

Charleston (dance) is danced partnered or solo, often to faster music.Shag is believed to have been the first and most popular swing dance of the original swing era The shag is still danced today by swing dance enthusiasts worldwide. It is believed that the dance originated in the Carolinas in the 1920s, later spreading across the United States during the 1930s. Collegiate Shag (or "Shag") is done primarily to uptempo swing and sometimes pre-swing jazz music (185-200+ BPM).In this form of Balboa a variety of spins, turns, dips, tricks, and even air steps are introduced. Bal-Swing evolved from Balboa when original Balboa dancers experimented with fancier variations of the dance which forced the chest to chest connection to be broken. While most dancers differentiate between pure Balboa and Bal-Swing, both are considered to be a part of the dance. Balboa is frequently danced to fast jazz (usually anything from 180 to 320 BPM), though many like a slower (170-190 BPM) tempo. Step variations generally play with the rhythm or look and feel (style) from below the knee downwards and deal with changes in direction. Pure Balboa is characterized by an upright posture with partners standing chest to chest. These dance halls usually prohibited the wild kicks of the Charleston and Lindy Hop. The earliest form of the dance (often called "Pure Balboa") evolved in the mostly conservative dance halls of southern California where space was limited and strict codes of conduct were enforced. Balboa, also known as "Bal", is an 8-count dance that is done in closed position.



These troupes toured the United States and Europe performing versions of the Lindy Hop.
#Swing dance moves for single professional#
As its popularity increased, professional troupes were formed. The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem was the home of the Lindy Hop. Because Charles Lindbergh had just made his famous solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, Shorty George is said to have replied, "the Lindy Hop." Whether it was Shorty George who coined the name is disputed by some writers, but, in any case, the name stuck. The name "Lindy Hop" is often attributed to "Shorty" George Snowden during an interaction with a newspaper writer who asked him what kind of dance they were doing. It has an emphasis on improvisation and the ability to include other steps in 8-count and 6-count rhythms. It is characterized by an 8-count basic, the "swingout", that transitions from open position through closed position and back. It is a dance of African American origin characterized by a high degree of physical vigor. Original forms dating from the 1920s and early 1930s A strong tradition of social and competitive boogie woogie and Rock 'n' Roll in Europe add these dances to their local swing dance cultures. The term "swing dancing" is often extended to include other dances that do not have certain characteristics of traditional swing dances: West Coast Swing, Carolina Shag, East Coast Swing, Hand Dancing, Jive, Rock and Roll, Modern Jive, and other dances developed during the 1940s and later. The term was famously associated with swing era band leader Cab Calloway because, as he put it, " look like a bunch of jitterbugs out there on the floor due to their fast, often bouncy movements." A "jitterbug" might prefer to dance Lindy Hop, Shag, or any of the other swing dances. It was also common to use the word to identify a kind of dancer (i.e., a swing dancer). Jitterbug is any form of swing dance, though it is often used as a synonym for the six-count derivative of Lindy Hop called "East Coast Swing". Historically, the term swing referred to the style of jazz music, which inspired the evolution of the dance. "Swing dance" was not commonly used to identify a group of dances until the latter half of the 20th century. While the majority of swing dances began in African-American communities as vernacular African-American dances, some influenced swing-era dances, like Balboa, developed outside of these communities. Today, the best-known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, which originated in Harlem in the early 1930s. Hundreds of styles of swing dancing were developed those that have survived beyond that era include Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston. Swing dance is a group of social dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s–1940s, with the origins of each dance predating the popular " swing era". Swing Dancing on Granville Street in VancouverĮvita and Michael at 2011 Catalina Swing Dance Festival
