0_Wizard
Hi!  Do you ever do any social dancing?  I actually do swing, specifically the Lindy Hop.
Today, the most well-known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, which originated in Harlem in the early 1930s.
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Swing (dance)
chosen_topic_0_Swing_dance
Lindy hop today
The Lindy Hop is only one of many swing dances popular today, and there are thriving local communities throughout the world. Structurally, lindy hop's most popular step -- the swing-out -- combines both closed position and open position and is clearly related to the Charleston. It is the most popular swing dance in most swing dancing communities, and its revival in the 1980s has since seen local communities develop in many cities. While the United States is home to the largest number of lindy hoppers in the world, there are also communities throughout Europe (including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey), Canada, the Asia-Pacific region (including Australia and New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand), and South America (including Argentina and Brazil).
History of Lindy Hop
The History of Lindy Hop begins in the African American communities of Harlem, New York during the late 1920s in conjunction with swing jazz. Lindy Hop is closely related to earlier African American vernacular dances but quickly gained its own fame through dancers in films, performances, competitions, and professional dance troupes. It became especially popular in the 1930s with the upsurge of aerials. The popularity of Lindy Hop declined after World War II, and it converted to other forms of dancing, but it never disappeared during the decades between the 1940s and the 1980s until European and American dancers revived it starting from the beginning of the 1980s.
Lindy Hop
The Lindy hop is an American dance which was born in Harlem, New York City in 1928 and has evolved since then with the jazz music of that time. It was very popular during the Swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based on jazz, tap, breakaway, and Charleston. It is frequently described as a jazz dance and is a member of the swing dance family. In its development, the Lindy hop combined elements of both partnered and solo dancing by using the movements and improvisation of African-American dances along with the formal eight-count structure of European partner dances – most clearly illustrated in the Lindy's basic step, the swingout.
Hot Shots (dance companies)
The Hot Shots is a collective name for two closely related Swedish dance companies based in Stockholm, Sweden: The Rhythm Hot Shots and the Harlem Hot Shots. The Hot Shots specialize in faithful reproductions of African-American dance scenes in American films from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Dances that they perform include Lindy Hop, Tap dance, Cakewalk, Charleston, and Black Bottom. The members of the Hot Shots are also respected dance instructors and accomplished social dancers. The goals of The Rhythm Hot Shots and the Harlem Hot Shots are the same. On 6 May 2005, all of the current and previous members of the Hot Shots celebrated 20 years by performing "20 Years With the Hot Shots" at Södra Teatern in Stockholm.
Savoy-style Lindy Hop
Savoy-style Lindy Hop was the form of Lindy Hop danced by African American dancers at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in the 1930s and 1940s. This contrasted with 'Hollywood-style Lindy Hop' or 'Smooth-Style Lindy Hop', popularly associated with Dean Collins and his Lindy Hop choreography in Hollywood films. Savoy-style lindy hop is characterized by a high energy, circular, rotating style, in contrast with the smooth, slotted styling of Hollywood (Smooth). The Savoy Ballroom was the end of the line for an ascending network of clubs, church socials, in New York and beyond. George Snowden, Frankie Manning and George Sullivan were all dismissed by prospective partners for having allegedly inadequate dance skills.
Charleston (dance)
The Charleston is a dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called "The Charleston" by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show "Runnin' Wild" and became one of the most popular hits of the decade. "Runnin' Wild" ran from 29 October 1923, through 28 June 1924. The peak year for the Charleston as a dance by the public was mid-1926 to 1927. While the dance probably came from the "star" or challenge dances that were all part of the African-American dance called Juba, the particular sequence of steps which appeared in "Runnin' Wild" were probably newly devised for popular appeal.
Swing (dance)
"Swing dance" is a group of dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s-1940s, with the origins of each dance predating the popular "swing era". During the swing era, there were hundreds of styles of swing dancing, but those that have survived beyond that era include: Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston. Today, the most well-known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, which originated in Harlem in the early 1930s. While the majority of swing dances began in African American communities as vernacular African American dances, some swing era dances, like Balboa, developed outside of these communities.
1_Apprentice
That sounds fun!  I never dance though, I have two left feet.