Lindy Hop, the original Swing Dance...
It all started
at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, 1926.
It all started
at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, 1926.
| In the late 1920's in Harlem Lindy Hop was breaking out wherever people were partying... But it wasn't until after 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. |
| The history of the Lindy Hop is told in the pages of this Archive, through the biographies of the dancers and information on old filmclips. (You might try starting with Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. ) Lindy Hop became a dance craze worldwide, known as Jitterbug. It evolved into many forms, such as West Coast Swing, Rock'n'Roll, and Boogie Woogie. But the authentic style, the original style, will always be the Savoy Ballroom style from Harlem, USA. |
*Read about the
African
roots of dances like Lindy Hop