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Connection (dance)

Connection (dance)

Connection is essential to all partner dancing. In Lindy Hop, Balboa, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Salsa, and all other styles of partner dance, connection is the primary means of communication between the lead and follow. Other forms of communication, such as visual cues, are often considered to spoil the dance, unless used in specific circumstances, e.g., in figures danced without physical connection. Following and leading is accomplished by maintaining a physical connection called the frame that allows the lead to transmit body movement to the follow, and for the follow to suggest ideas to the lead. Connection occurs in both open and closed body positions. In closed position with body contact, connection is achieved through maintenance of the frame. The follow moves to match the lead, maintaining the pressure between the two bodies as well as the position. The hands are secondary. In an open position or a closed position without body contact, the hands and arms provide the connection, which may be one of three forms: tension, compression or neutral. During tension or leverage connection, the dancers are pulling away from each other with an equal and opposite force. The arms do not originate this force: this is provided by tension in trunk musculature, through body weight or by momentum. During compression connection, the dancers are pushing together. In a neutral position, the hands do not impart any force other than the weight of the follow's hands in the lead's. In the swing dances only, tension and compression may be maintained for a significant period of time. In other dances, such as Latin, tension and compression are indications of upcoming movement. However, in both styles, tension and compression does not signal immediate movement: the follow must be careful not to move until actual movement by the lead. Until then, the dancers must match pressures without moving their hands. In some styles of Lindy Hop, the tension may become quite high without initiating movement. The general rule for open connections is that moves of the leader's hands back, forth, left or right are originated through moves of the entire body. Accordingly, for the follower, a move of the connected hand is immediately transformed into the coresponding move of the body. Tensing the muscles and locking the arm achieves this effect but is neither comfortable nor correct. Such tension eliminates the subtler communication in the connection, and eliminates free movement up and down, such as is required to initiate many turns. Instead of tensing the arms, connection is achieved by engaging the shoulder, upper body and torso muscles. Movement originates in the body's core. A leader leads by moving himself and maintaining frame and connection: he does not push or pull the follow. The connection between two partners has a different feel in every dance and with every partner. Good social dancers adapt to the conventions of the dance and the responses of their partners.

Balboa (dance)

Balboa is a form of a swing dance that emerged in the 1930s and 1940s. It is danced with the lead and follow dancing where their chests touch for a body lead connection. The art of Balboa is the subtle communication between the lead and follow, like weight shifts, that most viewers cannot see. So, Balboa is a dancer's dance, more than a viewer's dance. Balboa is danced to a wide variety of tempos. Because the basic is so simple, Balboa is danced to fast music (over 300 beats per minute). Balboa is also danced to slow music (under 100 beats per minute), which allows more time for intricate footwork and variations.

Forms

Balboa has two main forms: Pure Balboa and Bal Swing.
- Pure Balboa: In this form, dancers stay together, their torsos touching, doing variations based on footwork, turning as a couple, and moving as a couple.
- Bal Trot: This takes the form of pure Balboa, but moves around the floor a lot more, emphasizing crab walks, paddle walks, crossovers and other variations that move the couple around the floor.
- Bal Swing: In this form, dancers separate their bodies for individual turns and moves, much like in swing dance, in addition to Pure Balboa moves.

History

Balboa was invented in the 1930s and 1940s in California. Balboa is named for the Balboa Peninsula, in Newport Beach, California where it was invented. It is believed to have started at the Balboa Pavilion [http://www.balboapavilion.com/history.html] in Newport Beach. A small, active Balboa community has always existed in the Los Angeles area. Today, Balboa is resurging world-wide. Some of the original Balboa dancers once said, "We can't tell you how to dance Balboa, but we can tell you when you are not dancing Balboa."

Comparisons to Lindy Hop

Balboa is a contemporary of Lindy Hop, so comparisons are hard to avoid.
- Both dances evolved at the same time with the same swing music. The center of Balboa was Los Angeles, while the center of Lindy Hop was New York City.
- Most Balboa moves are simple and lack the flash and exaggeration of Lindy Hop moves. Balboa can be danced to much faster music than is possible with Lindy Hop.
- Balboa had a steady community over the last 70 years. Balboa never died out the way Lindy Hop did.
- Today, Balboa moves are commonly used in the Lindy Hop and vice versa.

Description

Body Position

The dancers stand close, touching from hip to upper chest. This makes communication with body language very easy. The man's right front torso (rib cage) touches the woman's center front torso (rib cage). They are offset by about 45 degrees.

Body Lead

There are many variations on how dancers move during the basic step. Each variation looks different. Each variation communicates movement to the follow differently. Dancers do all of the following (from the lead's point of view):
- Stay in place while doing the footwork.
- Move back and forth between 2 positions on the floor, about 4 to 8 inches or 10 to 20 cm apart.
- Walk forward and backward in a line: back, back, forward, forward, forward, back.
- Move in a box: back - side - middle - forward - side - middle.

Basic footwork

The basic footwork is typically like this: (assuming both dancers alternate between two positions on the floor 4 to 8 inches or 10 to 20 cm apart). Lead:
- Step back left.
- Step together right.
- Slide forward and back left.
- Step together left.
- Step forward right.
- Step together left.
- Hold heel up and down right.
- Step together right. Follow:
- Step forward right.
- Step together left.
- Slide forward and back right.
- Step together right.
- Step back left.
- Step together right.
- Hold heel up and down left.
- Step together left.

Footwork Variations

Dancers vary their footwork, to respond to the music or their partner. Many footwork variations can be done independently of the partner. The three most common footwork variations are single, double, and triple time.
- Single time or down hold: Counts 3-4 and 7-8 are step-holds.
- Double time or up hold: Counts 3-4 and 7-8 are kick-steps. This is the most common variation.
- Triple time: Counts 3-4 and 7-8 are triple steps.
- Fan step: In single time, the left foot fans out to the left, on the 3-4 for leads or 7-8 for follows.
- Slide step: When moving the left foot back or the right foot forward, slide it.
- Dig Dig Step: Counts 3-4 or 7-8 are kick - kick - step. This move crosses double time motions with triple time timing. Some footwork patterns require cooperation with the partner.
- V Slide: On the 3-4 or 7-8, slide both feet out in a V to hit a break. Use the following 1-2 or 5-6 to return to the basic pattern.

Main Variations

Five loose categories of variations are pure, throwouts, lollies, crossovers, and fancy. Balboa also borrows moves from other dances, especially Charleston. Note that Pure Balboa variations are often called "ad libs."
- Pure: In pure Balboa, dancers stay in contact torso-to-torso. There is a lot of freedom to change direction, to change footwork.
- Paddle Turns: Clockwise, counterclockwise. For counterclockwise paddles, the lead begins with the usual back left, togther right, step left, hold. During the step hold the lead starts turning. The lead then turns with a step right - step left - step right - step left. The lead continues turning with this pattern, until he changes to another variation. Clockwise paddles begin by starting with the hold on counts 7-8.
- Paddle Walks: Using down-hold footwork, turn slightly counter-clockwise on the 8. Then the lead moves to the right on the 1, 2, and 3. Then turn slightly to clockwise on the 4. Then the lead moves to the left on the 5, 6, and 7. Repeat as desired. This will move the couple across the floor in a zig-zag.
- Move Forward and Backward: Normally, on the 1-2 the lead steps backwards, and on the 5-6 the lead steps forward. The lead can simply keep going backward or forward for as many steps as desired.
- Move Sideways: (Also known as "Scoots")
- Shuffle Step:
- Crab Walk: This variation keeps the step - together footwork pattern of the 1-2 or the 5-6 going. From the 1, this would be back - together - forward - together - etc. From the 5, this would be forward - together - back - together - etc. This can be exaggerated from the 1, back - together side - forward - side - back - etc. Exaggerated from the 5, forward - together - side - back - side - forward - etc. After doing 8 counts, one can return to the basic pattern.
- Snake: This is like doing paddles for 3 steps in ont direction, then paddles for 3 steps in the other direction. The lead tends to slowly back up. Usually, the lead start with a large backward step with his right on 7.
- Come Around: This is the first part of many variations, especially throwouts.
- Throw Outs: See also Throwouts (dance).
- Swing Outs:
- Lollies: Kick step, kick step. Usually, the lead slowly walks around the folow, who spins in place. See also Lollies (dance)
- Crossovers: Crossovers have an in-out feel. See also Crossovers (dance).
- Push and Pull: with twists
- Swivels:
- Fall off the log: By default, the kicks occur on the 3 and 7 counts. Both step in front and behind variations.
- Fancy: These are special variations that are part of the history.
- Texas Tommy: The follow spins away with a Texas Tommy, which the lead does a heel slide.
- Pop Turns: The follow does rock - step - spin - spin. The big difference is that the lead closes and moves forward on the 5-6.
- V Slides: The follow does standard footwork. The lead pushes the follow a little bit on the 5-6 to create some space between them. Then the lead does a V Slide on the 7-8.
- Charleston: It is very common to add Charleston variations. As a rule, transitions between moves are made on the slow (3-4 or 7-8) counts, because there is more time to signal and make adjustments.

Famous dancers

- Maxie Dorf
- Willie Desatoff
- Hal Takier
- Ann Mills
- Ed and Inez Thompson
- Dean Raftery
- Hank Nagle
- Jonathan Bixby
- Sylvia Sykes

External links

- [http://www.lindycircle.com/history/balboa/ History of Balboa]
- [http://www.balboanation.com/ Balboa Nation] Category:Swing dances

West Coast Swing

West Coast Swing (WCS) is a partner dance derived from Lindy Hop. It has the soul of a street dance but has been tamed by ballroom dance studios. Within the spectrum of partner dances, WCS is one of the most difficult and one of the most improvisational. It is easily recognized by a distinctive elastic look that results from its narrow slot.

History

It is believed that the origins of the WCS are in Savoy style Lindy. Dean Collins moved to California in 1930s and introduced the dancing scenes there to Lindy Hop, which that took a firm hold on the West Coast through the 30s and 40s. When swing fell out of mainstream's consideration as pop music around the 50s and was replaced by rockabilly, dancers on the West Coast began using swing moves to the new pop music, thus changing the dance and bringing about the variation now known as West Coast Swing. Step sheets from ballroom studios reveal that this particular style was known under different names until it took on the name "West Coast Swing". In 1988, West Coast Swing was pronounced the Official State Dance of California (see external links).

West Coast Swing vs. Lindy Hop

West Coast Swing is believed to have evolved from Lindy Hop, though both have evolved into different dances for different musical tastes since the fork. There is still a large amount of crossover between the two dances and between the various styles. The key differences of WCS from Lindy Hop are

Slot

The follower travels back and forth along a shoulder width rectangle, called the slot, with respect to the leader. The leader is more stationary but will move in and out of the slot depending on the pattern led. A general rule is that the leader leaves the slot only to give way for the follower to pass him. Various reasons have been given for the slotted style. One reason is that when all followers dance in lines, club owners could pack many more dancers onto the floor. Another reason was that in Hollywood, film makers wanted dancers to stay in the same plane, to avoid going in and out of focus.

Music

WCS was originally danced to sixteen count Blues music, rather than the Jazz from the early part of the 20th century. In practice, WCS may be danced to almost any music in 4/4 time. Such diverse musical genres as Funk, Rock and Roll and Disco may be found in a typical evening of WCS dancing. In recent years, most WCS venues have seen a greater proportion of contemporary music played as opposed to blues. While some may lament the departure of WCS from its roots, others view this trend as another step in the continued evolution of the dance.

Flexibility

Where Lindy Hop basics are almost exclusively 8 beat patterns, WCS steps can be danced to counts in any increment of 2. (though most basics are 6 or 8 beats). As in Lindy Hop, moves can be extended for as long as desired.

Classic WCS

The style of WCS that matches the "classic" WCS music featured by swung eighths. In this style the "split-beat" steps are typically counted as: "1 a2"; "3 a4"; "a3 4"; etc. Here "a" denotes the intermediate beat "swung" away from the strict middle position and splitting the beat approximately 2:1. For the comparison, the "a" in "1a2" of Samba rhythm splits the quarter note 3:1, i.e., it "splits off" a 1/16, so it is "straight" in the sense of binary note duration nomenclature.

Funky WCS

A more contemporary style of WCS that matches American pop music, which has square rhythms. In this style the "split-beat" steps may well be counted in strict time: "1&2"; "3&4"; "&34"; etc., to match the music. The Classic WCS elements of standard step patterns were modified or replaced. For example, the anchor step, the cornerstone of the classic WCS, is often replaced by hook-replace-side triple-step. This was a short lived replacement, however, as it was realized that this terminal step destroyed any semblance of connection that a proper anchor step provided. Better staying power was afforded body motions such as ripples and pops, which some professional dancers have incorporated as a permanent part of their styling. The "Funky WCS" classification in recent years has fallen by the wayside with the communal realization that WCS done to contemporary music is no different from WCS done to straight up blues. With the exception of footwork, funky and classic styling may be performed to any genre of music.

"True" WCS vs. ballroom WCS

Here lies an ironic controversy. It is argued that WCS in its modern form was documented and elaborated by Arthur Murray Ballroom Dance Studios (franchise). Afterwards it broke away to evolve on its own. A renewed interest in WCS encouraged ballroom studios to include it in their curricula. Unfortunately, the original technique and style of this swing dance is being levelled out by the "averaged" ballroom technique of mass consumption, as it happened with many other dances such as Samba, Cha Cha Cha, and East Coast Swing. While abuse of improperly taught Cuban hip motion in "ballroom WCS," lack of understanding of swung eighths, and dancing rehearsed patterns strung one after another without paying much attention to musical phrasing are among frequent complaints of "true" WCS dancers, the main bone of contention is the Coaster Step variation of the anchor step. The Coaster Step was actually in vogue during the early days of WCS when the dance closely resembled Lindy in connection and style. As WCS evolved further, it was found that the Coaster Step was detrimental to the connection between lead and follow, hence the ascension of the now ubiquitous anchor step where both partners step and end up with one foot behind and to the side of the other. However, some ballroom studios continue to teach WCS with coaster steps as termination steps due to the fact that the instruction they choose to hew to (i.e. videotapes that are bought to teach the instructors) have ideas long dismissed by the general WCS community.

Beginning dancers

Beginning dancers generally focus on simple moves as they gain understanding of the dance. There are plenty of beginning WCS lessons available in any city. Often there are lessons before dances, but due to the difficulty of the dance prospective students may want to take longer classes (5-10 weeks). They may also want to try different teachers, to find what teaching and dance style best suits them. Typical beginners must concentrate much on being where they are supposed to be--including their feet or hands. Unfortunately, many teachers neglect to teach their students the importance of leading and following. The next step, ironically, is to re-learn all that you know. Moves are to be led and followed, which is typically not what a beginner has been doing. Once one is comfortable dancing the basic patterns, it may time to learn to lead/follow them. This is the time when most people want to learn more complicated moves, and they often put off learning to lead/follow in order to do that. At some point it will become clear that all moves are just recombinations of the fundamentals or cribbed from some other dance. The beginner is encouraged to attend a nearby regular dance that caters to West Coast Swing dancers to be exposed to a wide range of lead and follow styles. For most urban areas in the United States, a WCS dance club may be a good place to start. For those beginners who want to witness a better mix of leaders/followers, attending a regional or even national WCS dance convention is the next step. This last is often expensive in time and money.

Moves

Unlike many other dances, WCS does not have a single basic step. Nine basic moves that any WCS dancer should know are:
- Starter Step: Two triple steps in closed position to begin the dance, so that the leader and follower can get in sync with each other.
- Throw Out: A six count basic where the follower is led from the closed position to open.
- Sugar Push: A six count basic where the follower, facing the leader, is led from the end of the slot to a two hand hold, then led back to the same end of the slot.
- Right Side Pass: A six count basic where the follower is led to the other end of the slot, the couple passing the on their right.
- Underarm Pass: A six count basic where the follower is led to the other end of the slot, passing the leader underarm on the right.
- Left Side Pass: A six count basic where the follower is led past the leader to the other end of the slot, passing the leader on the left.
- Return to Close: In six counts, the follower is led 3/4 of the way around the leader into closed position.
- Tuck Turn: This is like a throw out in 6 counts, but the follower is blocked and led to turn under her arm (an inside turn).
- Whip: This 8 count basic resembles Lindy Hop. The follower starts at one end of the slot and is led around the lead, to the same end of the slot she started. However there is one fundamental differance from the Lindy Hop Swing Out. The follower stays in her slot, pivoting, then coming back to where she started. The leader steps in and out of the slot, creating a less circular, and more elastic move.

Style

Beginning dancers should focus on keeping smooth footwork while doing patterns to the beat of the music.

Advanced dancers

Advanced dancers will break the rules and won't remember what patterns they've just done. Rather than lead or follow pattern after pattern, both leaders and followers shorten or extend counts, play with the music, and express themselves with the dance.

Other moves

West Coast has many colorful moves:
- Sugar Tuck: Like a sugar push, but ends with a 2 count underarm turn
- Cement Mixer:
- Basket Whip:
- Man around the Woman:
- Woman around the Man:
- Reverse Whip:
- Reverse Close:
- Swivel Walks
- Chicken Walks aka: Lindy swivels
- Octopus:

Style

Advanced dancers syncopate their footwork to match the music and turn their bodies to interesting angles to flow more gracefully. Footwork variations include kick ball changes, flea hops, slides and applejacks. Those advanced dancers who want to add more spice to their dancing may learn leverage moves that put one or both partners in extension. Some examples are leans, dips and splits. Contrary to what the casual observer might see, most dancers will keep their balance while performing such moves and will rely on their partners sparingly to keep them from falling over.

References

External links

[http://www.ss.ca.gov/executive/ca_roster/2003/roster03_sec11_miscellany.pdf California Roster]; [http://www.streetswing.com/statednc.htm Official State Dance of California]; [http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3wcs1.htm Sonny Watson dance history archives: West Coast Swing]; Category:Swing dances

Salsa (dance)

Salsa is a partner dance form that corresponds to salsa music, however it is sometimes done solo too. The word is the same as the Spanish word salsa meaning sauce, or in this case flavour or style. According to testimonials from musicologists and historians of music, the name salsa was gradually accepted among dancers throughout various decades. The very first time the word appeared on the radio was a composition by Ignacio Piñeiro, dedicated to an old African man who sold butifarras (a sausage-like product) in Central Road in Matanzas. It is a son titled Échale salsita. Wherein the major refrain and chorus goes "Salsaaaaa! échale salsita, échale salsita." During the early 1950s, commentator and DJ "bigote" Escalona announced danceables with the title: "the following rhythm contains Salsa." Finally, the Spanish-speaking population of the New York area baptized Celia Cruz as the "Queen of Salsa." Salsa is danced on music with a recurring eight-beat pattern, i.e. two bars of four beats. Salsa patterns typically use three steps during each four beats, one beat being skipped. However, this skipped beat is often marked by a tap, a kick, a flick, etc. Typically the music involves complicated percussion rhythms and is fast with around 180 beats per minute (see salsa music for more). Salsa is a spot dance, i.e., unlike Foxtrot or Samba, in Salsa a couple does not travel over the dance floor much, but rather occupies a fixed area on the dance floor. In some cases people do the Salsa in solo mode.

History

Salsa music is a fusion of traditional African and Cuban and other Latin-American rhythms that started in New York, somewhere between the 1940s and the 1970s, depending on where one puts the boundary between "real" salsa and its predecessors. The dance steps currently being danced on salsa music originate from the Cuban son, but has influences from many other Cuban dances such as Mambo, Chá, Guaracha, Changuí, Lukumí, Palo Monte, Rumba, Yambú, Abakuá, Comparsa and some times Mozambique even. It also integrates swing dances. There are no strict rules of how salsa should be danced, although one can distinguish a number of styles, which are discussed below.

Steps

:See the Wikibooks module on the Salsa to see some diagrams. The basic movement occurring in the dance patterns of the various salsa styles is the stepping on the beat of the music. Salsa is best grouped in pairs of 4-beat patterns counted "1-2-3-...-5-6-7-...". The leader starts on count 1 by stepping with the left foot. On count 2 and 3, they step with right and left, respectively. On count 4, the lead pauses or makes an optional tap with the right foot. On counts 5, 6, and 7, they step with right, left, and right, respectively, again followed by a pause on count 8. As a standard, every step must be taken with full weight transfer. The follower part is identical, but with left and right reversed. In all patterns and styles, the leader starts with the left foot and the follower starts with the right foot.

Basic Step

The term "basic step" normally refers to a forward-backward motion. On counts 1, 2, and 3, the leader steps forward, replaces, and steps backward. On count 5, 6, and 7, they step backwards, replace, and step forward again. The follower does the same, but with forward and backward reversed, so that the couple goes back and forth as a unit. This basic step is part of many other patterns. For example, the leader may dance the basic step while leading the follower to do an underarm turn. The following variants of the Basic step may be used, often called breaks.
- Forward break: Starting from any foot, step Forward, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or 5,6,7.
- Back break: Starting from any foot, step Backward, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or 5,6,7.
- Side break: Starting from any foot, step Sideways, Replace, In-place, counting 1,2,3 or 5,6,7.

On One and On Two

Salsa danced according to the above description is called Salsa on One, or briefly, "On One", because it starts on the first count of the 8-beat rhythm. If first step (with the left foot) occurs on count 2 or 6, it is called "On Two". This Basic Step pattern and timing are known also as "Power 2", "Palladium 2" or "Ballroom Mambo" style. This creates a distinction from another step pattern known as "NY Style 2" or "Eddie Torres Style". Some consider dancing "On Two" to work more closely to the clave rhythm, the most basic rhythm of salsa music, as the steps start on the first tick of a 2-3 son clave. However, dancing "On One" hits just as many beats in the clave and hits the first tick if the music is using a 3-2 style son clave. In short it's a matter of personal preference which counting to use, and most people prefer the counting of the style they were taught first when they began dancing salsa.

Salsa styles

There are many characteristics that may identify a style. There may be different step patterns, different timing of steps, particular movement on the dance floor (eg:slot, circular), dancer preference of turns and moves, attitude and others. The presence of one or more of particular elements does not necessarily define a particular style. For example, many styles can be danced "On One" or one style may be danced "On One" or "On Two". The following are brief descriptions of major "recognizable" styles.

Cuban style

Cuban-style salsa is "on one". An essential element is the "cuba step" (also known as Guapea), where the leader does a backward basic on 1-2-3 and a forward basic on 5-6-7. The follower does the same, thereby mirroring the leader's movement. Another characteristic of this style is that in many patterns the leader and follower circle around each other. The cross body lead is an essential step in this style too and is referred to as Dile que no. The LA style is a later derivative of this, the difference again being that the dancers rotate a quarter turn around one another in the process. This move also becomes essential in the more complex derivative of Cuban Casino leading to the many moves of Rueda, or wheel dance. Here multiple couples exchange partners and carry out moves syncronised by a caller. (see examples here:http://www.salsatap.com/salsatap-videos/rueda-video/rueda-video-information1.htm )

Colombian style

This style is common in Latin-American countries. The leader and follower do most of the movements while standing in place. It stems from the Cuban style. As such in many patterns the leader and follower turn around each other.

Los Angeles style

The two essential elements of this dance are the forward/backward basic as described above, and the cross-body lead. In this pattern, the leader steps forward on 1, steps to the right on 2-3 while turning 90 degrees counter-clockwise (facing to the left). The follower then steps forward on 5-6, and turns on 7-8, while the leader makes another 90 degrees counter-clockwise. After these 8 counts, the leader and follower have exchanged their positions. LA style salsa is also known to be the most flashy style commonly danced. The Vazquez brothers are widely credited with developing the LA style of salsa. Luis still teaches in LA. Here is a link to his bio: http://www.massalsabrava.com/bio.php

New York style or Eddie Torres style

The "NY Style" is a combination of the "On 1" and "On 2" systems. The timing of the steps are on the 1-2-3,5-6-7 as in "On 1" but the breaks (where the body changes direction) occur on the 2 and 6 as in "On 2". NY instructor Eddie Torres developed this step pattern around the late 70's and the 80's and it's definition is quite clear since he is still alive and his followers are keen to keep the style intact. This is their decription of the step: [http://www.salsanewyork.com/ourdancemusic.htm#DEFINITION Description of "On Two" on salsanewyork.com]

Power 2 / Palladium 2 / Ballroom Mambo

This style is similar to Los-Angeles style, but it is danced "On Two". The basic step timing is 2-3-4,6-7-8 with the breaks on 2 and 6. It is important to note that although this style is also known as dancing "En Clave", the name is not implying that the step timing should follow the rhythm of the Clave as in 2-3 or 3-2. It only means that you take the first step (and break) on the second beat of the measure.

On Clave

This does indeed follow the 2-3 or 3-2 pattern of the clave, e.g. for the 2-3 clave the leader steps forward with the left on 2 and with the right on 3, then does the other 4 steps of the basic on 5-8 (syncronizing with the clave on 5 and 8). It's a traditional form and it's less known/used outside some latin countries.

Puerto Rican style

This style can be danced as "On One" or "On Two". If danced as "On Two", it is always danced on count 2, and not on count 6 as in Ladies-style NY.

Rueda style

Main article: Rueda de Casino. In the 1950s Salsa Rueda (Rueda de Casino) was developed in Havana, Cuba. Pairs of dancers form a circle (Rueda in Spanish), with dance moves called out by one person. Many of the moves involve rapidly swapping partners.

Shines

Normally Salsa is a partner dance, danced in a handhold. However advanced dancers always include shines, which are basically "show-offs" and involve fancy footwork and body actions, danced in separation. They are supposed to be improvisational breaks, but there are a huge number of "standard" shines. Also, they fit best during the mambo sections of the tune, but they may be danced whenever the dancers feel appropriate. They are a good recovery trick when the connection or beat is lost during a complicated move, or simply to catch the breath.

External links

- [http://www.afrolatino.net Afrolatino.net Média Evènementiels Salsa, Afro, Rock, Danses à 2, Cours, Stages, Soirées, Concerts, Festivals]
- Open Directory Project: [http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Performing_Arts/Dance/Latin/Salsa/ Salsa]
- [http://www.salsaandmerengue.com Salsa and Merengue] SalsaAndMerengue.com Lots of Latin Dance info
- [http://www.salsaloco.com/knowledge.htm Knowledge section of salsaloco.com]
- [http://www.latindance.com/history_of_salsa.htm History of salsa music at latindance.com]
- [http://www.geocities.com/sd_au/mambo/sdhmambo.htm Mambo, salsa, cha cha cha history at StreetDance Australia]
- [http://www.lavozdelmambo.com Current News/Interviews in Salsa about Musicians and Dancers at LaVozDelMambo.com]
- [http://www.etownsalsa.com Current Salsa News and Knowledge Base at EtownSalsa.com]
- [http://www.salsacity.com/text/cuban-motion Cuban Motion: Latin-dance Hip-action for Salsa] Category:Latin dances Category:Partner dance ja:サルサ (音楽)

Frame (dance)

Frame is the position maintained by dancers during partner dancing. Maintenance of the frame provides connection. Frame is achieved in all dances. Some dances, such as modern ballroom (International Standard, American Smooth), the frame is much more pronounced than in others where it is more subtle. Essentially, frame means that the shoulders and arms of both the leader and the follower maintain the same position throughout the entire dance. Position is maintained relative to oneself as well as relative to one's partner. Frame may be easily achieved through rigidity. It is often taught this way to beginning ballroom dancers. However this is rarely, if ever, desired. Instead, the dance partners should hold each other loosely, using only the effort required to maintain the body position required by the dance. It is only when miscommunication occurs because of inexperience with the dance, the move or each other that effort is required to maintain frame. In ballroom dances, internal muscle tension is applied to ensure that the required position is never lost. At the extreme, this may require rigidity to stay with your partner. Body contact may be employed so that there is enough connection that this rigidity need never make itself felt. Advanced dancers can maintain enough connection without body contact so that rigidity is never required. In street Latin styles, the arms are always loose. Rather than increasing pressure to maintain frame, allow the arms to move, but try to regain position as quickly as possible. In the swing dances, instead of rigidity, use outward directed pressure to maintain the position. Like a spring, the further from desired body position, the greater the force should be. The differences may be illustrated by imagining trying to lead the worst of all possible dance partners, a refrigerator. In the ballroom dances, one would make the arms rigid enough that the legs can push around the refrigerator. In the swing dances, one would let the arms give, increasing pressure until it matched the weight of the refrigerator, moving the refrigerator. In the street latin dances, the arms would collapse until the body collapsed into the refrigerators. You've now achieved body contact and can push the refrigerator around with your body. Since the refrigerator is indifferent to the body contact, it can be maintained. If the refrigerator started showing signs of discomfort, one would have to simplify ones dance to the point where frame is not required. For followers, one can imagine an unpredictably moving bulldozer rather than a refrigerator. In ballroom, one would become rigid and let the bulldozer take you for a ride. In swing you push back against the bulldozer just as much as it's pushing against you, which will fling you across the dance floor. In street latin, after the undesired body contact, a slap across the operator's cheeks might be appropriate. Luckily, one rarely dances with refrigerators or bulldozers, so one shouldn't have to go to extremes to maintain frame, even if the move is completely new to the follower. Category:Partner dance technique

Body contact (dance)

Body contact is a style of closed position in partner dancing.

Body contact as dance technique

In some partner dances, the connection between the lead and follow is made by direct body contact, instead of a more open frame made with the arms. Body contact may be achieved with the thighs, hips, chest, cheek and/or forehead, depending on the style of dance, the connection needed for a particular move, or to fit the mood of the music. Body contact is often employed in ballroom dancing with advanced dancers or between dancers who are comfortable with each other. It is generally employed to enhance connection. Competition ballroom dancers often connect at the thighs and hips and then arch their backs to achieve the distinctive ballroom frame. When connecting across the inner thighs, the partners would be in an offset position to the left of each other. The inside of the right thigh would then touch the inside of the partner's right thigh. The inside of the follow's left thigh may also touch the outside of the partner's right. Some swing dances use body contact. In Balboa and Collegiate Shag, dancers are chest to chest. The hips are tilted away. Balboa generally employs thigh contact, but Shag usually doesn't. Forehead may be used in certain styles. Charleston employs contact between the outer thighs when danced side-by-side. Blues dancing may be done with all or none of the above types of body contact. If you're "dancing cheek to cheek", you're doing the blues (or it could be the Tango). Argentine Tango is usually danced with body contact. In tango, this is called dancing "on the body." The dancers are connected at the chest. They make continous connections across the thighs and with the feet. Body contact in dance can be intimate and erotic. It lends these traits to ballroom, street dances, and modern club dance. Category:Dance technique Category:Partner dance technique

Frame (dance)

Open position

In couples dancing, open position refers to positions in which partners are connected primarily at the hands as opposed to closer body contact, as in closed position. Many forms of dancing utilize this position. Swing (East Coast, West Coast, Lindy Hop), and Latin are primary examples, but an open position is used in waltz, country, and other styles at times. The connection is through the hands, wrists, and fingers, and relies heavily on frame and the compression and tension of both partners' arms. Category:Dance

Body contact (dance)

Body contact is a style of closed position in partner dancing.

Body contact as dance technique

Ballroom dance

Ballroom dance is a style of partner dance which originated in the Western world and is now enjoyed both socially and competitively around the globe. Its performance and entertainment aspects are also widely enjoyed on stage, in film, and on television. The term "ballroom dancing" is derived from the word "ball", which in turn originates from the latin word "ballare" which means "to dance". The definition of "ballroom dance" depends on the era. Balls have featured Minuet, Quadrille, Polonaise, Pas de Gras, Mazurka, and other popular dances of the day, which are now placed into the category of historical dances. In times past, ballroom dancing was "social dancing" of privileged classes, leaving "folk dancing" for the lower classes. Today ballroom dancing is much more democratic, and the boundaries between once-polarized ballroom and folk dances become blurred. However, even in times long gone many "ballroom" dances were elevated folk dances. Most competitive ballroom dances were social and/or folk dances before being formalized as ballroom dances, and many of these dances are still danced as social and folk dance. Ballroom dancing has been in continual use as a social art form since its inception with one obvious exception in the 20th century. Dance historians usually mark the appearance of the Twist in the mid 1960s as the end of social partner dancing, and they credit what was then called the Latin Hustle for bringing it back in the late 1970s. Today, two main types of ballroom dancing exist: competitive ballroom dancing, with its competitions, schools, societies, and books of technique, and social ballroom dancing, with its emphasis on having fun. folk dances

Competitive dancing

Contemporary ballroom dance technique has been extensively studied and formalized. Medal examinations enable dancers' abilities to be recognized according to conventional standards. In North America, examination levels include Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Medal exams are normally performed by students who are less advanced than competitive dancers (someone who passes a Bronze exam would not likely compete at the Bronze level in a formal competition). Amateur competitive dance levels range from Pre-bronze/Newcomer-> Bronze-> Silver-> Gold-> Novice-> Prechampionship-> Championship (roughly corresponding to the E->..-> A-> S levels in Europe and Australia), then Rising Star and Open Professional for the pro ranks. The International Olympic Committee recognizes competitive ballroom dance as DanceSport. Coming from grouping dances in competitions, the following divisions of contemporary ballroom dance are recognized: International Standard and International Latin. In addition, American Smooth, and American Rhythm are widely popular in the USA. The former two divisions are called International Style and the latter two are American Style. Both International and American styles include dances with the same names. However, they are danced quite differently. Therefore, when discussing dance technique, the dance is named including its style, e.g., it is spoken of American Style Rumba vs. International Rumba or American Tango vs. International Tango. "Standard" corresponds to "Smooth" and "Latin" corresponds to "Rhythm". Australia also has a division called New Vogue and is often referred to as 'Australian New Vogue'. It is danced both competitively and socially. In competition there are 15 recognised New Vogue dances which are performed by the competitors in sequence. As a historical curiosity, ballroom dancing competitions in the former USSR included the Soviet Ballroom dances, or Soviet Programme, in addition to Standard dances and Latin dances. International Standard is sometimes called International Ballroom or Modern Ballroom. Standard and Smooth are travelling dances: couples travel around the dance floor (along the line of dance (LOD), counter-clockwise). Time may be 2/4 (tango), 4/4 (Foxtrot, Quickstep), 3/4 (Waltz), or 6/8 (Viennese Waltz). Most Latin and Rhythm dances are spot dances, which do not travel, although Samba and Paso Doble travel along the LOD. Time is 2/4 or 4/4.

Social ballroom

Of course, all the above can be and are danced socially in numerous dance clubs, schools, and studios. In addition, in social ballroom dancing, as well as in dance competitions in the United States the Nightclub dance category is recognized, which includes dances such as Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing, and Hustle. Nightclub dances are less formalized than the others. A number of them are proudly called Street dances. Nightclub dances are danced differently in different places, and club/street styles differ from the styles taught in ballroom studios. Another category recently formalized in Europe is the "Latin Swing" class, which consists of five dances: Tango Argentino, Mambo, Lindy Hop, Swing Boogie (sometimes also known as Nostalgic Boogie), and Disco Fox. There's also a Rock'n'Roll dance variant accepted as a social dance. Akin to "Ballroom dances" and "Nightclub dances" are Country and Western dances, danced both competitively and socially at C/W bars, clubs, and ballrooms. A related category is Regional Ballroom Dances. One example would be the subcategory of Cajun dances which originated in New Orleans, with branches reaching both coasts of the United States.

Rogers and Astaire

The on-screen dance pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers was highly influential on ballroom dancing. Although both actors had independent projects and careers (Fred Astaire had many other partners and Ginger Rogers won an Academy Award for a dramatic role), their filmed dance sequences have reached iconic status. Much of their work centred on portraying social dance, but the performances were highly choreographed, often by Astaire or Hermes Pan, meticuously staged, and rehearsed endlessly. Ballroom dance historians also note their portrayal of Vernon and Irene Castle. Their work has greatly influenced social ballroom syllabuses in the USA. In fact, the American Smooth ballroom dance style was developed based on Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray influences. There are numerous dance schools of Fred Astaire Dance Studios franchises across the USA, and 'Fred & Ginger' classes and workshops remain popular.

Classic ballroom

There are also classic and vintage dance societies, dedicated to the performance and preservation of the ballroom dances of the past. These companies may perform at special events attired in costume. Some ballroom dance instructors specialize in the dances of one place or time, or in fad dances, short-lived, time-specific dances which may be associated with the music or style of an era ("The Twist") or a particular song ("YMCA", "La Macarena").

Performance and exhibition

While nightclub and street dances tend to focus on connection between partners and musicality, ballroom dances tend to focus more on performing to an audience. Of course, ballroom dancers do learn about connection and musicality, and club dancers are often excellent performers. But, ballroom dancers will tend to put appearance above connection, while club dancers will tend to focus primarily on their partners. Consequently, competitive ballroom dance essentially consists of a number of couples, each performing for the audience's attention. Since ballroom dance is so participation-oriented, most of the audience are themselves dancers, so this format works well; everyone gets a chance to try to outperform their peers. However, there are several noncompetitive forms of ballroom performance. Visiting professionals will generally give a showcase as part of a workshop, and often the winners of the higher levels of competition will be invited to give a short victory dance after the awards are presented. Studios also commonly hold showcases where their students can show off what they've learned. There is also a growing interest in formation dance, which is also performance-oriented.

Dance grouping

:International Standard :- Waltz - Tango - Viennese Waltz - Foxtrot - Quickstep :International Latin :- Cha-cha - Samba - Rumba - Paso Doble - Jive :American Smooth :- Waltz - Foxtrot - Tango - Viennese Waltz :American Rhythm :- Cha-cha - Mambo - Rumba - Bolero - East Coast Swing :Nightclub :- Nightclub Two-step - Hustle - Modern Jive / LeRoc / Ceroc - and the whole swing variety: West Coast Swing / East Coast Swing / Lindy Hop / Carolina Shag / Collegiate Shag / Balboa :Latin nightclub : - Salsa - Merengue - Cumbia - Bachata - Cha-cha : Country/Western : All dances listed here are better to bear the "C/W" qualifier when discussed in non-C/W context. :- Polka - Cha-cha - Two-step - Waltz - ... :or rather: :- C/W Polka - C/W Cha-cha - C/W Two-step - C/W Waltz - ... : Cajun dances :- Cajun One Step - Cajun Two Step - Zydeco - Cajun Waltz - Cajun Jitterbug :Other :- Argentine tango :- Polka

World Champions

- Standard World Champions
- Latin World Champions

Lindy Hop

Lindy Hop is a street jazz dance that evolved in Harlem, Manhattan, New York in the late 1920s and early 1930s that emerged with swing jazz. Lindy Hop is a fusion of many dances from all over the United States from the early 1900s, but is mainly based on the Charleston. Lindy Hop combines the movements and improvization of African dances with the formal 8-count structure of European dances. African dances usually separate the men from the women. Europeans invented partner dancing.

Social and performance dancing

Lindy Hop is a partner jazz dance popular in the United States and much of Europe (Including Russia, Ukraine, Hungary and other Eastern European countries). Large communities of dancers also exist in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Practitioners congregate to dance socially, in performances, or in competitions. While Lindy Hop is mainly practiced a partnered dance, it does contain many elements of jazz dance and early african-american dance forms such as jazz dance, tap, minstrel dancing, cakewalk, Black Bottom, Rumba and recently hip hop. Certain dancers would choose to include many elements of jazz dance in their partnered dancing sequences. Lindy Hop can also be danced without a partner, and many Lindy Hop routines are in fact concert dance choreographies, such as the following jazz era originals: Shim Sham, Big Apple, Tranky Doo, and the more recent Jitterbug Stroll. Other forms of solo Lindy Hop usually take the form of improvisation based on Charleston moves, Traditional Jazz moves (such as boogie steps, shorty george, Suzie Q, etc.) and contemporary jazz and modern dance movement. Solo Lindy Hop is sometimes executed as part of a partner dance when one or both of the partner initiates a "breakaway" causing the partners to separate their connection and dance solo with each other using (if at all) visual lead and follow cues. See links to various lindy hop jazz routines at the bottom of the article.

Social dancing

The purpose of social dancing is to have fun, socialize, and celebrate a shared love of movement and music. It is traditional for the man to ask the woman to dance, but at contemporary swing dances, both men and women ask each other. As with other partnered dances, most partnerships are with a male lead and a female follower, but other combinations do occur. More important than moves is connection (in simple form, any point of body contact between partners is connection), which allows both partners to communicate. Social dancers are generally concerned about connection, whether their partner "feels good," rather than whether their partner is capable of doing a number of moves in succession. This connection also allows both partners to style with each other and the music, resulting in a totally improvised, musical dance. Dancers at social events usually have a wide range of skill levels, so cooperating with one's partner matters as much as dancing skill. Dancing with a new partner is a study in flexibility and calibration. What can the new partner do? What are his or her limitations? What does he or she like to do? Dancing with a regular partner is an opportunity to play and practice difficult moves, such as aerials (which are dangerous without regular practice). Most social lindy hoppers dress casually, preferring loose pants and breathable materials. However, some dancers do dress in vintage clothing from the 1920s, 1930s, or 1940s, and some dancers dress in their best formal clothing (though that is a rarity among younger crowds). Lindy Hop is typically done at social events, bars, clubs, dance studios, college student organizations, or private parties. Many venues also provide lessons, either as a drop-in before the scheduled dance, private instruction, or class or progressive lessons. And occasionally, one will find workshops. Sometimes clubs and events have jam circles, where one person or a small group of people dance, alternating partners. Others join by "stealing" in. Jam circles often recognize birthdays and special occasions. When an especially fast-tempo song is played a jam circle will occasionally form in which various couples take turns showing off their skills. Social events have DJs or live jazz or blues bands. It is possible to dance Lindy Hop to even rock music, so DJs play a spectrum of music from the 1920s to today, tending to concentrate on big band music from the 1930s and 1940s. Bands can play a wide variety of music from big band standards to blues to original compositions.

Performance dancing

Lindy Hop is fun to watch. Choreographed routines are performed at clubs, at private parties, on stage, and in movies. Performances are opportunities for dancers to show off their best moves and aerials. Performance groups that had an impact on the development of Lindy Hop include the following:
- Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, New York City, founded in 1935
- Big Apple Lindy Hoppers, New York City
- Rhythm Hot Shots, from Sweden, founded in 1985, now called the Harlem Hot Shots. The Rhythm Hot Shots have been a major driving force in the worldwide revival of Lindy Hop from the 1980s onward.
- Loose Change, San Francisco, California. Blends Lindy Hop with hip hop and African-modern dance. Their influence on the future of Lindy Hop and its ties with hip hop remains to be seen. A professional Lindy Hop performance group is not different from other dance companies from different genres (Such as a jazz dance company). Some difference do exist due the nature of Lindy Hop as a social dance, its roots as a self-learned street dance, and the comparative lack of experts, schools, resources, and public demand that other genres may have (such as ballet or modern dance). Other dance forms also enjoy the advantage of having a tradition of starting a dance training at an early age. Essentially the main reason to be in a performance group is the love of dancing. The more a dancer loves to dance, the more they want to push on and achieve greater things. Reasons to form or be in such a company vary, but usually belong to one or more of the following categories:
- Artistic reasons (pursuing the art of dancing, and the continuous artistic expression through jazz dance and Lindy Hop),
- Commercial reasons (to perform at paid "gigs" - essentially continuing the tradition of Vaudeville and supplying entertainment for those who pay for it),
- Competition (to compete with a selected team, set choreographies and test one's skills versus other dance teams)
- Practice (to enhance the dancers of the participating dancers, work on new materials or engage in dance movement that is not possible on the social dance floor - such as aerials or other moves that require pre-arranged agreement between the dancers/partners)

Competition dancing

The two main forms of competition are Jack and Jill competitions and Showcase competitions. Jack and Jill: Jack and Jill competitions imitate social dancing. Dancers perform up to five different songs. The songs are often one to two minute clips with different speeds and textures. The songs are usually not announced ahead of time. Sometimes, dancers will have the same partner for all songs, and other times, dancers have a different partner for each dance. Sometimes dancers choose their partners, and other times, dancers are paired randomly. Some clubs hold Jack and Jill competitions about once a month. Showcase: Showcase competitions are for choreographed performance routines. Showcase competitions are usually done at regional and national events. Showcases can be for pairs or groups. Some of the major Lindy Hop competitions, many of which have both Jack and Jill and Showcase divisions, include the following:
- Ultimate Lindy Hop Show Down
- American Lindy Hop Championship
- Australian Jitterbug Championships
- Canadian Swing Championships
- Harvest Moon Ball
- National Jitterbug Championship
- World Jitterbug Championship

History

Lindy Hop is a fusion of American dances that emerged in the late 1920s, and continues evolving today. In the 1920s and 1930s, ballrooms across the United States sponsored dance contests, where dancers invented, tried, and competed with new moves. In the 1910s and 1920s, at the circuit of Vaudeville halls across the U.S., professionals honed their skills in tap and other dances of the era. In the 1910s through the 1950s, Harlem was an entertainment district, where people from all walks of life, all races, and all classes came together. The Cotton Club featured black performers and catered to the rich, glamorous, and white clientele, while the Savoy Ballroom catered to average, working, and mostly black clientele. So of course, Swing jazz and Lindy Hop evolved at the Savoy. Electric lighting and air conditioning made evening social entertainment available to everybody. This was a new era of dance halls and live music.

Pre-Lindy era (1920 to 1927)

Lindy Hop primarily evolved out of Breakaway, with influences from Charleston, tap, and many other dances. This era ended when the Black Bottom dance craze took hold of the country in 1926, sweeping away interest in the Charleston.

Tap Dance (Jazz) (1900 to 1955)

Tap dance was invented in the mid-1800s, possibly in New York City, where Irish, Scottish, African immigrants competed with each other in dance contests. The fusion of foot dances from many sources created tap. From 1900 to 1955, tap dance was the dominant performance dance form in the U.S. The Vaudeville and T.O.B.A. (black Vaudeville) circuits hired many professional tap dancers. There were skilled tap dancers in every city in the U.S. Vaudeville performers toured in circuits, performing in cities across the U.S. Travelling performers were exposed to dances all over the country, which laid the ground work for the fusion called Lindy Hop. In the early 1900s, tap dance was called jazz dance. Flying swing outs and flying circles are Lindy Hop moves with tap footwork.

Charleston (1922 to 1926)

The Charleston was invented by 1903, but it may have developed from a much older dance called the Branle. The Charleston was danced to ragtime jazz. Females who danced the Charleston were called flappers. The Charleston was featured in Harlem stage productions in 1913. On Broadway in 1922, the Charleston was featured in the Zeigfeld Follies. The next year, both the play Liza and the Aubrey Lyles show Runnin' Wild featured the Charleston on Broadway. A nationwide craze for the Charleston began in 1922 as a result of these shows. External link: [http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3chrlst.htm http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3chrlst.htm]

Black Bottom (1926 to 1927)

Black Bottom was a dance from New Orleans, Louisiana around 1900. In 1924, the stage play Dinah introduced the Black Bottom to the New York public. In 1926 and 1927, the George White Scandals featured Black Bottom at the Apollo Theatre. Black Bottom swept the country in 1926 and 1927 and replaced Charleston as the most popular social dance.

Other dances

The influences of other dances can be seen through the specific moves that remain in Lindy Hop, like shag basics, the Texas Tommy, and the Apache swing out. Apache: This dance was danced in closed position, except for the move where the follow moved out in an apache spin. Texas Tommy: This dance is remembered for the Texas Tommy spin. Tap Charleston (1925 to 1926): Leonard Reed was said to have invented Tap Charleston after he learned tap in 1925. Tap Charleston was the Charleston with breaks into open position to do tap steps. The connection between Breakaway and Tap Charleston is murky. It could be the same thing attributed to Leonard Reed or something else. Other: Other dances that influenced Lindy Hop include Collegiate Shag.

Classic era (1927 to 1935)

This era was inspired by ragtime jazz. Lindy Hop evolved from the combination of Breakaway and Charleston. Dancers, like George Snowden (Shorty George) opened up Breakaway and Charleston. The partners moved closer together and further apart while spinning to make the moves more interesting, eventually creating the swing out. According to legend, George Snowden renamed the dance from Breakaway to Lindy Hop at dance contests at the Harvest Moon Ball in Central Park in September 1927 or at the Savoy Ballroom in 1928 (the story varies). Lindy Hop was named in honor of Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic airplane flight in 1927. In slang of the late 1800s and early 1900s, a lindy was a young woman; it was also the popular nickname of aviator Lindbergh, often called "Lucky Lindy" (although he personally disliked the nickname). Many dance events at the turn of the century were called "lindy dances" or "lindy hops", so the transatlantic flight may not have been the origin of the name, but it did sanction and popularized the name. It gave a white identity to a black dance, making it possible for the whole country to enjoy. Lindy Hop dancers were originally banned from the Savoy Ballroom, because they took more space than other dancers and often kicked other dancers. The "Cat's Corner" began when Lindy Hop dancers gathered in one corner of the Savoy ballroom to dance. As Lindy Hop became popular, the Savoy relented and welcomed Lindy Hop dancers. (Reference: Frankie Manning's Northern California Lindy Society workshop interview, January 2002) The most notable dance troupe of the classic era was the Shorty George Trio, which inspired many other dancers and troupes to take up Lindy Hop. Prohibition ended in 1933, and Cab Calloway moved from the Savoy to the Cotton Club in 1934. These and other events sparked a change in generation of musicians and dancers.

Aerials era (1935 to 1941)

Lindy Hop exploded in 1935 with a new generation of musicians and dancers. Swing music became popular nationwide, thanks to the Benny Goodman Orchestra. The Savoy was the hottest dance club in New York City, which meant it was the hottest club in the world. Chick Webb was the leader of the house band at the Savoy. His vocalist was the teenage Ella Fitzgerald. Frankie Manning turned 21, invented aerials in Lindy Hop, and challenged George Snowden as the leading dancer at the Savoy. Whitey's Lindy Hoppers formed before aerials. Whitey was the head bouncer at the Savoy, and he arranged for dancers to perform at parties. George Snowden had been away, performing professionally, so a new generation of dancers became active. A rivalry and a challenge sprang up over whether Shorty George and his crowd or Frankie Manning and his crowd were the better dancers. Shorty George and his partner Big Bea often finished dances with a move where Big Bea picked Shorty George up on her back and carried him off the floor while he kicked his feet. Frankie Manning wanted to outdo Shorty George, so he convinced his partner Freda Washington to do a back-to-back flip. This became the first Lindy Hop aerial and won the contest. When Shorty George asked Frankie Manning where he got the move, he said, "From you." Frankie Manning then had to explain. The most notable dance troupe of the aerials era was Whitey's Lindy Maniacs, also known as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, the Congeroos, and other names, which was led by Hubert White and starred Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, among others. The troupe performed around the world from 1935 to 1941. They performed at private parties and on Broadway. They danced in many movies, including Hellzapoppin' and the Marx Brothers' A Day at the Races. They also performed for the King and Queen of the United Kingdom. This era ended when World War II began and the country became preoccupied with other things.

World War II era (1941 to 1945)

During the war, many top performers were drafted into military service. Lindy Hop became a wartime recreation. It was imported (in a bastardised form) into Europe by American soldiers. In 1943, Life magazine featured Lindy Hop on its cover and called it America's National Folk Dance.

Post-war era (1945 to 1984)

After the war, music changed. Jazz musicians wanted patrons to pay attention and listen, not to dance. Jazz became more complex and not danceable. Lindy Hop spawned both East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing and influenced many other dances, like Carolina Shag, which thrived. Lindy Hop appeared in movies throughout the 1940s. Frankie Manning eventually could not keep steady work as a dancer after the war, so he joined the post office. Lindy Hop appeared infrequently in movies ever since then. During this era, East Coast Swing was adopted as a part of the ballroom repertoire. It was codified and simplified. It adopted the ballroom concept of frame. Music changed from swing to rock. One particular factor was economics. It was much cheaper for music venues and clubs to employ music groups of only three to six people, as opposed to the larger big band orchestras that Lindy Hop dancers typically enjoyed. Television also gave people more distractions than ever before. Lindy Hop slowly faded away to memory.

Revival era (1984 to present)

Lindy Hop never really died out, as it continued to be occasionally danced by older couples who had learned the dance as teenagers in the 1940s and by a few small groups of new young dancers. But it was no longer a well-known fad. Lindy Hop revived when a group of Swedish dancers (later The Rhythm Hot Shots) travelled to Harlem New York City seeking any original Lindy Hoppers who were still living. They had seen the old movies with Lindy Hop and wanted to know more from the original dancers. They found Al Minns, one of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. Californian dancers Steven Mitchell and Erin Stevens also visited Frankie Manning in 1984 on a similar mission. These two groups, American and Swedish, sought out the historical underpinnings of the Lindy Hop dance through independent means. They originally had no connection to each other, and to this day it is unknown as to why isolated populations sought to revive Lindy Hop dance at approximately the same time. Within a year, these dancers sparked a Lindy Hop revival that continues today. Al Minns, Frankie Manning and Norma Miller came out of retirement and toured the world teaching Lindy Hop. There was a globalization of Lindy Hop as well as swing music and culture. Each major city and Lindy Hop/swing community has the basic 8-count step, although they each display their own local accent or flavor. Modern globalization of Lindy Hop was assisted by the concept of the Lindy Exchange. Other events that sparked the revival include the following:
- The Rhythm Hot Shots from Sweden performed all over the world.
- The 1993 movie Swing Kids, about Lindy Hop dancers in pre-war Germany, was a hit.
- The 1996 movie Swingers has a climactic swing dance scene.
- The 1998 Gap commercial "Khaki Swing" caused a boom that lasted for several years in the U.S. The major styles of Lindy Hop danced today are Savoy-Style Lindy Hop, which keeps the original New York City style, and Hollywood-Style Lindy Hop, which resembles West Coast Swing. Today, Some Lindy Hop dancers continue evolving the dance with influences from Hip Hop (styling and music), West Coast Swing and Salsa while others explore Jazz, Tap and other Traditional Jazz and Afro-American dances as resources to expand and enrich Lindy Hop.

Dance movement, moves and patterns

Lindy Hop is based on jazz dance and tap dance body movement. Modern Lindy Hop sometimes incoperates movement principles from other schools of dance such as hip hop. Lindy Hop, being a jazz dance, does not have a single "basic move" as compared to other partner dance forms. It relies on the artistic expression of the dancers involved, whether dancing in a pair, solo or as a part of a routine. There are, however, a number of popular patterns. Some of them are important because they embed key principles of Lindy Hop motion and offer a skeleton on which a dance can be built. The two key dance patterns of Lindy Hop are the swingout, an 8-count move that usually starts and ends in open position, and the Charleston, an 8-count move that usually starts and ends in closed position. Both moves have many variations. Lindy Hop dancers often use these two dance patterns as a skeleton on which to create their dance choreography - an instant choreography improvised by the dancers on the dance floor at the time of social dancing. Most social Lindy Hop dances are built around variations of the swingout pattern with expansions many improvisational moves. Lindy Hop uses 8-count steps extensively, reflecting the structure of swing music, as well as other counts. The traditional movement is clockwise, which is the opposite of ballroom. See Lindy Hop moves for a list of Lindy Hop dance moves.

Musicality

Musicality is the skill allowing the dancer to create and execute choreography (either prepared in advance or improvised on the spot on the dance floor) to match - and, more significately, represent the music - including the melody and the rhythm. A perfect musicality would mean that the dances create pure dance movements that contains the entire elements of the music, or those elements that the dancers choose to accentrate in order to create their dance or artistic statement. In a perfect world, a viewer shoule be able to "see" the song in the dancers' movements, so even without music, the song would still be recongnizable through the dance itself. In jazz music, there are many elements in a song that could trigger musicality. It can be the melody, or the counter-melody, the phrases and breaks in the melody, the beat, the back beat, the drums, the bass, the keys of the piano or any other musical or rhytmic element of the song. The development of musicality progresses from new dancers who focus on moves independent of the music to advanced dancers focusing on musicality which fits the moves to the music. Musicality requires knowing the moves cold and knowing the structure of the music.

Partnering technique

Partnering technique is the element of Lindy Hop which controls the communication of the dancers engaged in the dance - the dance partners. Partnering technique allows both dancers to lead and follow dance movement, move together, and/or communicate dance ideas to each other either in an open conversation or a call and response structure. See also: Connection

Music

Music to dance to

Lindy Hop, as a Jazz dance, is most suited to the music from which it originated - Jazz with a swinging rhythm - including swing jazz, Dixieland, traditional jazz, Hot Jazz and most rhytmic forms of jazz from the jazz era (1920s to 1940s). After the end of the jazz era, Lindy Hop continued to be danced to the various musical forms that evolved, as long as they had a clear swinging rhythm. Such forms include blues, rhythm and blues, jump blues, jazz, groove, and soul. Nowdays, Lindy Hop is danced to a vareity of music, and most times, the choice of musical style depends on the venue and dance scene. While some clubs prefer dancing to swing jazz music, some clubs play other types of music, or modern music. The topic of which music is Lindy Hop's music is hotly debated in the swing community, and it is the cause of much artistic discussion as to the definition of the dance. In an interview at a Northern California Lindy Society workshop, Frankie Manning has said the following: "Lindy is most interesting when danced to live bands. Traditionally, Lindy Hop is danced to swing jazz, but dancers also enjoy ragtime jazz, bebop, blues, rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and rock and roll, and rap, that has a moderate speed. With live bands, dancers cannot predict the songs so easily, so they must pay closer attention which helps them improvize. Originally, musicians would imitate the dancers." (Reference: Frankie Manning, Northern California Lindy Society workshop interview, 2002)

Musical styling

The artistic Development of the dance is well connected and shaped to the type of music used for the pursuit of dancing. While there is no definite "black and white" division between various schools of Lindy Hop and their music, we can define three main groups of Lindy Hop music and musical styling:
- Schools of Lindy Hop which pursue swing jazz and authentic jazz music generally display a style of dancing borrowing and expanding the original Lindy Hop of the 1930s, complete with high energy, bouncey steps, aerial steps, Charleston steps, tap steps, complex rhythmic patterns, and jazz movement.
- Schools of Lindy Hop which pursue more bluesy or modern jazz music display a style which is slower, smoother, "groovier", borrows movement from hip hop or Blues, fluid and relaxed body movements and isolations, and usage of simpler rhythmic patterns.
- Lindy Hop styles based on other types of music such as rock and roll, rockabilly or jump blues are generally a minority niche and less of an influence on the development of the dance form.

Scenes

Lindy Hop tends to be concentrated in small local scenes, although regional, national, and international dance events bring dancers from many of these scenes together. Many Internet forums have emerged in these dance scenes. These message boards serve to provide information to dancers about Lindy Hop and dance events in the geographic area. Yehoodi has become the largest of these and now caters to a national audience, although many smaller local forums (such as Swingmonkey) also exist. The small village of Herräng in Sweden (north of Stockholm) has unofficially become the international Mecca of Lindy Hop due to the annual Herräng Dance Camp.

External links

- [http://www.streetswing.com/homepage.htm Streetswing.com Dance History Archives (Lindy Hop)]
- [http://www.lindycircle.com/history/lindy_hop/ Lindy Hop History]
- [http://dancing.org/lindy-what-is.html What Is Lindy Hop?]
- [http://www.herrang.com/ Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden]
- [http://www.it-must-schwing.de/index_en.php it-must-schwing.de] - German based Lindy Hop page
- [http://dancers.org dancers.org - Find other Lindy Hoppers]
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Dance move

Dance moves or Dance steps, are the building blocks of many dances. More complex dance moves are called dance patterns, dance figures or dance variations. They are usually isolated, defined, and organized so that beginning dancers can learn and use them independently of each other. Dance moves tend to emphasize the concepts of lead and follow and connection. In most cases dance moves by themselves are independent of musicality, which is the appropriateness of a move to the music (for a notable exception, see Bharatanatyam). The names of moves are somewhat arbitrary and vary from person to person and city to city. For example, circles are also called "rhythm circles" and "reverses". Dance moves blur into each other. For example, the move swing out from close can also be thought of as a groucho to open. Each dance emphasizes its own moves, but often moves are shared by several dances. See :Category:Dance moves for various dance moves, steps, and patterns.

Lead and follow

In partner dancing, the two partners are labelled as the leader and the follower, or lead and follow. Traditionally, the male partner leads and the female partner follows. A leader controls the way the dance will go. He decides which moves or figures will be danced, and how to move the follow. The follower does what the name implies, and follows the lead. For the leader and follower to interact with each other, a connection must be established. More advanced dancers will take many cues from each other, and communicating feedback to the leader to incorporate into leader's own styling and leads. Beginning leaders try to control 99% of the dance. Advanced leaders try to control 51% of the dance. The follower styles her own moves as she likes within the parameters communicated by the lead. The leader has different steps to do than the follower. In face-to-face positions of the couple, the follower generally "mirrors" the leader's footwork, i.e., if the leader begins on the left foot, the follower will begin on the right foot. In choreographed pieces, tandem charleston and other situations where the follower is in a tandem position or shadow position, the leader and follower will use the same footwork. In general, the lead starts by transferring his weight, i.e., moves his body, which moves his arms and the rest of him. In general, the follower starts by being pushed or pulled, which leads her body, which directs her feet and the rest of her. Leaders must initiate every move slightly before the beat for the energy and motion to ripple through and affect the follow on time. One goal of partner dancing is to move in ways that one dancer alone cannot.

Hijacking

Sometimes the follower steals the lead and they reverse roles for some time. This is called hijacking (or, of course, lead stealing). Hijacking requires experience and good connection, since without proper timing it may look like sloppy dancing. A signal for hijacking is typically an unusually changed (mostly, increased) stress in the connection from the follower's side. "Unusually" means more than typically required for the execution of the current step (by these partners). For a follower to hijack, they must be sure that the leader will understand or at least guess the follower's intentions. Advanced swing (dance) dancers do this to enhance their dance connection and to add more fun into the dance. Another way of "breaking the routine" of the dance is syncopation (the second meaning, making more steps than required by the standard description of the dance pattern). Syncopations are easier for the leader to cope with, since the leader does not have to change the intended dance figure, although experienced dancers try and match the fancy footwork of the partner, at least in rhythm. So, in a sense, syncopation may be perceived as mild hijacking. This is not as difficult as it might seem, since good dancers match their footwork to musical accents.

Backleading

The term means that the follower executes steps without waiting for, or contrary to, or interfering with the lead of the leader. This is also called anticipation and usually considered bad dancing habit. The above sounds similar to "hijacking", and indeed it is often used in place of "hijacking". However the two terms have significant differences, stemming from intentions. The first, superficial, difference: hijacking is usually an occasional "outbusrt" of the follower, who otherwise diligently follows the lead, while a "backleader" may do this almost on every other step. The second, a more significant one: hijacking is an actual lead, i.e., a hijacker does their stuff and watches for the leader to follow (reversed roles!), while backleading is taking care only about one's own dancing. In some cases backleading may be OK, e.g., doing a double turn instead of a single turn (unless it endangers the leader). Backleading is often used intentionally by an instructor when dancing with a student leader, in order to help him learn the desired technique. And of course, a backlead is extremely welcome and advised, if it is intended to prevent an accident on the dance floor.

Body lead vs arm lead

A body lead occurs where the leader initiates a lead by moving his body, which moves his arm(s), and thus transmits a lead to the follower. An arm lead occurs where the leader moves his arm(s) without moving his body, or moves his body in a different direction to his arm. In most dances, body leads are preferred to arm leads. It is possible for the leader to move his arm faster than the follower can move her body, so she cannot faithfully follow the lead. This is not possible with a body lead.

Techniques of leading

The leader has to communicate the direction of the movement to the follower. As, traditionally, the right hand of the man is on the left shoulder of the woman, he can easily pull her body towards him (if the partner remains a body tensation), to communicate a step forward (backward for the girl) the woman has to constantly put a little weight against the right hand of the man. When the man goes forward, and so does the hand on her shoulder, she is already going backwards before she notices the cue. The second important leading mechanism is the male left hand, which holds the female right hand. At no point it should be necessary for any partner to firmly grab the other's hand. It is sufficient to press the hand or even only finger tips slightly against each other, the following hand harmonically following the leading hand. The third important leading mechanism is the hip contact. Though not possible in traditional Latin dances because of partner separation like Rumba, Cha-cha, Tango Argentino, hip contact is a harmonic and sensual way of communicating movement to the partner, used primarily in Standard or Ballroom Dances (English / slow Waltz, European Tango, Quickstep etc). Sometimes it is highly necessary to get the figures done correctly and with more ease. In Caribbean dances the hip contact is more for the sensual touch, and quickly gets into the way of the more advanced figures.