Swing dancing was developed in America, and is also known as the Jitterbug. There was actually a dance scene to a song called The Jitterbug that was cut out of the movie The Wizard of Oz. One line remains in the movie where the Wicked Witch says, “I’ve sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them.” Dorothy and friends get bitten and dance themselves to exhaustion singing, “Keep away from The Jitterbug!” This dance occurred just before the flying monkeys arrive to attack the little group.
Swing dancing derived from the Lindy Hop in 1927 but was looked down upon by professional dance organizations. They called it a “fad that would not last out the winter” and the kids who danced it “victims of economic instability.” But the dance grew in popularity until the dance bureaucrats could no longer ignore it. So the organizations ended up accept this dance but on their terms.
Professional dance organizations eventually created their own version of the Lindy Hop because they were unable to conquer the Lindy Hop and in 1942 they went public with their version. They simplified the steps and combined it with the Foxtrot to make it teachable and to reduce the amount of dance floor space needed. But even though they essentially change the dance completely, they kept the names Lindy and Jitterbug because that’s what people were willing to pay for to learn.
The refined version created by the ASTD is what we call the East Coast Swing today. The terms Swing and Jitterbug were somewhat generic, so there was no need to define “East Coast Swing” until the “West Coast Swing” was developed on the West Coast (of course). Some people claim that the soul of Swing was removed when it was revised, but that is patently false. The soul of a dance is what you put into it, not the arrangement of steps. In the 1950’s the Jitterbug was all the rage whether it was danced to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, or a traditional Swing orchestra.
The East Coast Swing has a single and triple step versions and the steps usually start on the downbeat. And believe it or not, the triple step version is easier to learn because it keeps your feet moving. But whether single or triple step, remember that you are dancing history in the making.
Tony and Melanie have been dancing, teaching and developing amazing choreography for over 30 years. The operate NYC’s premier dance center If you interested in learning more history of any dances make sure you check out their website. They are now teachingdance lessons in NYC. This article, Where did the East Coast Swing come from? is available for free reprint.
Tags: Dance & fitness