships in both organizations. For
example, the founders of The Rhythm Hot Shots were
also members of the SSS. Almost all of the Hot Shots
are either current or past members of the SSS, as well
as current or past instructors for the SSS, such as Lena
Ramberg, Frida Segerdahl, and Sakarias Larsson.
Some of the Hot Shots have been elected as honorary
members of the SSS: Lennart Westerlund (1990-11-14),
Anita Kankimäki (1993-11-27), and Anders Lind
(1998-11-21). Other honorary SSS members that were
important in the history of the Hot Shots include Lasse
Kühler and Henning Sörensen (1998-11-21).
Herräng Dance Camp
Dance Camp from 1989 until 2002, a dance camp in
from all over the world. Since the 2003 dance camp,
Lorenz Ilg (originator of Swing City) and members of
the Harlem Hot Shots (Fatima Teffahi, Frida Segerdahl,
Daniel Heedman, and Lennart Westerlund) organize and
run the Herräng Dance Camp.
Jesses Jassklubb
For several years The Rhythm Hot Shots and later the
Harlem Hot Shots ran Jesses Jassklubb (also known
as Jesses Jazzklubb, Jesses Jazz Club, Jesse's Jazz
Club), a swing dance party held every Wednesday
evening during the autumn and spring months. The
autumn program was typically from September to
early December and the spring program was from
late January to late May. From 18:30 to 19:30, there
was a drop-in beginner Lindy Hop dance lesson with
170
members of TRHS/HHS and from 20:00 to 23:00 there
had to immediately close again since the Hornsgatan
breaks.
another dance could be held. When the Wednesday
was a swing/jazz band with DJed music between band
Jesses Jassklubb was named after its founder, Jens
"Jesse" Lindgren (trombone player in Kustbandet and
other bands). According to Jens Lindgren, the word
"jazz" was spelled with s instead of z because origi-
nally it was spelled "jass" in New Orleans, and it helped
[10]
emphasize the type of music played at the club.
For more than 11 years, Jesses Jassklubb was located at
Mariahissen, Pryssgränd 14 in central Stockholm. The
Mariahissen location featured a medium-sized hard-
wood dance floor, minimal food service, and a beautiful
view of Gamla stan. On 14 April 2004 Jesses Jassklubb
was held at the Mariahissen location for the last time.
On 2 June 2004, Jesses Jassklubb reopened again at
Hornsgatan 75, Stockholm, the current location of the
Chicago Swing Dance Studio. However, the jazz club
location needed additional sound insulation before
night dances started again in autumn at a different
location, the name changed to Zacke's Jazz Corner.
Zacke's Jazz Corner
On 8 September 2004, the Harlem Hot Shots continued
the tradition of Wednesday night swing dances at a
new location: Garant festvåning, Varvsgatan 14, Stockholm with Hasse Ling and his Syncopators of Swing.
This new dance location become known as Zacke's
Jazz Corner and was named after Sakarias Larsson,
one of the founders of the Harlem Hot Shots. When the
dances were moved to Chicago Swing Dance Studio at
Hornsgatan 75 on 16 February 2005, they were originally referred to as "Jesses, Zackes, Savoy, or whatever you want to call it."
[11]
Zacke's Jazz Corner was the
171
name that prevailed and is used today to refer to the
Wednesday night swing dances at Chicago.
5 to Hornsgatan 75 in the summer of 2004.
When the HHS attempted to move Jesses Jassklubb to
Hornsgatan 75
In March 2004, Lennart Westerlund took over the
contract for Hornsgatan 75 in central Stockholm, originally the location of a movie theater by the name of
Chicago (from 1907 to mid-1960s). When members of
the Harlem Hot Shots took over the locale, they slowly
remodeled and created a dance studio with an old-
fashioned nightclub atmosphere called Chicago Swing
2
Dance Studio. The locale is 350 m with a dance floor
2
that is approximately 180 m and includes an office,
storage area, kitchen, rest rooms, and a sitting area.
Chicago Swing Dance Studio opened in May 2004 for
dance classes in Lindy Hop, tap dance, and classic jazz
dance. Other dances that have also been taught include
Salsa, Tango Argentino, and West African dance.
172
The Herräng Dance Camp office moved from Vetegatan
Hornsgatan 75 on 2 June 2004, it became apparent that
additional sound insulation was needed before more
dances could be held there. During the summer and
autumn of 2004, the HHS increased the sound insulation, added ventilation, and redesigned the interior of
the locale. Jesses Jassklubb, which had during autumn
2004 become known as Zacke's Jazz Corner, moved
back to Hornsgatan 75 on 16 February 2005.
Vintage routines
The following is a list of the vintage routines that the
Hot Shots have performed.
Routine
Original
Genre
performer(s)
Song
Movie
Year
The Three
The Three
Chefs
Chefs
Hellza-
Whitey's
Tap dance
Lindy Hop
Be Careful
Breakfast
by Barry
in Rhythm
Paige
(soundie)
Jumpin' at Hellza-
poppin', aka Lindy
the Wood- poppin'
California
side by
Hoppers
Routine
1943
Competition results
The Hot Shots seldom enter dance competitions as
1941
their primary objective is dance performances. On
occasion, members of the group compete, sometimes
with partners that are not members of the Hots Shots.
Some members act as judges at Lindy Hop competi-
Count Basie
One Man
Five Blazers,Tap dance
Black
Black and
Dance
aka Five Hot
Beauty
Tan Fantasy
Shots
by Duke
1929
tions and thus do not compete.
Date
Location
Competition
Results
2007-08-05
Stockholm,
The Battle
• Winner:
Sweden
Ellington
?
Fredi Wash- 1920s
ington
Cotton
Black and
Sakarias
Larsson (The
1929
Jazz Dancer,
Charleston Club Stomp Tan Fantasy
authentic jazz
by Duke
(incomplete)
Ellington
dance contest)
2006-11-23 to
Anaheim, Cali-
US Open Swing
• 1st: Frida
2006-11-26
fornia
Dance Champi-
Segerdahl &
onships
Skye Humphries
173
(Lindy Show-
cone (Libera-
case)
tion / Fast)
2006-10-13 to
Stamford,
American Lindy
• 1st: Frida
2006-10-15
Connecticut
Hop Champi-
Segerdahl &
Segerdahl &
onships
Skye Humphries
Skye Humphries
(Classic Divi-
(Revolution /
sion)
Mid Tempo)
• 1st: Frida
Segerdahl &
Skye Humphries
Todd Yanna-
(Champions'
cone (Freedom /
Jack & Jill)
St. Paul,
Ultimate Lindy
2006-09-17
Minnesota
Hop Showdown
Slow)
• 1st: Frida
Segerdahl &
Segerdahl &
Skye Humphries
Skye Humphries
(Cats' Corner)
(Lindy Hop
• 2nd: Frida
Segerdahl &
Todd Yanna-
174
• 1st: Frida
Segerdahl &
• 1st: Frida
2006-09-14 to
• 1st: Frida
Performance)
• 1st: Frida
Segerdahl &
Peter Strom
2005-10-20 to
Stamford,
American Lindy
(Jack n' Jill)
2005-10-23
Connecticut
Hop Champi-
Segerdahl &
onships
Skye Humphries
• Dancers Choice
Award: Frida
(Classic Divi-
Segerdahl &
sion)
Skye Humphries
2005-09-16 to
St. Paul,
Ultimate Lindy
(Favorite
2005-09-18
Minnesota
Hop Showdown
Competitors)
2006-07-30
Stockholm,
Sweden
The Battle
• 1st: Frida
• Winner: Åsa
Palm & Daniel
Heedman
• Finalists: Hanna
• 2nd: Frida
Segerdahl &
Skye Humphries
(Mid Tempo)
• 2nd: Frida
Segerdahl &
Peter Loggins
Zetterman &
(Invitational
Mattias Lund-
Forum / Jack &
mark, Frida
Jill)
Segerdahl
• 1st: Frida
& Sakarias
Segerdahl
Larsson
(Charleston
Battle)
175
• Dancers Choice
• 1st: Frida
Award: Frida
Segerdahl
Segerdahl &
(Charleston
Skye Humphries
Battle)
(Most
2003-08-14 to
St. Paul,
Ultimate Lindy
Memorable
2003-08-17
Minnesota
Hop Showdown
Performers)
• 1st: Frida
Segerdahl &
Skye Humphries
2004-10-08 to
New York City,
Hellzapoppin' US • Finalists: Hanna
(Power to the
2004-10-09
New York
Nationals
People)
Zetterman &
Mattias Lundmark, Frida
Segerdahl & Ben
Segerdahl
Furnas (Power
& Sakarias
to the People)
Larsson
2004-09-24 to
St. Paul,
Ultimate Lindy
2004-09-26
Minnesota
Hop Showdown
• 1st: Frida
• 1st: Frida
Segerdahl
Segerdahl & Jai
(Charleston
Latimer (Cham-
Battle)
pions Jack & Jill)
176
• 2nd: Frida
2003-06-14
New York City,
Harlem Jazz
• Finalists: Hanna
New York
Dance Festival's
Zetterman &
Hellzapoppin'
Mattias Lund-
Mattias Lundmark
1997-04-05
Kista, Sweden
Al Minns Cup
mark, Frida
Lundmark &
Segerdahl
Mattias Lund-
& Sakarias
mark (Lindy
Larsson,
Hop Adult B)
Johanna Müller
1996
Sweden
Swedish Champi- • 1st: Åsa
onship Lindy Hop
& Daniel
Stockholm,
World Lindy Hop • 17th: Catrine
Sweden
Championship
1995
Oslo, Norway
World Lindy Hop • 1st: Anna
Championship
Ljunggren &
Elliot Donnelley
2002-05-18 to
Karlstad, Sweden Swedish Champi- • 2nd: Frida
2002-05-19
onship Lindy Hop
1995
Sweden
onship Lindy Hop
& Sakarias
1997-08-11
Stockholm,
World Lindy Hop • 3rd: Annika
Sweden
Championship
Lundmark &
Sandesjö &
David Dalmo
Segerdahl
Larsson
Rickardsson &
David Dalmo
Heedman
2002-08-09
• 3rd: Annika
Rickardsson &
David Dalmo
1993
Sweden
onship Lindy Hop
Rickardsson &
David Dalmo
177
(Incomplete)
2005-03-16 to
HHS
2005-03-17
Credits
Date
Dance Co.
Production
Location
2005-11-27
HHS
Blue House Jazz
Konserthuset,
Sweden
Pettersson
Quartet
HHS
2005-11-30
2005-11-06
TRHS & HHS
Children's Shows: RosenlundThe dance that
steatern, Stock-
disappeared
holm, Sweden
20 Years with the Södra Teatern,
Hot Shots
steatern, Stock-
show from the
holm, Sweden
dolls
2005
HHS
Stockholm,
Sweden
Harlem en Douce RosenlundFrance
with Jan Lundgren Stockholm,
2005-11-24 to
spheric dance
days of guys and
Musicals and theatrical productions
Trio & Andreas
S.W.I.N.G - strato- Rosenlund-
holm, Sweden
2004-12-10
2004-12-04
HHS
HHS
Gunhild Carling
Lunds Stadsteater,
Varieté
Lund, Sweden
A Spectacular
Dieselverk-
Concert by Swing staden, StockThat Music with
holm, Sweden
Harlem Hot Shots
2004
HHS
2004-05
HHS
Hollywood Goes
Sweden tour
Black and Tan
Jazz Dance - den Chicago Swing
sanna historien
178
steatern, Stock-
Dance Studio,
Stockholm,
2003-05-02 to
Sweden
HHS
Swing Is the Thing Sweden tour
2003-04
HHS
Black Beauty
1996
The Great Swing
TRHS
Jumpin' at the
Södra Teatern,
Jubilee
Stockholm,
Konserthuset,
Stockholm,
TRHS
Sweden
1994
TRHS
Hello Dolly
Norrköping,
Sweden tour
Sweden
1993
2002
TRHS
Swing Time
2000
TRHS
What Is This
Nalen, Stockholm,
Thing Called
Sweden
Swing?
USA tour
Swing
Teater Replica,
TRHS
Jublar Anamma
Nalen, Stockholm,
Stockholm,
Sweden
Skandiateatern,
Norrköping,
Sweden
TRHS
Skandiateatern,
Sweden
Party
1999
Komediteatern,
USA/Canada tour
2003
2002-11
Hep to the Jive
Stockholm,
Spirit of Swing
2003-06-16
TRHS
Sweden
HHS
[12]
1998
Sweden
1990
TRHS
Come to
Södra Teatern,
Broadway
Stockholm,
Sweden
(Incomplete)
Other performances
Date
Dance Co.
Production
Location
179
2004
HHS
Herräng Swing
Europe tour
Bus
2003-01
HHS
Bugle Call Rag
Century Ballroom,
1996
TRHS
KappAhl Clothes Candela[3]
1991
TRHS
Arla Milk
ben (milk gives
Seattle, Wash-
strong bones/
ington
2002
TRHS
Herräng Swing
[3]
Europe tour
Bus
2001
TRHS
Herräng Swing
Europe tour
Bus
(Incomplete)
legs)
Awards
Date
Dance Co.
Award
Location
1996
TRHS
Winner of the
Munich, Germany
Frankie Award
for Everlasting
Commercials
Work to Preserve
Date
Dance Co.
Organization
1997
TRHS
KappAhl Clothes Stepp in (tap
and Spread the
Commercial
African-American
Dance Culture
[3]
dance in)
1996
TRHS
KappAhl Clothes Julfilmen (the
Christmas
[3]
movie)
180
Mjölk ger starka
1994
TRHS
Winners of the
Beverly Hills, Cali-
Feather Award for fornia, USA
Most Outstanding
1992
TRHS
Global Swing
Hop in the
Dancers
studio with
Winner of
Apollo Theater,
Lindy Hop
Amateur Night
Harlem, New York,
dancers from
USA
the world's
largest swing
Mass media
dance camp
in Herräng.)
News and documentaries
Date
Dance Co.
Channel
Program
Description
2007-07-02
HHS
SVT1
Gomorron
"Lindy Hop
Sverige
i studion
07:45
Interview and
performance
with Daniel
Heedman &
med Lindy
Åsa Palm.
Hop-dansare
från världens
största
swingdansläger
i
Herräng." (Lindy
(11:20)
2007-07-01
19:30
HHS
SVT1
Rapport
"Dansfestival i
Herräng i fem
veckor." (Five
week dance
festival in
181
Herräng.)
Hop camp
Herräng Dance
attracts people
Camp cele-
from the
brates 25
entire world.)
years. Inter-
Interview with
view with
dancers from
Lennart West-
around the
erland plus
world at the
dancers
Herräng Dance
from around
Camp.
the world.
2005-07-03
Reporter:
21:00
Therese
2005-12-31
Herräng Dance
Andersson.
17:00 (rerun)
Camp by
(2:30)
2006-07-22
08:59
182
HHS
TV4
HHS
SVT1, SVT
Swingen
Documen-
Europa
anfaller
tary of the
Svante Grund-
Nyhetsmorgon "Lindy Hop-
berg and Jan
lördag
läger lockar
M. Forsell.
folk från hela
Features
världen." (Lindy
Frankie
Manning,
(Lindy Hop
and Jenny
Fayard
is the life!)
Deurell
Nicholas,
from Stock-
Sugar Sullivan,
holm are
Dawn
in Tierp to
Hampton,
teach 4th
Chazz Young,
and 5th
Steven
graders to
Mitchell,
dance Lindy
Chester Whit-
Hop.
more and the
Harlem Hot
Shots. (60:00)
(Incomplete)
Trivia
• Hanna Zetterman grew up in Herräng, the home of
the Herräng Dance Camp. One year she decided to
Articles
Date
(Incomplete)
find out why so many strange people invaded her
Dance Co.
2006-03-30HHS
Newspaper Title
Author
Description
Arbetar-
Lindy hop
Catharina
Mattias
bladet
är livet!
Nilsson
Lundmark
home town each summer for the dance camp. She has
continued to dance since that time.
183
• Fatima Teffahi is the first member of the Hot Shots
whose specialty, tap dance, is not a partner dance.
• The tallest member of the Harlem Hot Shots, Sakarias
Larsson (188 cm), dances with the shortest member,
Frida Segerdahl.
• In 2005, Sakarias Larsson and Hanna Zetterman were
• For the 2005 Floor Filler TV show, the competition
was judged by the BouncE Streetdance Company,
a dance group formed by David Dalmo and other
dancers in 1997. Lindy Hop was the second dance
featured on Floor Filler and was taught by David
Dalmo and Åsa Rickardsson. Not surprisingly,
chosen to appear in the first run of Floor Filler, a
Sakarias and his partner won the Lindy Hop compe-
be Sweden's most popular dancer. Mattias Lundmark
from the show that week.
Swedish reality TV show with dancers competing to
also auditioned but was not chosen as one of the
final 24 contestants. Hanna decided to drop out of
the show before the first program since the contestants were required to live in a building in down-
town Stockholm 24/7 and she instead preferred to
continue her education. Sakarias remained in the
program for a little longer than four weeks before
being eliminated.
184
tition and gained immunity from being eliminated
• Members of the Harlem Hot Shots (Frida Segerdahl,
Sakarias Larsson, Hanna Zetterman, Mattias Lundmark, Åsa Palm, Daniel Heedman) appeared in the
finals of Talang 2007, a Swedish televised talent
contest. They revealed during the final episode of
Talang 2007 that Hanna and Mattias plus Åsa and
Daniel were couples.
[13]
References
1.
^
a b c d e f g h
6.
^
a b c
Herräng Dance Camp: Teachers: Lennart Westerlund.
3.
^
a b c d e f g h
Jansson, Eddie (2000). Eva Lagerqvist & Eddie
7.
5.
University Press, 225. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. “In 1982, they [Larry
Schultz and Sandra Cameron] had hired Al Minns ... to teach at
the Sandra Cameron Dance Center, which, to my knowledge, was
the first time that a dance studio brought in one of the original
Savoy Lindy hoppers as a teacher.” ^
a b
"Swing City". City Arts. 1999-01-22. No. 2, season 4. Tran-
script.
8.
^ Demenkova, Elina; Lennart Westerlund, Andrew Winton (2000).
New Steppes For Russia: The Story of The Rhythm Hot Shots
first trip to the heart of the former Soviet Union.. Swing Time.
2007-06-25.
^ Larry Schultz. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
Manning, Frankie; Cynthia R Millman (2007). "14:
phia, PA: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-563-3. Jansson. Archived from the original on 2001-05-21. Retrieved on
4.
a b c d e
Revival", Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop. Philadel-
Björnström, Ulrika (May 1998). "På korståg för Lindy
Hop" (in Swedish). Swingtime 19: 10-14. 2.
^
9.
^ "Svensk varumärkestidning" (PDF), Patent- och
registreringsverket, 2005, pp. 161. 1/2005. Retrieved on
2007-06-25. (Swedish) 10. ^ Fellers, Jessica. "Jass eller jazz ...?" (in Swedish). Swingtime 23:
15. 11. ^ Larsson, Sakarias (2005-02-10). Nystart- Savoy, Zackes, Jesses
(Swedish). [email protected] mailing list. Retrieved on
2005-02-10. “Kalla den Jesses, Zackes, Savoy eller vad ni vill men
faktum ar att vi nu äntligen flyttar in i vâr nya lokal.”
185
12. ^ The Harlem Hot Shots. lindypendent.com (2003). Archived from
the original on 2003-06-01. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
13. ^ Talang 2007: Finals. TV4. 2007-06-01. No. 8, season 1.
See also
• Herräng Dance Camp
External links
• The Rhythm Hot Shots
• Harlem Hot Shots
• Herräng Dance Camp
• Chicago Swing Dance Studio
• Swing City 2001
• Swedish Swing Society
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Shots_
%28dance_companies%29"
186
187
188
Ragtime is an American musical genre which enjoyed
its peak popularity between 1899 and 1918. It has had
several periods of revival since then and is still being
composed today. Ragtime was the first truly Amer[1]
ican musical genre, predating jazz . It began as dance
music in popular music settings years before being
published as popular sheet music for piano. Being a
modification of the then popular march, it was usually
written in 2/4 or 4/4 time (meter) with a predominant
left hand pattern of bass notes on odd-numbered beats
and chords on even-numbered beats accompanying a
syncopated melody in the right hand. A composition in
this style is called a "rag". A rag written in 3/4 time is a
"ragtime waltz".
Ragtime is not a "time" (meter) in the same sense that
march time is 2/4 meter and waltz time is 3/4 meter;
Second edition cover of "Maple Leaf
Rag", perhaps the most famous rag of all
it is rather a musical genre that uses an effect that can
be applied to any meter. The defining characteristic
189
Ragtime
Ragtime
of ragtime music is a specific type of syncopation in
According to the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz the
This results in a melody that seems to be avoiding
later became corrupted to "ragtime".
which melodic accents occur between metrical beats.
some metrical beats of the accompaniment by emphasizing notes that either anticipate or follow the beat.
The ultimate (and intended) effect on the listener
is actually to accentuate the beat, thereby inducing
the listener to move to the music. Scott Joplin, the
composer/pianist known as the "King of Ragtime",
called the effect "weird and intoxicating". He also used
the term "swing" in describing how to play ragtime
music: "Play slowly until you catch the swing...".
[2]
The
name swing later came to be applied to an early genre
of jazz that developed from ragtime. Converting a nonragtime piece of music into ragtime by changing the
time values of melody notes is known as "ragging" the
piece. Original ragtime pieces usually contain several
distinct themes, four being the most common number.
190
musical form was originally called "ragged time" which
Ragtime
Historical context
Ragtime originated in African American musical
communities, in the late 19th century, and descended
from the jigs and marches played by all-black bands
common in all Northern cities with black populations
(van der Merwe 1989, p.63). By the start of the 20th
century it became widely popular throughout North
America and was listened and danced to, performed,
and written by people of many different subcultures.
A distinctly American musical style, ragtime may be
considered a synthesis of African-American syncopa-
tion and European classical music, though this description is oversimplified.
Shoe Tickler Rag, cover of the music sheet
for a song from 1911 by Wilbur Campbell
191
tive the cakewalk. In 1895, black entertainer Ernest
Hogan published two of the earliest sheet music rags,
one of which ("All Coons Look Alike to Me") eventually
sold a million copies.
[3]
As fellow Black musician Tom
Fletcher said, Hogan was the "first to put on paper the
kind of rhythm that was being played by non-reading
musicians."
[4]
While the song's success helped introduce
the country to ragtime rhythms, its use of racial slurs
created a number of derogatory imitation tunes, known
as "coon songs" because of their use of extremely racist
and stereotypical images of blacks. In Hogan's later
years he admitted shame and a sense of "race betrayal"
for the song while also expressing pride in helping
Joseph Lamb's 1916 "The Top Liner Rag", a classic rag.
Some early piano rags are entitled marches, and "jig"
and "rag" were used interchangeably in the mid-1890s
(ibid.) and ragtime was also preceded by its close rela192
bring ragtime to a larger audience.
[5]
The emergence of mature ragtime is usually dated
to 1897, the year in which several important early
rags were published. In 1899, Scott Joplin's Maple
Leaf Rag was published, which became a great hit and
Ragtime
demonstrated more depth and sophistication than
also distributed via piano rolls for player pianos. A
ences on the early development of jazz (along with the
the period of classical ragtime (a designation largely
earlier ragtime. Ragtime was one of the main influ-
blues). Some artists, like Jelly Roll Morton, were present
and performed both ragtime and jazz styles during
the period the two genres overlapped. Jazz largely
surpassed ragtime in mainstream popularity in the
early 1920s, although ragtime compositions continue
to be written up to the present, and periodic revivals of
popular interest in ragtime occurred in the 1950s and
the 1970s.
Some authorities consider ragtime to be a form of
classical music. The heyday of ragtime predated the
widespread availability of sound recording. Like classical music, and unlike jazz, classical ragtime was
and is primarily a written tradition, being distributed
in sheet music rather than through recordings or by
imitation of live performances. Ragtime music was
folk ragtime tradition also existed before and during
created by Scott Joplin's publisher John Stark), manifesting itself mostly through string bands, banjo and
mandolin clubs (which experienced a burst of popularity during the early 20th Century), and the like.
A form known as novelty piano (or novelty ragtime)
emerged as the traditional rag was fading in popu-
larity. Where traditional ragtime depended on amateur
pianists and sheet music sales, the novelty rag took
advantage of new advances in piano-roll technology
and the phonograph record to permit a more complex,
pyrotechnic, performance-oriented style of rag to be
heard. Chief among the novelty rag composers is Zez
Confrey, whose "Kitten on the Keys" popularized the
style in 1921.
193
Ragtime also served as the roots for stride piano, a
Styles of ragtime
and 1930s. Elements of ragtime found their way into
piece. Ragtime pieces came in a number of different
more improvisational piano style popular in the 1920s
much of the American popular music of the early 20th
century.
Zez Confrey's "Dizzy Fingers", a 1923 novelty piano
styles during the years of its popularity and appeared
under a number of different descriptive names. It is
Although most ragtime was composed for piano, tran-
related to several earlier styles of music, has close ties
common, notably including Gunther Schuller's arrange-
few musical "fads" of the period such as the foxtrot.
inally scored for ensembles (particularly dance bands
definitions, and are defined differently by different
ambitions for a synthesis of the worlds of ragtime
that publishers often labelled pieces for the fad of the
written; but it was never performed in his lifetime. In
There is even disagreement about the term "ragtime"
in 1970; it has been performed in numerous produc-
choose to exclude ragtime songs from the definition
Honor, has been lost.
perspective), while Edward A. Berlin includes ragtime
scriptions for other instruments and ensembles are
with later styles of music, and was associated with a
ments of Joplin's rags. Occasionally ragtime was orig-
Many of the terms associated with ragtime have inexact
and brass bands), or as songs. Joplin had long-standing
experts; the definitions are muddled further by the fact
and opera, to which end the opera Treemonisha was
moment rather than the true style of the composition.
fact the score was lost for decades, then rediscovered
itself; experts such as David Jasen and Trebor Tichenor
tions since then. An earlier opera by Joplin, A Guest of
but include novelty piano and stride piano (a modern
194
Ragtime
songs and excludes the later styles (which is closer
• Two-step - A pre-ragtime dance form popular until
pianists, Eubie Blake and Mark Birnbaum among them,
• Slow drag - Another dance form associated with
to how ragtime was viewed originally). Many ragtime
include the songs and the later styles as ragtime. The
terms below should not be considered exact, but merely
an attempt to pin down the general meaning of the
concept.
• Cakewalk - A pre-ragtime dance form popular until
about 1911. A large number of rags are two-steps.
early ragtime. A modest number of rags are slow
drags.
• Coon song - A pre-ragtime vocal form popular until
about 1901. A song with crude, racist lyrics often
sung by white performers in blackface. Gradually
about 1904. The music is intended to be representa-
died out in favor of the ragtime song. Strongly asso-
the prize is a cake. Many early rags are cakewalks.
that gave ragtime a bad name.
tive of an African-American dance contest in which
• Characteristic march - A pre-ragtime dance form
ciated with ragtime in its day, it is one of the things
• Ragtime song - The vocal form of ragtime, more
popular until about 1908. A march incorporating
generic in theme than the coon song. Though this
characteristic of the race of their subject, which is
"ragtime" in its day, many people today prefer to
acteristic marches.
was the most commercially successful composer
idiomatic touches (such as syncopation) supposedly
was the form of music most commonly considered
usually African-Americans. Many early rags are char-
put it in the "popular music" category. Irving Berlin
of ragtime songs, and his "Alexander's Ragtime
Band" (1911) was the single most widely performed
195
and recorded piece of this sort, even though it
contains virtually no ragtime syncopation. Gene
Greene was a famous singer in this style.
• Folk ragtime - A name often used to describe ragtime
that originated from small towns or assembled from
folk strains, or at least sounded as if they did. Folk
rags often have unusual chromatic features typical of
composers with non-standard training.
• Classic rag - A name used to describe the Missouristyle ragtime popularized by Scott Joplin, James
Scott, and others.
• Fox-trot - A dance fad which began in 1913. Fox-
trots contain a dotted-note rhythm different from
that of ragtime, but which nonetheless was incorporated into many late rags.
• Novelty piano - A piano composition emphasizing
speed and complexity which emerged after World
War I. It is almost exclusively the domain of white
composers.
196
• Stride piano - A style of piano which emerged after
World War I, developed by and dominated by black
East coast pianists (James P. Johnson, Fats Waller
and Willie 'The Lion' Smith). Together with novelty
piano, it may be considered a successor to ragtime,
but is not considered by all to be "genuine" ragtime.
Johnson composed the song that is arguably most
associated with the Roaring Twenties, "Charleston." A
recording of Johnson playing the song appears on the
compact disc, James P. Johnson: Harlem Stride Piano
(Jazz Archives No. 111, EPM, Paris, 1997). Johnson's
recorded version has a ragtime flavor.
Ragtime
Ragtime revivals
In the early 1940s many jazz bands began to include
ragtime in their repertoire and put out ragtime record-
ings on 78 RPM records. Old numbers written for piano
were rescored for jazz instruments by jazz musicians,
which gave the old style a new sound. The most famous
recording of this period is Pee Wee Hunt's version of
Euday L. Bowman's Twelfth Street Rag.
A more significant revival occurred in the 1950s. A
wider variety of ragtime styles of the past were made
available on records, and new rags were composed,
published, and recorded. Much of the ragtime recorded
in this period is presented in a light-hearted novelty
style, looked to with nostalgia as the product of a
James Scott's 1904 "On the Pike", which refers to
the midway of the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904.
supposedly more innocent time. A number of popular
recordings featured "prepared pianos," playing rags
on pianos with tacks on the keys and the instrument
197
deliberately somewhat out of tune, supposedly to
Hamlisch's rendering of Joplin's 1902 rag The Enter-
Three events brought forward a different kind of
In modern times, younger musicians have again begun
brought out a compilation of Scott Joplin's work on
repertoires. Such acts include The Kitchen Syncopators,
simulate the sound of a piano in an old honky tonk.
ragtime revival in the 1970s. First, pianist Joshua Rifkin
Nonesuch Records, which was nominated for a Grammy
in the "Best Classical Performance - Instrumental
Soloist(s) without Orchestra" category
[6]
in 1971. This
recording reintroduced Joplin's music to the public
in the manner the composer had intended, not as a
nostalgic stereotype but as serious, respectable music.
Second, the New York Public Library released a twovolume set of "The Collected Works of Scott Joplin,"
which renewed interest in Joplin among musicians and
prompted new stagings of Joplin's opera Treemonisha.
Finally, with the release of the motion picture The Sting
in 1974, which had a Marvin Hamlisch soundtrack of
Joplin tunes, ragtime was brought to a wide audience.
198
tainer was a top 40 hit in 1974.
to find ragtime, and incorporate it into their musical
Inkwell Rhythm Makers, The Gallus Brothers and the
not-quite as young Baby Gramps.
Ragtime
Ragtime Composers
as belonging with this distinguished company. Other
notable ragtime composers included May Aufderheide,
Eubie Blake, George Botsford, Zez Confrey, Ben Harney,
Charles L. Johnson, Luckey Roberts, Paul Sarebresole,
Wilber Sweatman, and Tom Turpin. Modern ragtime
composers include William Bolcom, William Albright,
David Thomas Roberts, Frank French, Trebor Tichenor,
Mark Birnbaum and Reginald R. Robinson.
Quotations
"There are a great many colored people who are
ashamed of the cake-walk, but I think they ought to
Scott Joplin
be proud of it. It is my opinion that the colored people
of this country have done four things which refute
By far the most famous ragtime composer was Scott
the oft-advanced theory that they are an absolutely
with Joplin, acknowledged as the three most sophis-
inality and artistic conception, and, what is more, the
Joplin. Joseph Lamb and James Scott are, together
inferior race, which demonstrate that they have orig-
ticated ragtime composers. Some rank Artie Matthews
power of creating that which can influence and appeal
universally. The first two of these are the Uncle Remus
199
stories, collected by Joel Chandler Harris, and the
Jubilee songs, to which the Fisk singers made the public
and the skilled musicians of both America and Europe
listen. The other two are ragtime music and the cake-
walk. No one who has traveled can question the worldconquering influence of ragtime, and I do not think
References
1.
2.
it would be an exaggeration to say that in Europe the
United States is popularly known better by ragtime
than by anything else it has produced in a generation.
In Paris they call it American music."
3.
4.
Pennsylvania on about September 9, 1925
200
^ "School of Ragtime"(1908) in SCOTT JOPLIN
Collected Piano Works, Edited by Vera Brodsky
0-87104-242-8, page 284.
^ Ragging It: Getting Ragtime into History (and
Some History into Ragtime) by Loring White, iUnipage 99
^ Ragging It: Getting Ragtime into History (and
Some History into Ragtime) by Loring White, iUniverse, 2005. xiv, 419 pp. ISBN 0-595-34042-3,
• Download recording — "The Wagon" ragtime from
ragtime song sung by Ben Harney in Philadelphia,
vi.
verse, 2005. xiv, 419 pp. ISBN 0-595-34042-3,
Samples
the Library of Congress' Gordon Collection; an early
University Press, 1994, ISBN 0-19-510108-1, page
Lawrence, The New York Public Library, 1971, ISBN
James Weldon Johnson: The Autobiography of an ExColored Man, 1912.
^ King of Ragtime by Edward A. Berlin, Oxford
5.
page 100
^ Dvorak to Duke Ellington: A Conductor Explores
America's Music and Its African American Roots by
Ragtime
6.
Maurice Peress, Oxford University Press, 2003, page
• "Perfessor" Bill Edwards' Ragtime/Old-time Piano
^ Past Winner Database, "1971 14th Grammy
• Swedish Ragtime Home Page
39.
Awards." Accessed Feb. 19, 2007.
Further reading
• Berlin, E.A. (1980). Ragtime: a musical and cultural
history. University of California Press. • Blesh, R., and Janis, H. (1971). They all played
Gallery
• Ragtime history in France
• Rocky Mountain Ragtime Radio
• Elite Syncopations Radio
• Aussie Dixieland/Ragtime Radio
• Classic Ragtime Piano by Ted Tjaden
ragtime, 4th ed.. Oak Publications. • Jasen, D.A., and Tichenor, T.J. (1980). Rags and
ragtime. Dover. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragtime"
• Schafer, W.J., and Riedel, J. (1973). The art of ragtime:
form and meaning of an original black American art.
Louisiana State University Press. External links
• Origins of Rag
• Rag time Blog
201
202
Jazz developed in turn-of-the-century New Orleans
Jazz is an original American musical art form that orig-
new style incorporated blue notes, call and response,
nities in and around New Orleans.
The basic instruments of jazz were those used in
from the confluence of multiple music traditions. The
inated around the start of the 20th century in commu-
Overview
syncopation, polyrhythms and improvisation.
marching bands and dance bands: brass, reeds and
drums, played in the equal temperament 12-tone scale.
Small bands of musicians, most of whom came from
New Orleans, played a seminal role in the development
and dissemination of early jazz.
The origins of the word jazz are uncertain. The word
is rooted in American slang, and various derivations
have been suggested. Jazz was not applied to music
until about 1915. Earl Hines, born in 1903 and later to
become a celebrated "jazz" musician, used to claim that
Trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong,
a well-known jazz musician
he was "playing piano before the word "jazz" was even
invented". For the origin and history of the word jazz,
see Jazz (word).
203
Jazz
Jazz
Improvisation
to the nature of jazz. While in European classical music
elements of interpretation, ornamentation and accom-
paniment are sometimes left to the performer's discretion, the performer's primary goal is to play a compo-
sition as it was written. In jazz, however, the performer
will interpret a tune in very individual ways, never
playing the same composition exactly the same way
twice. Depending upon the performer's mood and
personal experience, interactions with fellow musiReggie Workman, Pharoah Sanders,
and Idris Muhammad, c. 1978
While jazz may be difficult to define, improvisation is
clearly one of its key elements.
Early blues was commonly structured around a repet-
itive call-and-response pattern, a common element in
folk musics. A form of folk music which rose in part
from work songs and field hollers, early blues was also
highly improvisational. These features are fundamental
204
cians, or even members of the audience, a jazz musician/performer may alter melodies, harmonies or
time signature at will. In Dixieland jazz, performers
took turns playing the melody, while others impro-
vised countermelodies. European classical music has
been said to be a composer's medium. Jazz, however,
is often characterized as the product of democratic
creativity, interaction and collaboration, placing
equal value on the contributions of composer and
Jazz
performer, 'adroitly weigh[ing] the respective claims of
the composer and the improviser'.
[1]
and free jazz idioms permit, even call for, abandoning
chords, scales, and rhythmic meters.
By the swing era, big bands were coming to rely more
When a pianist, guitarist or other chord-playing
or learned by ear and memorized (many early jazz
a soloist is playing, it is called comping (a contrac-
would improvise within these arrangements. Later, in
mode of comping that is usually restricted to a few
and minimal arrangements; the melody (known as the
the chord structure of the entire composition. Most
a piece, and the core of the performance would be the
very beginning or end of a piece, or to set up a segue. In
on arranged music — arrangements were either written
instrumentalist improvises an accompaniment while
performers could not read music). Individual soloists
tion of the word "accompanying"). "Vamping" is a
bebop the focus shifted back towards small groups
repeating chords or bars, as opposed to comping on
"head") would be stated briefly at the start and end of
often, vamping is used as a simple way to extend the
series of improvisations in the middle.
some modern jazz compositions where the underlying
Later styles of jazz such as modal jazz abandoned the
strict notion of a chord progression, allowing the individual musicians to improvise even more freely within
the context of a given scale or mode (e.g., "So What" on
the Miles Davis album Kind of Blue). The avant-garde
chords of the composition are particularly complex or
fast moving, the composer or performer may create a
set of "blowing changes," which is a simplified set of
chords better suited for comping and solo improvisation.
205
History
1890s-1910s
Shoe Tickler Rag, cover of the music sheet
for a song from 1911 by Wilbur Campbell
Jazz Baby, Cover of a 1919 American music sheet
206
The interaction between various ethnic music tradi-
tions had been a part of mainstream popular music in
Jazz
the United States for generations, going back to 19th
African dance moves, like the shimmy, the turkey trot,
melodies of (such as) Stephen Foster. Public dance
and the bunny hug were adopted by a White public. The
century minstrel show tunes and the 'European'-style
halls, clubs and tea rooms had opened in the cities. The
popular dance music of the time were blues-ragtime
styles. The music was vibrant, enthusiastic and almost
always improvised. Early Ragtime music was in the
format of marches, waltzes and other traditional song
forms but the consistent characteristic was syncopa-
tion. Syncopated notes and rhythms became so popular
with the public that sheet music publishers included
the word "syncopated" in their advertising. In 1899, a
classically trained young pianist from Missouri, Scott
Joplin, published the first of many Ragtime composi-
tions that would come to shape the music of a nation.
Bandleader Buddy Bolden's performances in New
Orleans parades and dances are an early example of
jazz-style improvisation.
[2]
Black dances, inspired by
the buzzard lope, the chicken scratch, the monkey glide
cake walk, developed by slaves as a send-up of formal
dress balls, became popular. White audiences saw these
dances in vaudeville shows. Cakewalks, Coon Songs
and the music of "Jig Bands" eventually evolved into
Ragtime c.1895. Later, Tin Pan Alley composers like
Irving Berlin began to incorporate ragtime into their
compositions.
The rapid growth of public schooling in the post-
bellum produced more formally trained musicians.
For example, Lorenzo Tio, Scott Joplin and many
other important figures in the early jazz period were
schooled in classical musical forms. Joplin, the son
of a former slave and a free-born woman of color,
was largely self-taught until age 11, when he received
lessons in the fundamentals of music theory. Musi-
207
cians with formal music skills helped to preserve and
disseminate the essentially improvisational musical
styles of jazz.
Dixieland/New Orleans Jazz
On The Mississippi, music sheet cover for a 1912 song
A number of regional styles contributed to the devel-
opment of jazz. In the New Orleans area an early style
208
Jazz
of jazz called "Dixieland" developed. New Orleans
a trombonist who refined the style and Papa Jack Laine
to the slave population, New Orleans also had North
South Carolina, Reverend Daniel J. Jenkins, an African-
had long been a regional music center. In addition
America's largest community of free people of color.
The New Orleans style used more intricate rhythmic
improvisation than ragtime, and incorporated "blues"
style elements, including "bent" and "blue" notes and
began using European instruments in novel ways.
The band most often credited with starting the "jazz
revolution" was the Original Dixieland Jass Band who,
arguably, made the first recordings of jass/jazz in April
of 1917: in mid 1917 the band re-spelled "Jass" as
"Jazz."
who led a multi-ethnic band. In 1891 in Charleston,
American minister, established the Jenkins Orphanage
which produced a variety of orphanage bands and
Louis Armstrong came out of The New Orleans Home
for Colored Waifs. The orphanage bands were trained
to perform popular and religious music and members
such as William "Cat" Anderson, Gus Aiken and Jabbo
Smith went on to play with jazz bandleaders like Duke
Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Count Basie. Along the
Mississippi from Memphis, Tennessee to St. Louis,
Missouri, the "Father of the Blues," W.C. Handy popu-
Key figures in the development of the new style were
larized a less improvisation-based approach, in which
blues tunes for brass instruments and improvised. Also
phrases.
trumpeter Buddy Bolden and his band, who arranged
improvisation was limited to short "fills" between
Freddie Keppard, who was influenced by Bolden, Joe
Oliver whose style was bluesier than Bolden's, Kid Ory,
209
rhythms, without the bluesy influence of the southern
styles. The music had collective improvised solos,
around a melodic structure, that ideally built to a
climax, supported by a rhythm section of drums, bass,
banjo or guitar. The solo piano version of the north-
east style was typified by Eubie Blake's "Stride" piano
playing, in which the right hand plays the melody, while
the left hand provides the rhythm and bassline. 'Stride'
was developed further by James P. Johnson who was
then to influence later pianists like Fats Waller and
Willie "The Lion" Smith. The new inventions of recordings and radio spread the "Hot" new sound across the
country.
That's How Dixie Was born, music
sheet cover for a 1936 song
In the northeastern United States, a "hot" style of
playing ragtime developed, characterized by rollicking
210
In Chicago in the early 1910s, saxophones vigor-
ously "ragged" a melody over a dance band rhythm
section, blending New Orleans styles and creating a
new "Chicago Jazz" sound. Chicago was the breeding
ground for many young, inventive players. Charac-
Jazz
terized by harmonic, innovative arrangements and
With Prohibition, the constitutional amendment that
Jazz significantly furthered the improvised music
emerged as nightlife settings, and many early jazz
a high technical ability of the players, Chicago Style
of its day. Contributions from dynamic players like
Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Eddie Condon, Bix Beider-
becke and Bud Freeman helped to pioneer jazz from its
infancy and inspire those who followed.
1920s
forbade the sale of alcoholic beverages, speakeasies
artists played in them. The invention of the phono-
graph record and the rise of popularity in radio helped
the proliferation of jazz as well. Radio stations helped
to popularize Jazz, which became associated with
sophistication and decadence that helped to earn the
era the nickname of the "Jazz Age." In the early 1920s,
popular music was still a mixture of things: current
dance songs, novelty songs, and show tunes.
The King & Carter Jazzing Orchestra
photographed in Houston, Texas, January 1921.
211
Haring, Ben Selvin, Earl Burtnett, Gus Arnheim, Rudy
Vallee, Jean Goldkette, Isham Jones, Roger Wolfe Kahn,
Sam Lanin, Vincent Lopez, Ben Pollack and Fred Waring.
1930s
Swing
Paul Whiteman and his orchestra in 1929. Paul
Whiteman was a popular orchestra leader
Paul Whiteman, the self-proclaimed "King of Jazz," was
a popular band cheerleader of the 1920s who hired
Bix Beiderbecke and other white jazz musicians and
combined jazz with elaborate orchestrations. Whiteman
commissioned Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which
was debuted by Whiteman's Orchestra. Ted Lewis
was another popular bandleader. Some of the other
bandleaders included: Harry Reser, Leo Reisman, Abe
Lyman, Nat Shilkret, George Olsen, Ben Bernie, Bob
212
The 1930s belonged to Swing - and to the radio and
dancing. During what many regard as jazz's classic era
the popular bands became larger in size - Big Bands
– and the solo became more important in jazz, with
the soloists sometimes as famous as their leaders.
Key figures in developing the "big" jazz band were
bandleaders and arrangers Count Basie, Cab Calloway,
Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, Jimmie
Lunceford, Jay McShann, Walter Page, Don Redman and
Chick Webb. Other Big Bands, such as Artie Shaw's,
Tommy Dorsey's and Benny Goodman's "Orchestra",
were highly jazz oriented while others, such as, later,
Jazz
Glenn Miller's, left less space for improvisation. Swing
can be seen in bandleaders like Cab Calloway, trum-
tion to the people - and it was broadcast 'live' coast-
who were influenced by Armstrong's style of impro-
was also dance music - hence its immediate connec-
to-coast nightly across America for many years, most
famously by The Earl Hines Band from Al Capone's
Grand Terrace Cafe in Chicago, well-positioned for the
'live coast-to-coast' time-zone broadcasting problem.
Although it was a collective sound, swing also offered
individual musicians a chance to 'solo' and improvise
melodic, thematic solos which could at times be very
complex and 'important' music.
Over time, social strictures regarding racial segre-
gation began to relax, and white bandleaders began
to recruit black musicians. In the mid-1930s, Benny
Goodman hired pianist Teddy Wilson, vibraphonist
Lionel Hampton, and guitarist Charlie Christian to join
small groups. During this period, swing and big band
music were popular. The influence of Louis Armstrong
peter Dizzy Gillespie, and vocalists like Bing Crosby,
vising. The style further spread to vocalists such as Ella
Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday; later, Frank Sinatra and
Sarah Vaughan, among others, would jump on the scat
bandwagon.
An early 1940s style known as "jumping the blues"
or jump music used small combos, up-tempo music,
and blues chord progressions. Jump blues drew on
boogie-woogie from the 1930s, with the rhythm section
playing "eight to the bar," (eight beats per measure
instead of four). Big Joe Turner became a boogie-
woogie star in the 1940s, and then in the 1950s was
an early rock and roll musician. (Also see saxophonist
Louis Jordan). The mid 1990s saw a revival of Swing
music fueled by the retro trends in dance.
213
Kansas City Jazz
Jay McShann's] and small ensemble Swing, arrange-
ments often showcased highly energetic solos played
to "speakeasy" audiences. Alto sax pioneer Charlie
Parker hailed from Kansas City via Jay McShann's Big
Band. Tom Pendergast encouraged the development of
night clubs featuring musical improvisation. In 1936,
the Kansas city era waned when producer John H.
Hammond began sending Kansas City acts to New York
City.
European Jazz
Memorial to Charlie Parker at the American
Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine in Kansas City
See Also: Continental jazz
Kansas City Jazz in the 1930s marked the transi-
Outside of the United States the beginnings of a
1940s. During the Depression and Prohibition eras,
this came mostly in France with the Quintette du Hot
tion from big bands to the bebop influence of the
the Kansas City Jazz scene thrived as a mecca for the
modern sounds of late 1920s and 30s. Characterized
by soulful and bluesy stylings of Big Band [in particular
214
distinctly European jazz started emerging. At first
Club de France being among the first non-US bands
of significance to jazz history. The playing of Django
Reinhardt in particular would be important to the rise
Jazz
of gypsy jazz, which is one of the earliest genres to
start outside the US.
Originated by Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt,
Gypsy Jazz is an unlikely mix of 1930s American swing,
French dance hall "musette" and the folk strains of
Eastern Europe. Also known as Jazz Manouche, it
has a languid, seductive feel characterized by quirky
cadences and driving rhythms. The main instruments
are steel stringed guitar (particularly those of the
Selmer Maccaferri line), violin, and upright bass. Solos
pass from one player to another as the other guitars
assume the rhythm. While primarily a nostalgic style
set in European bars and small venues, Gypsy Jazz is
appreciated world wide, and continues to thrive and
grow in the music of artists such as Biréli Lagrène.
1940s
Bebop
See also List of bebop musicians
In the mid-1940s bebop performers such as saxo-
phonist Charlie Parker, pianist Bud Powell and trum-
peter Dizzy Gillespie helped to shift jazz from danceable popular music towards a more challenging
"musician's music." Differing greatly from swing, early
bebop divorced itself from dance music, establishing
itself more as an art form but lessening its potential
popular and commercial value. Other bebop musicians
included pianist Thelonious Monk, drummer Kenny
Clarke, trumpeters Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro,
saxophonists Wardell Gray and Sonny Stitt, bassist Ray
Brown, drummer Max Roach, guitarist Charlie Christian
and vocalist Betty Carter.
Beboppers borrowed from the innovations of key
earlier musicians – in particular Coleman Hawkins,
215
Earl Hines, Art Tatum and Lester Young – and carried
These divergences from the jazz mainstream of the
of chromaticism and dissonance into jazz. Where
response among fans and fellow musicians. (Louis
their ideas several steps further, introducing new forms
many earlier styles of jazz improvisation kept close
to the basic key and melodic line of the piece, bebop
soloists engaged in a more abstracted form of chordbased improvisation. This often involved the use of
"passing" (i.e. additional) chords, substitute chords, and
altered chords which stepped outside of the basic key
of the piece. Notes usually thought of as temporary
dissonances in earlier jazz were used by the boppers
as key melody notes – for instance, the flatted fifth (or
augmented fourth) of the scale. The style of drumming
time initially met with a divided, sometimes hostile
Armstrong, for instance, condemned bebop as "Chinese
music.") But it was not long before bebop's influence
was felt throughout jazz: older big-band leaders like
Woody Herman (extensively) and Benny Goodman
(briefly) experimented with the style. By the 1950s
bebop had become an accepted part of the jazz vocabulary, and it has come to form the bedrock of modern
jazz practice.
1950s
shifted too, from the earlier four-to-the-bar bass-
Hard Bop
the ride cymbal was used to keep time while the snare
See also List of Hard bop musicians
drum pulse to a more elusive and explosive style where
and bass drum were used for unpredictable accents.
Hard bop is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music
that incorporates influences from rhythm and blues,
gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone
216
Jazz
and piano playing. Hard bop was developed in the
According to Nat Hentoff in his 1957 liner notes for the
jazz that became popular in the early 1950s. It is in
bop" was originated by critic-pianist John Mehegan,
mid-1950s, partly in response to the vogue for cool
part intended to be more accessible to audiences unfamiliar with or not fond of bop. Hard bop brought the
church and gospel music back into jazz.
The hard bop style coalesced in 1953 and 1954, paralleling the rise of rhythm and blues. The performance
by Miles Davis of his composition "Walkin'," the title
track of his album of the same year, at the very first
Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, announced the style
to the jazz world. The quintet by Art Blakey featured
pianist Horace Silver and trumpeter Clifford Brown, all
of whom would be leaders in the hard bop movement
Blakey Columbia LP of the same name, the phrase "hard
jazz reviewer of the New York Herald Tribune at that
time. Soul jazz developed from hard bop.
Other musicians who contributed prominently to the
hard bop style include Cannonball Adderley, Donald
Byrd, Sonny Clark, John Coltrane, Lou Donaldson,
Kenny Drew, Benny Golson, Dexter Gordon, Joe
Henderson, Andrew Hill, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie
McLean, Charles Mingus, Blue Mitchell, Hank Mobley,
Thelonious Monk, Lee Morgan, and Sonny Rollins.
Free jazz and avant-garde jazz
along with Davis.
The hard bop style enjoyed its greatest popularity
in the 1950s and 1960s, but hard bop performers,
and elements of the music, remain popular in jazz.
217
Free jazz and avant-garde jazz, are two partially over-
lapping subgenres that, while rooted in bebop, typically
use less compositional material and allow performers
more latitude. Free jazz uses implied or loose harmony
and tempo, which was deemed controversial when this
approach was first developed.
Early performances of these styles go back as early as
the late 40s and early 50s: Lennie Tristano's Intuition
and Digression (1949) and Descent into the Maelstrom
(1953) are often credited as anticipations of the later
free jazz movement, though they seem not to have had
a direct influence on it. The bassist Charles Mingus
is also frequently associated with the avant-garde in
jazz, although his compositions draw off a myriad of
styles and genres. The first major stirrings of what free
jazz came in the 1950s, with the early work of Ornette
Peter Brötzmann 2006
218
Coleman and Cecil Taylor. In the 1960s, performers
included John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler,
Jazz
Sun Ra, Makanda Ken McIntyre, Pharoah Sanders, Sam
Rivers, Don Pullen, Dewey Redman and others. Peter
Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark, William Parker, Derek
Bailey and Evan Parker are leading contemporary free
jazz musicians, and musicians such as Coleman, Taylor
and Sanders continue to play in this style. Keith Jarrett
has been prominent in defending free jazz from criticism by traditionalists in recent years.
Vocalese
Mainstream
Cool Jazz
See also: List of Cool jazz and West Coast jazz musicians
1960s
Latin jazz
Latin jazz has two main varieties: Afro-Cuban and
Brazilian jazz. Afro-Cuban jazz was played in the U.S.
directly after the bebop period, while Brazilian jazz
became more popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
Afro-Cuban jazz began as a movement in the mid-'50s.
Notable bebop musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie and
Billy Taylor started Afro-Cuban bands at that time.
Gillespie's work was mostly with big bands of this
genre. The music was influenced by such Cuban and
Puerto Rican musicians as Chico O'Farrill, Xavier Cugat,
Tito Puente, Mario Bauza, Chano Pozo, and much later,
Arturo Sandoval.
Brazilian jazz is synonymous
nova
[citation needed]
[disputed]
with bossa
, a Brazilian popular style which is
derived from samba with influences from jazz as well
as other 20th-century classical and popular music.
219
Bossa is generally moderately paced, played around
120 beats per minute or faster. Samba itself is actually
eighth notes, and difficult polyrhythms. A blend of
music, it shares some common characteristics.
120 beats per minute with straight, rather than swing,
West Coast Cool, European classical harmonies and
Brazilian samba rhythms, Bossa Nova or more correctly
[neutrality disputed]
"Brazilian Jazz,"
[citation needed]
reached the
United States in 1962. The subtle but hypnotic acoustic
guitar rhythms accent simple melodies sung in either
(or both) Portuguese or English. Pioneered by Brazilians'
João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim, this alternative to the 60's Hard Bop and Free Jazz styles, gained
popular exposure by West Coast players like guitarist
Charlie Byrd & saxophonist Stan Getz.
not jazz but, being derived from older Afro-Brazilian
Modal
As smaller ensemble soloists became increasingly
hungry for new improvisational directives, some
players sought to venture beyond Western adapta-
tion of major and minor scales. Drawing from medieval
church modes and other modes, which used altered
intervals between common tones, players found
new inspiration. Soloists could now free themselves
from the restrictions of dominant keys and shift the
The best-known bossa nova compositions have become
tonal centers to form new harmonics within their
tially describes an adaptation of bossa nova composi-
guitarists, as well as trumpet and sax players. Pianist
jazz standards. The related term jazz-samba essen-
playing. This became especially useful with pianists and
tions to the jazz idiom by American performers such
Bill Evans is noted for his Modal approach.
as Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd, and usually played at
220
Jazz
Soul Jazz
See also List of soul-jazz musicians
Soul jazz was a development of hard bop which incorporated strong influences from blues, gospel and
rhythm and blues in music for small groups, often
the organ trio which featured the Hammond organ.
Important soul jazz organists included Bill Doggett,
Charles Earland, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Les McCann,
"Brother" Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Lonnie Smith,
Don Patterson, Jimmy Smith and Johnny Hammond
Smith.
Tenor saxophone was also important in soul jazz;
important soul jazz tenors include Gene Ammons,
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Eddie Harris, Houston Person,
and Stanley Turrentine. Alto player Lou Donaldson was
also an important figure, as was Hank Crawford. Unlike
hard bop, soul jazz generally emphasized repetitive
grooves and melodic hooks, and improvisations were
often less complex than in other jazz styles.
A well-known soul jazz recording is Ramsey Lewis's
"The In Crowd," a major hit from 1965. Soul jazz was
developed in the late 1950s, and was perhaps most
popular in the early 1970s, though many soul jazz
performers, and elements of the music, remain popular.
Although the term "soul jazz" contains the word "soul,"
soul jazz is only a distant cousin to Soul music, in that
soul developed from gospel and blues rather than from
jazz.
Soul jazz performers improvise over chord progressions as with Bop. However, the ensemble of musicians concentrate on a rhythmic "groove" centered
around a strong bassline, and the song often quickly
"shifts gears" to new "timefeels." Horace Silver had a
large influence on the soul jazz style, with his songs
that used funky and often Gospel-based piano vamps.
221
Soul jazz ensembles usually gave a prominent role to
the Hammond organ, and some groups, such as 1960s
organ trios, were centered around the Hammond's
sound.
1970s
The stylistic diversity of jazz has shown no sign of
diminishing, absorbing influences from such disparate
sources as world music, avant garde classical music,
and a range of rock and pop musics. Beginning in the
1970s with such artists as Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley,
the Pat Metheny Group, Jan Garbarek, Ralph Towner,
and Eberhard Weber, the ECM record label established
a new chamber-music aesthetic, featuring mainly
acoustic instruments, and incorporating elements of
world music and folk music.
Jazz fusion
Bitches Brew is an influential
record in the history of jazz fusion.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s the hybrid form of
jazz-rock fusion was developed. Although jazz purists
protested the blend of jazz and rock, some of jazz'
significant innovators crossed over from the contemporary hardbop scene into fusion. Jazz fusion music
222
Jazz
often uses mixed meters, odd time signatures, synco-
version of the group featured Allan Holdsworth on
includes a number of electric instruments, such as the
the Headhunters. Guitarist Larry Coryell had a band
pation, and complex chords and harmonies, and fusion
electric guitar, electric bass, electric piano, and synthesizer keyboards.
guitar. Herbie Hancock lead a funk-infused band called
called the Eleventh House, and John McLaughlin played
with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Joe Zawinul and Wayne
Notable performers of the jazz and fusion scene
Shorter joined forces to launch Weather Report which
Herbie Hancock, drummer Tony Williams, guitarists
most successful. UK band Soft Machine influenced the
included Miles Davis, keyboardists Chick Corea and
was the longest lasting Fusion Group and perhaps the
Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin, Frank Zappa, Al Di
development of fusion in the UK.
Meola, jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, Sun Ra, Narada
Michael Walden, Wayne Shorter, and bassist-composer
Jaco Pastorius.
Miles Davis recorded the fusion albums In a Silent
Way and Bitches Brew in 1968 and 1969. Chick Corea
performed and recorded with his Return to Forever
band. Ex- Miles Davis drummer Tony Williams had
a band called Lifetime with Larry Young and John
McLaughlin which later featured Jack Bruce. A second
1980s
In the 1980s, the jazz community shrank dramatically
and split. A mainly older audience retained an interest
in traditional and "straight-ahead" jazz styles. Wynton
Marsalis strove to create music within what he believed
was the tradition, creating extensions of small and
large forms initially pioneered by such artists as Louis
Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Marsalis's work has
influenced a wide range of musicians who have been
223
dubbed the "Young Lions"; but it also attracted much
became popular. Musicians gave this music the name
his definition of jazz too narrow, or who found his own
fusion of jazz and rock. By the late 1990s smooth
criticism from musicians, critics and fans who found
recreations of earlier styles unconvincing.
Smooth jazz
"fuzak" (cf. muzak) because it was a soft, pleasant
jazz became very popular and was receiving a lot of
radio exposure. Some of the most famous saxophon-
ists of this style were Grover Washington, Jr., Kenny G
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, jazz fusion gradually
and Najee and many imitators. Kenny G’s music and
or "smooth jazz" (see paragraph below). Although pop
during the 1980s and 1990s. Not only is smooth jazz
and garnered significant radio airplay, this lighter form
in airports, banks, offices, auditoriums and arenas
tions. But into the 1990s and 2000s, some fusion bands
Acid Jazz and Nu Jazz
turned into a lighter commercial form called pop fusion
smooth jazz in general defined a large segment of jazz
fusion and smooth jazz were commercially successful
played on the radio and in jazz clubs, it is also played
of fusion moved away from the style's original innova-
(Gridley).
and performers such as Tribal Tech have continued to
develop and innovate within the genre.
Smooth jazz solos were actually very stylized.
For instance, the saxophone improvisations by
Kenny G were considered "light fusion." His music
224
[3]
Styles as acid jazz which contains elements of 1970s
disco, acid swing which combines 1940s style big-band
sounds with faster, more aggressive rock-influenced
drums and electric guitar, and nu jazz which combines
Jazz
elements of jazz and modern forms of electronic dance
music.
Exponents of the "acid jazz" style which was initially
UK-based included the Brand New Heavies, Jamiro-
quai, James Taylor Quartet, Young Disciples, Incognito
and Corduroy. This was a natural outgrowth of the Rare
Groove scene in the UK that had begun as an alternative to the prevalent Acid House parties of the 1980s.
Halfway between the driving beat of house music and
the Soul Jazz and Funk related sounds of Rare Groove
was Acid Jazz. In the United States, acid jazz groups
included the Groove Collective, Soulive, and Solsonics.
In a more pop or smooth jazz context, jazz enjoyed
a resurgence in the 1980s with such bands as Pigbag,
Matt Bianco and Curiosity Killed the Cat achieving chart
hits in Britain. Improvisation is also largely absent,
giving argument whether the term "Jazz" can truly
apply.
Funk-based improvisation
Jean-Paul Bourelly and M-Base argue that rhythm is the
key for further progress in the music; they believe that
the rhythmic innovations of James Brown and other
Funk pioneers can provide an effective rhythmic base
for spontaneous composition. These musicians playing
over a funk groove and extend the rhythmic ideas in a
way analogous to what had been done with harmony in
previous decades, an approach M-Base calls Rhythmic
Harmony.
Jazz rap
The late 80s saw a development of a fusion between
jazz and hip-hop, called Jazz rap. Though some claim
the proto-hip hop, jazzy poet Gil Scott-Heron the
beginning of jazz rap, the genre arose in 1988 with the
release of the debut singles by Gang Starr ("Words I
Manifest," which samples Miles Davis) and Stetsasonic
225
("Talkin' All That Jazz," which samples Lonnie Liston
Smith). One year later, Gang Starr's debut LP, No More
Mr. Nice Guy and their work on the soundtrack to
Mo' Better Blues, and De La Soul's debut 3 Feet High
and Rising have proven remarkably influential in the
genre's development. De La Soul's cohorts in the Native
Tongues Posse also released important jazzy albums,
including the Jungle Brothers' debut Straight Out the
Jungle (1988) and A Tribe Called Quest's debut, People's
Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990).
Guru continued the jazz rap trend with the critically
acclaimed Jazzmatazz series beginning in 1993, in
which modern day jazz musicians were brought into
the studio.
1990s
Electronica
With the rise in popularity of various forms of elec-
tronic music during the late 1980s and 1990s, some
artists have attempted a fusion of jazz with more
of the experimental leanings of electronica (particu-
larly IDM and Drum and bass) with various degrees of
success. This has been variously dubbed "future jazz,"
"jazz-house," "nu jazz," or "Junglebop." It is some-
times not considered to be jazz because although the
harmony and instrumentation are influenced by jazz,
improvisational aspects are often absent.
The more experimental and improvisational end of the
spectrum includes Scandinavian artists such as pianist
Bugge Wesseltoft, trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær (both
of whom began their careers on the ECM record label),
the trio Wibutee, and Django Bates, all of whom have
gained respect as instrumentalists in more traditional
jazz circles.
226
Jazz
The Cinematic Orchestra from the UK and Julien
Lourau from France have also received praise in this
area. Toward the more pop or pure dance music end
of the spectrum of nu jazz are such proponents as
St Germain, and Jazzanova, who incorporate some
live jazz playing with more metronomic house beats.
Matthew Herbert, Aphex Twin, Björk, Amon Tobin,
Squarepusher and Portishead are also notable as avantgarde electronica artists who have incorporated jazz
influences into their music.
2000s
In the 2000s, "jazz" hit the pop charts and blended
with contemporary Urban music through the work of
neo-soul artists like Norah Jones and Amy Winehouse
and the jazz advocacy of performer-music educators
such as Jools Holland, Courtney Pine and Peter Cincotti.
A debate has arisen as to whether the music of these
performers can be called jazz or not (see below). Pop
singer Christina Aguilera recorded a jazz-based album
titled Back to Basics in 2006.
Commercial prospects of jazz in recent years
National Public Radio's Jazz Profiles reported on isses
of jazz success and challenges as a commercially
viable genre.
[4]
Jazz record sales increased both in real
[5]
numbers and as a percentage of all CD sales, in 2003.
Debates over definition of "jazz"
As the term "jazz" has long been used for a wide
variety of styles, a comprehensive definition including
all varieties is elusive. While some enthusiasts of
certain types of jazz have argued for narrower defi-
nitions which exclude many other types of music also
commonly known as jazz, jazz musicians themselves
are often reluctant to define the music they play. Duke
Ellington summed it up by saying, "It's all music." Some
227
critics have even stated that Ellington's music was
new influences has been initially criticized as “radical”
to them, jazz cannot be orchestrated. On the other
the “ability to absorb and transform influences” from
not in fact jazz, as by its very definition, according
hand Ellington's friend Earl Hines's 20 solo "transformative versions" of Ellington compositions (on "Earl
Hines Plays Duke Ellington" recorded in the 1970s)
were described by Ben Ratliff, the "New York Times"
jazz critic, as "as good an example of the jazz process
[6]
as anything out there"
There have long been debates in the jazz commu-
nity over the boundaries or definition of “jazz.” In
the mid-1930s, New Orleans jazz lovers criticized the
"innovations" of the swing era as being contrary to
the collective improvisation they saw as essential to
"true" jazz. From the 1940s and 1960s, traditional jazz
enthusiasts and Hard Bop criticized each other, often
arguing that the other style was somehow not "real"
jazz. Although alteration or transformation of jazz by
228
or a “debasement,” Andrew Gilbert argues that jazz has
[7]
diverse musical styles .
Commercially-oriented or popular music-influenced
forms of jazz have long been criticized. Traditional
jazz enthusiasts have dismissed the 1970s jazz fusion
era as a period of commercial debasement. However,
according to Bruce Johnson, jazz music has always had
a "tension between jazz as a commercial music and an
art form"
[8]
.
Gilbert notes that as the notion of a canon of traditional jazz is developing, the “achievements of the
past” may be become "...privileged over the idiosyncratic creativity...” and innovation of current artists.
Village Voice jazz critic Gary Giddins argues that as
the creation and dissemination of jazz is becoming
increasingly institutionalized and dominated by major
Jazz
entertainment firms, jazz is facing a "...perilous future
recent albums of Jamie Cullum, James Blunt and Joss
Ake warns that the creation of “norms” in jazz and
are increasingly programming a wide range of genres,
of respectability and disinterested acceptance." David
the establishment of a “jazz tradition” may exclude or
[8]
sideline other newer, avant-garde forms of jazz .
One way to get around the definitional problems is
to define the term “jazz” more broadly. According to
Krin Gabbard “jazz is a construct” or category that,
while artificial, still is useful to designate “a number
of musics with enough in common part of a coherent
tradition”. Travis Jackson also defines jazz in a broader
way by stating that it is music that includes qualities
such as “ 'swinging', improvising, group interaction,
developing an 'individual voice', and being 'open' to
[8]
different musical possibilities” .
Where to draw the boundaries of "jazz" is the subject of
debate among music critics, scholars, and fans. Music
that is a mixture of jazz and pop music, such as the
Stone have been called "jazz" performers. Jazz festivals
including world beat music, folk, electronica, and hiphop. This trend may lead to the perception that all of
the performers at a festival are jazz artists – including
artists from non-jazz genres.
See also
Audio samples of jazz music
• Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
• American Jazz Museum
• Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame
• Cape Jazz
• Cool (aesthetic)
• European free jazz
• International Association for Jazz Education
• Jazz albums, list of
229
• Jazz at Lincoln Center
• Jazz clubs, list of
University of California Press, Ltd. London, England.
2002.
• Jazz festivals, list of
• Szwed, John F. Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to
• Jazz musicians, list of
• The History of Jazz. Thomson-Gale Books.
• Jazz institutions and organizations, list of
• Jazz pieces, list of
• Jazz poetry
Learning and Loving Jazz.
• Scaruffi, Piero: A History of Jazz Music 1900-2000
(Omniware, 2007)
• Jazz standard
• Chicago Jazz: A Cultural History, 1904-1930. Oxford
• Music of the United States
• (2006). Mass Appeal: The Best of Gang Starr.
• Jazzpar Prize
• Swing (genre)
• Thirty-two-bar form
Sources
• Burns, Ken & Geoffrey C. Ward. Jazz - A History of
America's Music. Alfred A. Knopf, NY USA. 2000. or:
The Jazz Film Project, Inc.
• Porter, Eric. What is this thing called Jazz? African
American Musicians as Artists, Critics and Activists.
230
University Press, Inc.
• (2005). Boplicity.
References
1.
^ Gary Giddins, Visions of Jazz: The First Century (Oxford University Press, 1998) p.70
2.
^ Although no recordings remain of his music, here is a link
where you can hear Jelly Roll Morton's recollection of Bolden's
theme song, as well as references on Bolden. Charles "Buddy"
Bolden.
Jazz
3.
^ Gridley, Mark C. Concise Guide to Jazz: Fourth Edition. New
Jersey: Pearson Education. 2004.
4.
^ http://www.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/
new_generation.html
5.
^ http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=3186
6.
^ Ratliff, Ben (2002), "The New York Times Essential Library:
Jazz": p 19. Times Books. New York. ISBN 0-8050-7068-0
7.
^ In "Jazz Inc." by Andrew Gilbert, Metro Times, December 23,
• Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame website
• Jazz at Lincoln Center website
• American Jazz Museum website
• Europe Jazz Network
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz"
1998
8.
^
a b c
In Review of The Cambridge Companion to Jazz by Peter
Elsdon, FZMw (Frankfurt Journal of Musicology) No. 6, 2003
External links
• Great Jazz Musician Biographies
• Jazz History Timeline
• Jazz - A Film by Ken Burns, PBS
• Jazz @ the Smithsonian
• Smooth Jazz Radio Links
• Piero Scaruffi's history of jazz music 1900-2000
231
232
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If you have Invariant Sections, Front-Cover Texts and
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245
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Lindy Hop - FigmenT books

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