East Coast Swing / Jitterbug

Swing is all American dance which dates back to the 1920's, and perhaps the most popular, sought-after Ballroom-dance style.

We have African Americans to thank for creating the Charleston, Shag and the Lindy Hop (named to honor Charles "Lindy" Lindberg the great American aviator) to go along with Jazz and Blues music. In 1934, Cab Calloway introduced a tune called "Jitterbug" and the name stuck to a 6 count beat variant of the dance. In the 1930's and 1940's, the terms Lindy Hop, Jitterbug and Swing were all used to describe the same style of dancing taking place on the streets, in the night clubs, in contests and in the movies.

Swing Mania hit and Swing dancing has enjoyed continued popularity ever since. Many regional variants have evolved: the Push Whip (Texas), the Imperial Swing (St. Louis), the Hand Dancing (Washington, D.C.), and the Carolina Shag (Carolinas and Norfolk) just to name a few. After the late 1940's, the soldiers and sailors returned from overseas and continued to dance in and around their military bases. Many of the films from that era feature swing dance sequences.

The character of the Swing is upbeat and fun, a happy and playful dance. East Coast Triple Swing and Single Step Swing (Jitterbug) tend to be very circular in their movements and work more on a 6-count beat basic. The Single Swing, being the closest to the original form, has simpler footwork and is great for dancing to extreme up tempo music that all started with the old Big Band Tunes as performed by the likes of Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. The East Coast Swing can be danced to slower Blues, Rock or Country music.