Strictly Whip Dance Club strives to bring you the latest articles regarding West Coast Swing.  Since the Whip is a Texas variation of the West Coast Swing, 99.9% of the information also applies to the Whip.  Most of the information applies to partner dancing in general, and can be extrapolated to all other partner dances. 

• Lead and Connection, an exerpt from the Atlanta Swing Dancers Club Instructor Manual, by W. Kirk Richardson, Program Director, with Content and Creative Consultant Brandi Tobias

• Sketchy Guys from Musings by Richard Powers, socialdance.stanford.edu

• Jeanne's Top 10 West Coast Swing No-No's by Jeanne DeGeyter of Swing Tulsa Style Dance Club 

• What is Swing?  by Randy Atlas

• Origin of Swing Dance by Ed Cirio

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It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

by Kelly Buckwalter Casanova

For many years I have been commenting on what I believe to be a lack of swing content in Classic and Showcase routines on the West Coast Swing dance circuit. As a judge, I often make notations on my sheet and give verbal feedback regarding this trend. I feel like I am like the proverbial boiled frog who, when
thrown in boiling water jumps out and saves itself, but put in cold water that slowly heats up to boiling constantly trys to adjust to the incremental changes until it boils to death. Well, this boiled frog has resurrected and has officially jumped out of the pot.

I started dancing West Coast Swing in 1980 when most of the dances I attended were band dances and most of the people attending were over 50. Several of the Bay Swingers told me at that time they thought their dance was going to die out until they saw a group of us from the UC Berkeley Swing Club attend their
dances. At that time, David Anderson and I were teaching beginning lessons on campus and had hired our instructor, Tony Genero, to teach intermediate classes. Many of the people in those original classes, including Nick Lawrence, Art Snyder, Marla Bach (Saltztine), Alvin Low and many, many others formed a
critical mass of younger people interested in the dance who later formed The Next Generation Swing Dance Club. We started dancing to live bands playing syncopated swing music; we also danced swing to the popular music of the time, disco or hustle music.

One of the really wonderful things about West Coast Swing is its ability to morph according to the popular music of the time, while still being completely relevant to its original music. Over time, however, I believe this evolutionary benefit has created a dilemma. As popular music evolved to include funk, rap, techno and the like, so much of the dance has changed that many of us don't recognize what we see on the dance floor as West Coast Swing. In the 90"s many of us judges used a term called "Swustle" to describe what we were seeing on the competition dance floor in Showcase. These couples chose hustle music for their routine, used checks instead of anchors, and exchanged places with one another instead of using the traditional format of the leader staying in the middle of the slot allowing the follower to dance from end to end. We often penalized such couples for lack of swing content. As I recall, we never had this problem in the Classic division.

Over time, I personally felt a lot of pressure by contestants who were pushing the envelope to have a creative edge over their competitors to accept "new" choreography as swing. Since I have always tried to expand my knowledge of the dance and remain current even when not competing, I made an effort to integrate
much of the newer choreography into my definition of swing. At times, I have spoken out about what I have perceived as a lack of swing content in routines, but most of the time I was a minority voice and my scores as a result were out of line with many other judges. In an attempt to stay "current" and relevant as
a judge I am guilty of going along with the pack and accepting many routines as swing that I felt really didnt capture the essence of the dance. This dichotomy has led to a great deal of angst and frustration over the past 5-10 years.

Since I fully accept responsibility for contributing to the problem, I feel compelled to make an effort to contribute to a solution. I feel like I have betrayed my dance in order to be accepted as relevant by many of the top competitors. I am not so egotistical to think that Im a major source of the problem; I am just one of many, many cogs in the machine that has created the problem our community now faces.

Some other contributing factors are that the Country & Western community included West Coast Swing as one of their competition dances and so a huge Country influence affected the West Coast community. In addition to the music changes, competitors have been rewarded for creativity and so each year they have pushed the envelope further to please the
audience and judges. Promoters changed rules so that the Champion or Invitational dancers did not have the required swing content percentage that all the other divisions required because they wanted a "show"; the exact phrase they used to competitors was, "Anything goes."

The competitors found that entertaining the audience became more appreciated than good swing dancing, so they continued to push the envelope-many times crossing the line between good taste and good dancing into an area that I have found offensive on many levels. Personally, I find good swing dancing extremely entertaining. I would much rather watch great swing dancers (Mario Robau, Jack Carey, Annie Hirsch, Sharlot Bott, Randy & Lisa Clements, etc.) dance six count pass patterns, pushes, and basic eight count whips all night long rather than much of the sexually explicit/suggestive, acrobatic, crawling on the floor antics that I see so much of lately.

I cannot really blame the competitors as they are just responding to the positive feedback from the audience, and sometimes judging panel, for this type of behavior. In addition, television show like "So You Think You Can Dance", "Star Search", and "Dance Fever" encouraged competitors to push the envelope to
the point where I cant tell if a couple is doing West Coast Swing or some kind of contemporary Ballroom-Latin dance.

This problem has been years in the making. Many of us, including myself, sold our souls to get on TV. I remember my partner (Bob Rogers) and I deliberately choose to have me spend 60 seconds of our 90 second "Dance Fever" routine in the air performing aerials, and ripping off our "swing clothes" (my poodle skirt and
satin jackets) to reveal punk outfits so we could incorporate punk and new wave moves into our routine because we knew that would be appealing to the TV judges. The big difference was that we KNEW what we were doing was "Flash & Trash" and would never try to take that kind of garbage into a serious swing competition as at that time it would only be appropriate for exhibitions aimed at non swing dancing educated audiences.

So what is the solution? The Lindy community had a similar dilemma several years ago when "Groove" style (basically freestyle) became a major part of their competitive and social scene. The Lindy community was able (with much internal
conflict) to knit their community back together and incorporate the groove style without losing their traditional dance. I think it is a little too late for the West Coast Swing community to do the same. Instead of trying to merge the two vastly different styles, perhaps it is time for a new dance to be identified. After all, at one time the Lindy community felt that some dancers were dancing a style so far from Lindy that those dancers should have their own dance, and West Coast Swing was born.

I have heard a several names used to describe this new form, "Contemporary Club" dancing, and "Contemporary West Coast" to name two. Our Swing competitions can keep traditional Classic, Showcase, Strictly Swing, and Jack & Jill divisions and simultaneously offer this new division to people who want to dance to contemporary music using creative non-Swing choreography. Keep in mind that most of the people that would opt to dance in the new division are phenomenal Swing
dancers as well, and would be encouraged to compete in both the traditional as well as contemporary competitions. I think this type of division would best be offered at events where a precedent has already been set by offering Lindy, Salsa, and Hustle divisions along with the traditional West Coast Swing
divisions. I would be happy to continue to judge the traditional West Coast Swing divisions and am more than willing to step aside so that others who are more educated in the newer form may set the standards for that particular division.

My biggest fear is that this new form is pushing out the traditional dance so that I have nowhere, and no one to dance with. Already I find myself at a loss when a leader asks me to dance "West Coast Swing" and then proceeds to run back and forth around me, leads no six or eight count patterns, encourages 2-12 beat
extensions, and leaves me unable to dance using my basic understanding of the principles of West Coast Swing. So, perhaps we should encourage traditional dancers to keep their dance alive and celebrate the roots of West Coast Swing all the while encouraging others to develop their "Contemporary Club" dance, and those who want to do both feel welcomed in either group. My hope is that way we will all feel free to express ourselves in a manner that is comfortable to each of us. I just think it is time to acknowledge the fact that the Swing community is now dealing with two very different dances.

Connection and Lead

an excerpt from the Atlanta Swing Dancers Club's Instructor Manual, W. Kirk Richardson, Program Director, with Content and Creative Consultant Brandi Tobias

Leading, using a scale of 0 to 10.

Don't confuse it with our connection scale because it is different. I subscribe to the theory that there is no such thing as too heavy of a lead. The discomfort that most ladies are feeling when they say this is due to an inconsistent lead. At no time should you jump more than two numbers on your scale. For example, if you are leading me at a 2 and all of a sudden you increase to an 8, it is too heavy. If you go from 6 to an 8, it feels great.

The lady is always responding to the pressure through your arm. If she feels a 2 she will relax slightly and she will not be prepared for the heavier lead making it uncomfortable. Consistency is key. This will avoid shoulder problems and other potential injuries for both partners. Men who surprise the lady with an abrupt change on the scale will often feel her respond with an abrupt change in tension in her arm. This is when the follow will feel heavy and labored. At the basic level, I teach men to stay between 3 and 6 using 5 as their normal. As a dancer progresses, he will use more of the scale effectively for speed purposes, but that takes more experience.

I frequently am asked what a man should do when he is dancing with a lady who is heavy or will not follow. My answer is "Nothing differently than you do with a lady who does follow." What that means is that, regardless of the lady's response, the lead does not change, the way it feels changes. The way I demonstrate this to a student is by having them walk across the dance floor with me. I place my hand on the small of their back and guide them across the floor without telling them that I am demonstrating anything (sneaky, huh?) They will walk with me and there will be no pressure between my hand and their back, just me touching them, a 1 on our scale of leading. I then tell them to stop walking. I continue and the pressure between my hand and their back increases to a 10 and they resume walking with me.

I did nothing different when they stopped walking as I did when they were walking. It just felt different. This is a perfect representation of leading. There are three parts to every lead: prep, lead, and follow-through.

The prep is the indication of what's to come as well as the setting up of the lady's body to execute the next movement. Sometimes it is as simple as the man's body rotating slightly to indicate what side the lady will pass himon. Preps get a bit more complicated in the upper levels.

The lead is the obvious movement of the man's body to initiate the lady's movement in the desired direction. Sometimes it is just a step back as in the case of beat 1 of all of our basic paterns. Sometimes it is a movement of the hand as in the case of a spin.

Follow-through is continuing to move the lady's hand to the desired end of the movement. If a lady is following effectively, the follow-through will be at a 1 or 2 on our scale. If the lady is not following well it may be at an 8 or 9. This is due to the lady not the man increasing pressure. The only thing a man should do different with ladies who are heavier in their follows is to choose patterns accordingly. This is not an issue at the basic level, but it is a good time to plant the seed.

Pattern selection is the key to a good dance, and men should always choose patterns according to their partner's capabilities.

Connection

There are two types of connection: COMPRESSION and LEVERAGE.

Compression is the connection where the partners are pressing in toward one another. Leverage is the connection where the partners are pulling away. Both connections are achieved through movement, not muscle.

It is common for a dancer to understand what the connection is supposed to feel like and to try to "manufacture" the connection with a push or a pull through the arm. The correct way to achieve connection occurs through a sequence of events that begins with the movement of the man's body. When the lady's body is in motion and the man stops his body, his arm will then stop, causing the lady's arm to stop, which then stops her body. The only time a true connection is in place is when the man is asking the lady to stop, go, or change direction. As long as the lady is currently doing the desired action in the desired direction, there will be hand contact but no connection.

A great analogy to explain basic lead and connection (as in the case of the basic sugar push) is a train. The man is the engine and the lady is the caboose. When the engine moves there is a slight delay as the connection between the cars tightens causing the caboose to ultimately move. The same is true of the stop. The engine stops, all of the cars compress causingthe caboose to stop by "running into" the engine. The lead on 1 of every pattern happens this way. It is the movement of the man's body that gets the lady moving forward, not the pull of his arm.

It is common as you start teaching compression and leverage that students will lean forward and back in an effort to create this feeling. It was once an accepted style to have the lady sitting way back on the anchor. In any connection both partners should be upright from hip to head adjusting their weight placement over their feet to achieve the appropriateconnection. For example, place the weight over the bll of the foot while compressing and slightly back over the heel for leverage.

A good exercise is to have students stant up straight from hip to head and practice shifting their weight over one foot from toe to heel. They will be surprised that they get a pretty large range of motion without ever having to take a step or sacrifice their posture.

When working on connection, think of ascale of 0 through10. 0 is touching your partner with no pressure and 10 is the maximum amount of pressure you use in any given partnership. This will vary from one partner to the nextdepending on strength and style.

Every time a connection is made you wil run the entire range of 0 to 10. This creates that soft elastic feel that is no unique to West Coast Swing. On a 6 count pattern, beat 4 should be at a 1 or 2 on the scale. As we dance our anchor step, we will gradually increase the tension until we hit 10 on the "and" before beat 1.

Think of your connection as a breathing animal. If it holds its breath for 2 beats of music it will die and we will have to start from scratch. If we continue to let the connection breathe, we will continue to increase or leverage until it's time for the next pattern and the lady wil require very little lead to move.

There are times that I will dance my anchor step moving slightly away from my partner to achieve this connection. That is not always necessary, but it is acceptable. The anchor step should never move forward toward the partner as that will destroy theconnection.

Sketchy Guys

from Musings by Richard Powers of socialdance.standford.edu

This is a touchy topic because I don't want to speak dismissively of anyone who loves to dance. However, it's an important topic to many women who complain about "sketchy guys" at dances, so, that makes it worth discussing.

What is a "Sketchy Guy"?

OK, that's a sexist term. So let's say that any woman who acts this way is a "sketchy girl." But somehow we see more males than females behaving this way on the dance floor.

A sketchy guy is...

1) Any man who is physically or emotionally rough with his partner, with a controlling attitude.

As you already know, a good lead knows and cares what is comfortable for his partner. He cares what is pleasurable or fun for her, as opposed to just showing off, or using her as an accessory to his ego.

A considerate man dances for his partner's ability and comfort; sketchy guys don't.

A good lead clearly suggests an option, which is different from controlling her. He proposes, not prescibes, a certain way of moving to his partner. If his partner does not go with his proposal (does not 'follow'), he adapts to her motion instead of exerting more power to press her to accept the proposal.

But guys, don't be so afraid of seeming sketchy that your leads become wimpy. Leads are physical, and your partner depends on clear leads. If the physicality of the lead/follow connection is on a scale of one-to-ten, avoid "0" and "1" (wimpy); and avoid "9" and "10" (physically rough).

2) A man (or woman) who corrects the partner.

Have you ever danced with one of these guys? Often the first this he does when beginning a dance is correcthis partner! "You're doing it wrong. You have to do it this way." Yikes!

The clear message to most women is that he's doing this to exert absolute control at the beginning of their dance. It's his way of establishing dominance, saying in effect, "This is NOT a conversation and you don't have a voice when dancing with me, so shut up and do as you're told."

To be fair, this may not be his actual intent. Maybe his teacher gave him the misguided impression that he should correct his partners if they dance differently from the ONE AND ONLY WAY he knows. But regardless of his intent, a correcting attitude feels disrespectful to her, so men, be forewarned that she may reasonably not want to dance with you again.

This correcting attitude is usually either (a) antisocially pedantic or (b) demonstrates his inexperience, showing her that he only knows one way to dance (or only one style, or one kind of dance hold/frame). If he thinks, "Oh, I know other ways, but I think they are all wrong," then he's the first version--antisocially pedantic. [For more information, see Fred Astaire's advice on flexibly adapting to your partner's differences.]

An only-one-way attitude is also unrealistic. How can anyone not understand that dancers come in different shapes, sizes and experiences? Each partner has had different teachers. Or maybe they just picked up dancing on the fly, by diving in and seeing what works. Different doesn't mean wrong. When someone has a different style from your own, try to find ways to make dancing functional, fun and social.

Women aren't exempt from this consideration. When a woman exhibits a correcting attitude, it's just as bad as when a man does it.

Exceptions: Correcting is okay of it's to let one's partner know if they're hurting you, "driving dangerously" on the dance floor, or if your partner actually asks you for advice or feedback and help from their partners, so if your partner requests feedback, then yes, it's fine and even appreciated.

3.) A man who tries to pick up a woman on the dance floor.

It's smart to assume that women come to a dance to dance, not to find a date. If there's an exception, she'll find a way to let you know, but the default assumption is that she came to have fun dancing.

a) Don't ask her for a date (unless she initiates or hints at it).

b) Don't ask the same woman for several dances unless she lets you know she wants more dances with you.

c) If she says 'no' to a dance, then no means no. Don't pester her.

Some scenes may be exceptions to his. Some salsaroos have told me that their salsa club is essentially a pick-up club, and that everyone going there knows this. OK, it that's the understanding at a dance, fine. But the inviolable part of this section is: if she says 'no,' respect her wishes and don't pester her.

4.) Stinky guys (and women)

It's amazing that some people haven't learned the essential social skill of hygiene. Always shower, brush your teeth, floss and use deodorant before going out dancing, including to dance classes. And if you tend to get really sweaty, you get huge bonus points for bringing a socond dry shirt to change into halfway through the dance.

Women, please don't wear perfumes (or colognes for men) to a social dance. Most people don't consider it very sociable, and some have allergies to fragrances.

"Sketchy" isn't a textbook definition, so opinions about the term vary. Some people consider stinky dancers sketchy, while others say, "No, it's not sketchy, it's just disgusting." OK, but either way it's not a good thing.

Bottom Line

In an age of increasing divisiveness, we should try to be more tolerant and accepting of differences of any kind. But roughness, disrespect and predatory behavior is "sketchy", and isn't welcome at a social dance.

Jeanne's Top 10 West Coast Swing No-No's

by Jeanne DeGeyter [reprinted from NFA News, July-September 2010 edition]

There are many varieties to the "style" of west coast swing and an even wider variety in the area of "connection." But no matter where I dance in the country, a few rules remain universal to an enjoyable dance for both the leader and follower. These are the "no-no's" that should be learned at the beginning level and revisited frequently throughout your dancing life.All of the following simply serve to improve the connection (thus communication) between leader and follower on the dance floor...

1. Don't take large steps. Most steps should not exceed the length of your own foot or be any wider than your shoulders.

2. Don't bounce. Dance smoothly.

3. Don't push or pull. Leaders should lead by moving their bodies, not by pulling and pushing. Followers should follow by using their legs to move their body, not their arms.

4. Don't break your frame. Keep your chest up! Your posture should create a vertical line with the floor. Forearms should stay parallel to the floor in open position. Biceps should generally stay on the front-side of your body, unless doing a behind-the-back type of move.

5. Don't "dance" with your arms. Keep hands and arms "quiet." Bouncing arms are distracting and misleading to a partner. "Wagging" your arms around creates a false sense of leading a turn.

6. Don't let your hands rise above the elbow in the open position. Keep forearms, wrists and hands parallel to the floor. If the hands rise above the elbow, this can result in connections moving from the core center into the biceps.

7. Don't float or get too far away. Post your weight and body (hands and feet) at the end of each set of movements. This will keep you closer to your partner and avoid overextension.

8. Don't use your thumbs or squeeze. Create a"C" connection with your partner using the fingers only. Keep your thumbs clear, and never squeeze!

9. Don't look at the floor. Look up at your partner and smile. Keep your eye on the area just above the sternum, this is a quick indicator of where your partner will be moving [this advice is for followers]. Looking at the floor drops your frame and increases distance between partners.

10. Don't back lead. Followers, focus on learning to follow so leaders can learn to lead. Wait for the leader to lead you forward/move you backward.

[There are more articles byJeanne atwww.swingtulsastyle.com.]

What Is Swing?

by Randy Atlas [Acknowledgment: This file is copiedwith the permission ofThe South Florida Swing Dance Society Inc.The only modificationsmade from the original is the additionof credits, a spelling correctionand theomissionof Hustle and Country Western dancing.]

According to Dancing USA magazine (Kerchmar, NOV. 1994 P.3), traditional closed couple dancing began in the United States after 1860, when young people moved from the rural environments to cities looking for employment. Alone for the first time, many young adults sought public meeting and dancing places. Because the newer dances, the waltz (Vienna) and polka (Czech), allowed closer-than-usual spacing between partners, large segmentsof the public condemned this behavior.

Closed couple dancing became acceptable after 1912 when the dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle began performing the waltz, the one-step, the tango (Spain), and other dances. Among the Castle's many pupils was a young entrepreneur named Arthur Murray. In 1920, Murray marketed dance lessons through the mail making them affordable and standardizing dance steps.

Another major influence to social dance was a newstyle of music (ragtime), emphasizing syncopation in melody line. The early jazz sounds originated as a result of Irish and African-American music forms, much of which originated from the Louisianabayous and New Orleans. Harry Foxfashioned a dance called the Fox Trot in 1912, which lead to the development of the Charleston in the Roaring 1920's. The music evolved into swing-jazz duringthe 1930's, and attracted big bands, large dance halls, and acrobatic dancers called jitterbugs, lindy-hoppers (named after pilot CharlesLindbergh), and swingers. By 1936 the swing was popular throughout the United States.

Swing dancing continued togrow, but took on unique styles of each geographic areas (sic).The diversity in the evolution of swing dancing is reflected in its names:

• Jive
• Jitterbug
• Lindy
• Push
• Whip
• Shag
• East Coast Swing
• West Coast Swing
• Imperial
• Jamaican
• Bop
• and more !

The music for swing dancing is as diverse as the dance styles. The Shag dancers dance to "Beach" music, the Boppers [and Whip dancers] dance to rhythm and blues, Pushdancers like blues and classic disco music, Lindy dancers like faster Big Band swing music.

South Florida is a reflection of our cultural diversity. We have a tri-ethnic community with a mix of Hispanic, Anglo, and African-Americans. The dancers who come to our dances are ballroom dancers, Country Western dancers, Latin dancers, Hustle dancers, Shaggers, Boppers, etc. But what ARE swing dancers? Is there only one kind of swing dance music? Is there only one correct style of Swing, Shag, Bop, [Whip] or Push? How come there is so much intolerance to the other dance styles and music?

Thus, the purpose of the Presidential Summit is to discuss the threat to our very being in the dance world -- the threat that has been splitting up clubs around the country, like our nation during the civil war! What is SWING (and its derivatives, Shag, Bop, etc.)? Some dancers are quite 'dancist' about their insistence that only one style of swing music and dancing is proper for their club. As past president of the SFSDS and Chairman of the Swing Into Spring event, it is my view that the music should reflect the diversity of all our members and guests, not limited to the view of a few vocal persons. So, next time you are cursing the DJ for playing something different, think about your own intolerance. Diversity in music and dances provides a richness of variety,and allows the most personal freedom to dance and have fun. And that is the prime directive here in South Florida - To DANCE and Have Fun!

Origin of Swing Dance

by Ed Cirio

Some people believe that swing dancing originated with the Texas Tommy, which was a kick and a hop three times on each foot, followed by a slide and then a breakaway where partners separated and could do what they wanted before returning together. Others say it's a combination of the Two-Step and the Charleston, which both have a basic 8-count pattern but interchange rock steps and kicks at various times. The Charleston has a breakaway section while the Two Step stays in closed position for the entire 8 counts. Other dances that had an influence on swing dancing were the Black Bottom, Big Apple, Scrontch, Varsity Drag, Mouche, Suzie Q, Ballin'The Jack, Shim Sham Shimmy and Truckin'. Also having an influence were fad 'animal dances' such as the Turkey Trot, Buzzard Lope, Possum Trot and Grizzly Bear.

Many of these dances became popular due to some special event. The Texas Tommy appeared on Broadway in "Darktown Follies" in 1913; the Turkey Trot appeared in Vernon and Irene Castle's Broadway show "Sunshine Girl" in 1913; the Charleston appeared in a black Broadway musical "Running Wild" in 1923 and the Black Bottom appeared on Broadway in George White's "Scandals of 1926."

These early dances of the century were usually not accepted by white society because of their black origins and influences. Not until 1927, when Charles "Lindy" Lindbergh made his historic solo flight to Paris, was the black dancing accepted by the white society. Legend has it that one young man at the Savoy Ballroom in New York's Harlem was overcome with the thrill of the flight and joy in his dancing; when asked what he wasdoing on the dance floor he replied, "I'm flying just like Lindy," thus the Lindy Hop. Another legend has it that at a dance marathon at New York City's Manhattan Casino Ballroom on July 4,1928, one of thesurviving dancers was George "Shorty" Snowden, who did a breakaway or let his partner out and improvised a few solo steps. When asked by an interviewer with Fox Movietone News what he was doing with his feet, Shorty replied, "The Lindy."

The Lindy Hop

The Lindy or Lindy Hop has relatively few things written about it and what there is provide conflicting stories. There are some films of the 30's, 40's and 50's that show Lindy Dancers, such as

• A Day At The Races
• Hellzapoppin
• The Savoy Ballroom of Harlem
• The Spirit Moves
• Swing Sister, Swing
• The Prisoner of Swing

The Lindy is primarily a creative, expressive jazz rhythm dance and an official social ballroom dance. The Lindy came from street social dancers and has African; Tooted movements connected with the earth, a vertical bounce, side hip movements and a relaxed, not rigid, torso. The essential characteristics of the Lindy include its 6-count and 8-count fundamental steps plus a swinging feeling which relates to the music's syncopated beat, which accets off-beats instead of only the usual first beatsof the phrase. It's an energetic improvisational dance that arose in Harlem in the 1920's. This was the greatest of the dances that evolved from the 1920's because a couple could be dancing with deceptive sobriety, embracing each other ballroom style. Then, whenever he pleased, the man could suddenly fling his partner away and improvise.

The Jitterbug

Jitterbug...what is it? The word started being used in the 1930's and has a variety of definitions. Here are a few common ones:

1. The word Jitterbug came from a radio announcer covering the 1936 or '37 Harvest moon Ball. It was on Movietone News and he said, referring to the Lindy dancers, "They look like Jitterbugs." And so it caught on.
2. At the Savoy Ballroom in New York City's Harlem, all Lindy dancers were called Jitterbugs.
3. Jitterbug was a derogatory term used to describe white dancers who weren't very good.
4. Jitterbug is the white man's version of Lindy Hop as rock 'n' roll is the white version of rhythm and blues. It's bouncier and faster and does not necessarily contain aerials.
5. In the 1930's, Cab Calloway had a hep cat trombone player in his big band that nipped the sauce too much. Cab would tell him, "Better quit drinking that bug juice, man, or you'll shake and jitter to death." Soon the guys in Cab's band were calling the trombone player a jitterbug, which was picked up by the dancers.
6. The term Jitterbug was first used in the southern part of the country to describe people who displayed the symptoms of secondary syphilis, uncontrollable jerking and trembling and lack of muscular control. It was used in reference to people dancing Lindy Hop.
7. Encyclopedias and dictionaries give various definitions of Jitterbug. One dance encyclopedia defines it as "a generic term now almost obsolete for unconventional, often formless and violent social dances to syncopated music, generally 4/4 time. The best known forms of Jitterbug were the Black Bottom, Charleston, Shag and Lindy Hop, dances of the 1920's and 1930's."

Movies of the 1930's such as

• A Day at the Races
• Swing, Sister, Swing
• The Prisoner of Swing and
• I'm Just a Jitterbug

helped popularize Jitterbug. It seems most everyone has a different interpretation of the word, depending on what part of the country they are from, and what time frame in this century they were exposed to it. The overall concensus appears to be that Jitterbug is a newer variation of the Lindy Hop, and people doing it are called Jitterbugs.

The Balboa

One of the most difficult dances to get any history on is the Balboa. The following information is from Home of Balboa International. In reality, there are four slightly different versions of this particular dance, which is basically indigenous to Southern California. One version originally referred to as "Swing Bal" was developed and danced in the 1930'sin and around Los Angeles while at the same time the second version called "Bal" or "Balboa" emanated from and was actually named for the locale of Balboa, in particular the Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa peninsula, and spread in popularity to the Long Beach and Orange County area. The third version, the "Triple Step Bal," is most useful when an extremely slow number is played and the fourth version, the "One-Step," is utilized when the beat is too fast for any other dance.

Although they employ a similar basic step pattern, there is a difference in those basic patterns, necessitating a definite change in the overall technique. Though each version of the "Bal" allows for ad-lib step patterns relative to its own "basic step pattern," these ad-lib steps cannot be applied from one "basic step pattern" to the other; so, in effect, dancers changing from one basic step pattern to another go into another dance.

The Balboa is a complete and very versatile dance most often seen where Swing, Jazz or Dixieland music is being played. It can be performed to exceedingly slow music (30 beats per minute), extraordinarily fast music (over 300 beats per minute), or anywhere in between.

West Coast Swing

Basically, West Coast Swing consists of 6-beat and 8-beat patterns executed in a slot area on the dance floor, and can be danced to a variety of styles of music. It has enjoyed a rise in popularity in the last few years, due partly to the work of the U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships and the now-defunct United States Swing Dance Council. There are swing clubs--mostly West Coast Swing--in over half of the states. Some of them have their dance as a state dance. On January 1, 1989, West Coast Swing became California's official state dance.

East Coast Swing

During the late 40's or early 50's, another form of swing dancing appeared on the scene: East Coast Swing. It is almost impossible to find anything written on this dance, probably because it wasn't really a new dance. East Coast Swing is nothing more than the Lindy Hop. It appears that as the slotted version of swing became more popular, the major dance studio chains decided to call what the dancers on the East Coast were doing, theEast Coast Swing, and what the dancers on the West Coast were doing, the West Coast Swing.