Lindy is the original swing dance. It showed up in the late 1920's in Harlem and perhaps simultaneously in other places. It appears to have been derived from two step and Charleston and to have been inspired by the new syncopated swing music. Lindy was very popular in the 30's and 40's. Other swing dances such as Carolina Shag and West Coast Swing evolved out of Lindy.
Lindy is a jazz dance. It is danced to swing music, music with a syncopated beat. Each
dancer expresses who they are in the moment through their dancing. Improvisation within the
structure of the dance, personal style and a deep connection with one's partner and the
music are essential to dancing Lindy well. Most Lindy steps have 6 or 8 counts. The
characteristic rhythmic patterns are:
1 a2 3 4 5 a6 7 8 and
1 a2 3 a4 5 6
The triple step is "one a two" with the "a" closer to the two. The triple
step can be replaced by a single step. There are many other variations.
Lindy is sometimes called Jitterbug or East Coast Swing. But the names Jitterbug and East Coast Swing usually refer to a dance that is mostly limited to the 6 count steps of Lindy.
Lindy is very free in its movements. The dance can travel, revolve or stay in one place. Turns and moves where the dancers change places are common. The dancers are very relaxed. The legs in particular are very loose.
There are many styles of Lindy. There's a flashy, energetic performance style often danced to fast music. Frankie Manning, perhaps the best known Lindy dancer, is famous for this style. The recent movie "The Swing Kids" contains excellent examples of the performance style of Lindy. There's also a smooth social style that can be danced to slow, medium or fast music. The late George Lloyd exemplified this style. Jonathan Bixby and Sylvia Sykes (of Santa Barbara) also dance a smooth social style, but quite differently. And there are other styles.
Lindy is a living dance. In the 60's and the 70's relatively few people danced 8 count Lindy steps, although the 6 count steps were still danced by many. A revival of Lindy began in the 80's. Currently Lindy is a living dance with a significant following in such cities as: New York, Boston and Washington D.C. on the East Coast; Seattle and Santa Barbara on the West Coast; as well as in Europe.
Margaret Batiuchok's MA thesis is an excellent source of information on Lindy. Parts of this article are based on Margaret's thesis. The thesis consists of a written document that describes the nature and origins of Lindy. and 4 two hour video tapes. Each tape explores the personal history and the dance style of a different excellent Lindy dancer. Two of the dancers included are Frankie Manning and George Lloyd.
© Copyright 1994 George Woolley
This article also appeared in the newsletter of the Redwood Empire Swing Dance Club.
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