Blues: The music and dance both originated and evolved from African rhythms and movements. It developed and thrived in
smoky juke joints and at Blues house parties, giving it a more raw and intimate feel. It is all about connection - to the music,
to your partner. It can draw from all your dance influences and emotions, while expressing the music in a very free manor, with
very few "dance rules." Since all partner dancing communicates via connection (the more effective at it you are, the better
dancer you will become), it can be an excellent tool to help with any other styles of partner dancing and its FUN!
East Coast Swing (Jitterbug): Taught as the beginning Lindy Hop class, it is the youngest of the dances that we teach.
It evolved out Lindy Hop and became very popular in the 1950's. Popular across the world, it is one of the easiest of the swing dances
to learn and will get you out swingin' on the dancefloor in no time!
Lindy Hop: According to legend, the Lindy Hop gained its famous name in 1927, when a New York reporter witnessed "Shorty"
George Snowden dancing during a marathon dance contest. When asked what he was doing, Shorty George responded in his delirium
"I'm doing Lindy's Hop," after Charles Lindbergh's famous trans-Atlantic flight just a few weeks prior. The best way to describe Lindy Hop?
It is the swing dancing you see in the 1920 -1940's. It has also been featured in recent movies Malcolm X & Swing Kids.
Balboa: This dance evolved as a reaction to the crowded ballrooms on Balboa Island, California in the
1920's where it was so crowded that when you did a big dance move or took a big step, you would bump into someone. Danced in
closed-position to moderate to fast tempo music, Balboa or Bal is rapidly becoming one of the most popular forms of swing
dancing in the country. The moves are done very quickly in a tight space, which adds to the visual impressiveness of the dance.
Traditional New Orleans music is moderate to fast tempo normally played in venues with very small dance floors, the perfect place
to dance Balboa.
Collegiate Shag: This dance originated here in New Orleans and has been known at times as the "Flea Hop" (not just the variation.)
The Shag was popular in the early 1920's and predates the Lindy Hop with the college students. It was primarily danced to fast
Ragtime - Jazz type music. There were many Intercollegiate Dance Contests held in NYC in the 1920s-1930's which held a "Shag Division,
Conklin and Coleman won this type of division. -- It is popular today with some Retro-Swing dancers and is very cool looking with its
Slow-Slow-Quick-Quick rhythm with fast hops and kicks. It is a blast to do.
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