|
Swing
Swing brings forth a buoyant carefree movement. It's one of
the dances that becomes contagious.
History:
The Lindy
(Swing) picked up where Charleston left off. It had "swing-outs",
"breakaways" and "shine-steps". With the birth of "Swing" music in the mid
1930's the Lindy climbed the social ladder. In August of 1935, at the
Palomar Ballroom, bandleader Benny Goodman played a Fletcher Henderson
arrangement of "Stompin' at the Savoy". The rest, as they say, is history.
The dance craze swept the nation, and depending on where you lived, it was
the Jitterbug, the Lindy Hop or the Swing. Since those days, each successive
generation has "discovered" the fun of Swing. this most uniquely American
dance is enjoyed all over the world.
Swing is a
group of related street dances that evolved from Lindy Hop. Swing is a
partner dance, where the couple consists of a leader and follower, who
share a connection.
In the late 1920's in Harlem Lindy Hop was breaking out wherever people
were partying... But it wasn't until the opening of the Savoy Ballroom
that Lindy Hop got its name and a home. At the Savoy the Lindy Hop got
hotter and hotter, as people danced to the top Big Bands in the land.
And it got better and better, as the popular Saturday night competitions
pushed good dancers to greatness. New steps were born every day.
The styling got refined and was executed so well that the dance was a
joy to watch as well as do. When it looked like it couldn't get any
better, a young dancer named Frankie "Musclehead" Manning created the
first airsteps in 1935, and the Lindy Hop soared.
Warning - listening to swing music is addictive!!! Here are some names
to look out for at your local CD shop. You can get started with some
good, cheap compilations... Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman,
Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, Glenn Miller, Cab
Calloway, Loius Prima, Frank Sinatra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Royal Crown
Revue, Harry Connick Jnr.
Music:
Swing,
Jitterbug, Jive, Shag, Lindy Hop, etc are normally written in 2/4 or 4/4
time with the musical accents occurring on the second or second and fourth
beats of a measure. Swing includes two general rhythms: Swing Rhythm - 1, 2,
3 & 4, 5 & 6 or it's equivalent; Lindy Rhythm - 1, 2, 3 & 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 or
it's equivalent. Swing may be danced comfortably over a wide range of
tempos.
Characteristics:
A side step or a
triple step (shuffle) followed by a rock step done to lively music is the
fundamental pattern for this dance.
Teaching
Elements:
-
Basics--Turns
and position changes
-
Open Breaks--Fingertip
lead and follow; arm control
-
Maneuverability--Learn
how to move comfortably in all directions
-
Footwork--Weight
changes in rotation
-
Swing Motion and Accents--Stress
the use of beats to steps and body to music
-
Various Timings--Single,
double, and triple timing as well as Lindy timing to adjust to different
music tempos
-
Compare/Contrast--Lindy
Hop, West Coast Swing, Fox Trot
|
