Lindy Hop
Lindy Hop is a street dance that developed at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, Manhattan, New York in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Lindy Hop was the dance that emerged with Swing Jazz.
History
Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s was an entertainment district, where people from all walks of life, all races, all classes came together. The Cotton Club catered to the rich and glamourous, while the Savoy catered to average, working people. So of course, Lindy Hop developed at the Savoy.
In the 1920s and 1930s, dance ballrooms across the U.S. sponsored contests, where dancers invented and tried new moves. Lindy Hop emerged when dancers, like Shorty George (George Snowden), competed with new moves that opened up the Charleston. The partners moved closer together and further apart while spinning, to make the move more interesting, eventually creating the swing out.
Shorty George renamed the dance from Breakaway to Lindy Hop at dance contests in 1927 and 1928.
Shorty George had a move, where Big Bea (his partner) picked him 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 (get name) to flip over his back. This was the first Lindy aerial.
According to Frankie Manning [NCLS interview 2002], Lindy dancers were originally banned from the Savoy Ballroom, because they took up more space and often kicked other dancers. The "cat's corner" began when Lindy dancers went off to the corners of the ballroom to dance. As Lindy became popular, the Savoy relinquished and accepted Lindy dancers.
Lindy Hop emerged from Charleston, along with influences from Jazz, Tap, and other dances like Texas Tommy. Today it continues to evolve with influences from Ballroom and Hip Hop.
One important dance troupe was the Shorty George Trio, who inspired many dancers and troupes.
The most notable dance troupe was Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, starring Frankie Manning and Norma Miller, who performed around the world in the 1930s and 1940s. They danced in many movies, including Hellzapoppin and the Marx Brothers' A Day at the Races. The Groucho is a Lindy move named for Groucho Marx.
Lindy Hop spawned both East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing.
The major styles of Lindy danced today are Savoy-Style Lindy Hop which keeps the original New York style, Hollywood-Style Lindy Hop which resembles West Coast Swing, and LA style Lindy.
Moves
The two basic moves are the Swing Out, 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 includes many unusual moves called aerials, including many flips, slides, and dips.
Lindy Hop uses 8 count steps extensively, reflecting the structure of Swing music, as well as other counts.
There is also a six-count basic step done in closed position, which is the basis for East Coast Swing.
Form
New dancers focus on moves. Advanced dancers focus on musicality.