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Most of the music that the Beantown Swing Orchestra plays was danced to by Lindy Hoppers in the 1930s.
One of our goals is to demonstrate and promote Lindy Hop, because it is ideally suited to our music.
At each of our monthly dances in Concord, there will be a beginner Lindy Hop lesson given by champion Elizabeth Miller,
and during the band's break Elizabeth (along with Davis Thurber) will conduct a beginner aerials workshop for those interest in learning some acrobatic maneuvers.
To subscribe to the Lindy Hop e-list, where you will receive news and announcements on classes and events, click here. |
WHAT IS LINDY HOP?
Lindy Hop, particularly "Savoy-style" Lindy Hop, is an energetic and athletic dance that often involves flips and other aerial maneuvers; hence it was named after Charles Lindburgh and his flights.
It was developed in the 1930s at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, where top big bands such as those led by Chick Webb, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie played fast and exciting "hot" swing music to young dancers.
Unlike most of the dance venues in the country which were "whites only," at the Savoy black and white people danced together, and being a good dancer was more important than the color of someone's skin.
It was this open-minded attitude and mixing of ideas from people of different backgrounds that helped spawn one of the greatest and most challenging forms of dance in American history.
Almost all other variations of swing dancing are derived from Savoy-style Lindy Hop. |
Click on the picture on the left for a video clip from 1941 of probably the most amazing Lindy Hop dance scene ever filmed. (The file is 9MB so it may take a few seconds to load.)
If you don't have Quicktime installed on your computer, click here instead.
Click on the picture on the right to see the Big Apple, a popular Lindy Hoppers' circle dance. (The file is 12MB so it may take a few seconds to load.) |
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