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(Lindbergh made his thirty-three hour
flight across the Atlantic Ocean to France successfully on
May 20, 1927.) There are two main stories about the name
that go something like this (the 1st one being the main
one, second being more correct):
1) In September, 1927,
a newspaper reporter having never seen this style of dance
before walked up to the winners at a dance marathon contest
in Central Park in New York, (known as the un-official
start of the Harvest
Moon Ball Contest (later to be tried again in 1934).
This reporter asked the winning couple (Shorty
George!) what it was that they were doing, as he had not
seen it before. Shorty thought for a second and replied "the
Lindy Hop... We flying just like Lindy did!". The newspaper
reporter did an article on the contest in his newspaper and
described what he saw calling it the "Lindy Hop."
2) A dance derby (marathon)
which started on 6/17/1928 at the Manahattan Casino, (155th
Street and Eighth Avenue in Harlem, New York.) Shorty George
(#7) was Dancing in a (supposedly non segregated)
dance marathon and decided to do the Breakaway, a reporter
for the New York Graphic (?Walter Winchell maybe?) observed
and came over and asked what kind of dance he was doing, Snowden
without stopping, thinking quickly replied "The Lindy
Hop... Were flyin' just like Lindy did!"... supposedly
he reported this in his article. Fox Movietone News also captured
Shorty's feet in this derby on film. Shorty became one of
the remaining four couples out of eighty left dancing before
the marathon was closed down on 7/4/1928. The New York Times
announced: "NEGRO DANCE DERBY ENDS.; Stopped After Sixteen
Days by Order of Commissioner Harris." However there
are publications that use the term Lindy Hop (dance) prior
to this date, so number one is maybe closer to the correct
story.
The Lindy was going to
become famous in a rapid pace of time, so fast most instructors
around the country had no idea about it. The Woodland Daily
Democrat Newspaper on September fourteenth of 1927 Miss Sullivan
said that "the Lindy Hop" placed third in the annual
Dance Masters of America (D.M.A.) conference held in New York
and was described by Miss Sullivan when asked about the Lindy
Hop, however it was the Lindbergh Wave Waltz that took third
and that is what she dexcribed (dum-de-dum, dum-de-dum-dum-de-dum),
it was obvious she had no idea what the reporter was talking
about. The Kinkajou was first and
the Dixie Stomp being second place and the Lindy Wave Waltz
was third.
In the last 90 years
the Lindy has become the first form of swing as we know it
today (the Great Grandfather of all Swing if you will)
and along with the Charleston were
the main dances of the 1920's. The Charleston mixed in with
the Lindy, as well as other prior forms of dance such as the
Texas Tommy, Turkey
Trot, Apache Dance,
Black Bottom, The
Shimmy, The Strut, Cakewalk,
The Frisco, Foxtrot,
Tap
and more. These dances were known as "Jazz Dances."
The Lindy was the first form of swing "White America"
had seen and was about to fall in love. Some of these folks
would go to the famous "Savoy
Ballroom" in Harlem and watch the "African-American
dancers" strut their stuff.
Many of these dancers
in 1920's were teaching many of the "White Folks"
to do these dances, thus, they were making a "honorable
living" in a very racist period of time. This became
very competitive among some of African-American dancers, some
would clip papers to their back with phone numbers or a studio
name written on them while they danced. If you liked the way
a dancer danced you could then get in touch with them and
take lessons. Through this type of competition, the dancers
would start to do more wild and crazy stuff to get the attention
of the spectators.
As time went on, dance
contests became more and more "attention getting."
In the 1930's a dancer named "Frankie
Manning" *claimed to add the first Air-Step"
(lifts/ flips) into the Lindy (Al
Minns and Leon
James as well). These and other "Air-Steps"
or Aerials
had been done for years before in other dance styles such
as the tango, waltzes,
Flash and Acrobatic
dance acts, apache
dance etcetera,through many exhibitions by professional club
entertainers, but supposedly had not yet been done in the
Lindy, especially with the speed in which they would be done,
plus add the element of surprise and these aerials would become
completely unique to the Lindy Hop.
In many interviews Frankie
describes how his first "Air-Step" took place: "Frankie
and partner were practicing for a dance contest to try and
beat then King "Shorty George Snowden" at the Savoy,
Frankie and partner, worked out a back flip they *saw (??)
and it worked, they did it in the contest and beat Mr. Snowden."
Also in a book called
"Swing as a Way of Life" (1941) states that "young
dancers like Al
Minns, Joe Daniels, Russell Williams, and Pepsi Bethel
produced the "Back flip, Over Head and the Snatch!."
At any rate, this started the attention getters on to a new
agenda... Aerials!
Over the years aerials
became a main attraction in Lindy competitions and exhibitions,
however, aerials were not permitted at most clubs and ballrooms
during any social type dance while on the dance floor except
during exhibitions or contests as too many dancers and people
around these dancers were getting hurt. Even the famous Harvest
Moon Ball eliminated Aerials during the contests for a
brief period of time.
The Savoy
Ballroom opened in 1926 and was the main haunt for Harlem's
dancers. During this time the original Lindy or Break-A-Way
looked more like couples Charleston,
with a splash of the other dances thrown in rather than today's
style of Lindy. Shorty George was at the head of the pack
during this time frame. The Savoy would later prove to be
the breeding ground for swing as the main dance.
In the early 1930's,
Hubert "Whitey" White was the head bouncer at the
Savoy and noticing an opportunity to make some cash decided
to form a group called "Whitey's Hopping Maniac's,"
later to be known as "
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers ". It was a pretty open market
for him as his only competition was "Shorty George and
his dancers" who were doing most of the exhibitions and
shows around town in ballrooms and clubs such as the Cotton
Club at the time, Shorty would join Whitey's very first
group as well but later quit.
Whitey had auditions
and picked some dancers to start his group. This was to become
the form of Lindy Hop we know today. During the Lindy Hoppers
reign, the Lindy was to take on a newer "Sophisticated
or cleaned up look." The Hoppers went on to become the
main Swing groups of the time and traveled all over the world
performing in many exhibitions, movies, and stage shows. About
the same time ... Dean
Collins was to bring Savoy Style Lindy, a smoother and
slower form to Los Angeles in the early 1930's which gave
birth to today's modern West
Coast swing.
When Benny Goodman became
the "King of Swing," the Lindy Hop would become
known as the "Jitterbug."
The term Jitterbug would eventually be applied to all styles
of swing over the years and the term Lindy Hop would almost
be forgotten about as the term Jitterbug took the reigns.
The main way to tell if the "old movies" (1930-50's)
feature Lindy, West Coast (called rock and roll)
or East Coast Swing is:
1) If they do Sugar pushes its West Coast Swing (Dean Collins
choreography).
2) If no Sugar push its Lindy (probably Whitey's Group).
3) If however there is no Sugar push, Whip or Lindy Circle
then it is East Coast Swing (standard movie choreographers/
stock dancers).
Another form of swing that was extremely popular among white
America about the same time was the Shag.
As time progressed
on, many factors would come into play to change the look and
feel of the original Lindy. Music being the main factor of
change as it seemed every ten years the music changed. ie:
Ragtime to Jazz to Big Band to Big Band Swing to Rock and
Roll to Bop to Motown to Soul to Funk etcetera and many secondary
styles of music surfacing as well such as Latin music, Psychedelic,
Folk Music, Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Rock a Billy, Country
Western, Beach Music etcetera. These music changes would give
new semi-pro dancers who could care less about the past (somewhat
same as today) a new lease on the dance but were doing
it differently as the older dancers either got married, had
kids, died, became handicapped for various non dance reasons,
overwieght and didn't want to go out, or just got older as
well as other factors to long to go into here, so the dance
was changing but was still the same.
Another main factor was
that many "exhibtion dancers" of the day were trying
to invent their own versions as well (example
Champion Strut), usually unsuccessfully as that was
the thing to do for many years, similar to the Line dance
craze a few years back, everyone became a choreographer. New
dancers are always gullable when the words "New Version
or improved or updated, modern etcetera are used to sell them,
however the older pros who lasted kept it somewhat in check
as they usually taught the best. These newer "semi-pros"
were similar to going to a chiropractor to have your tonsils
removed.
Jitterbug/Lindy or whatever
you want to call it stayed as King for many era's, but alas,
all must give way sooner or later. The Twist
dance beecame the death blow for the Lindy Hop/Jitterbug
in 1959. (See Twist
page as to why.)
Many folks ask what style
of swing/Jitterbug is best, West Coast, East Coast, Whip,
Push, Lindy, Shag etc. However, there is no best style. The
best style would depend on what type of music you are dancing
to at the time, Geographics, the theme of the dance being
held, the speed in which the music is played and the dance
knowledge of you and or your partner. If you're partner only
knows one style of swing, then their style would be the best
style to dance with them at that time. If they only know one
style they usually will declare that the style they know is
the best style above all others and usually will make derogatory
statements.
Swing (Jitterbug) is a
wonderful dance form in all it's versions that fits all types
of music, Personalities, Finances etc. Calling yourself a
swing dancer means you can at least do the basics in many
forms of swing and a few well. So learn to swing dance whatever
style, you're unique and your dances should be varied and
your style should represent your knowledge of dance that other,
newer dancers (and they are the majority) don't possess,
and not limited to only one. However you will eventually find
you like them all and soon you will understand the importance
of them all as well as understand why there are different
styles to begin with. So enjoy them and mainly smile, laugh
and have fun.
Notes:
During this time, many things were
being named after Lindbergh, even Al Smith tried to start
a dance named after him (Al Smith Hop). Eleanor Powell did
a "Jig Hop" in the "Fine and Dandy" Broadway
play in 1930, which is related. Also there was a dance called
the "St. Louis Hop" in 1926 and is described in
Betty Lee's Book, it is a form of swing. In 1914, a dance
called the "Aunt Jemima slide" may also be related.
The November 1927 Dance Magazine has Lindy and Lindy Hop Lessons
advertised by Charles Sadler and Prof. L. Gonzaga. |
Ballrooms