History of Swing Dancing
http://www.articlesdirectory.org/articles/23895/1/History-of-Swing-Dancing/Page1.html
Tarang Bhargava
By Tarang Bhargava
Published on 14 April 2008
Swing dancing has been popular since it was introduced in the 1920’s. Many people think it was originated for country music but this isn’t correct. It was actually introduced by the African American’s that loved to sing and dance to jazz and the blues. By 1926 swing dancing was becoming very popular in the various night clubs of New York and California. It seemed that everyone was wanting to learn all the latest moves associated with swing dancing.
Swing dancing has been popular since it was introduced in the 1920’s. Many people think it was originated for country music but this isn’t correct. It was actually introduced by the African American’s that loved to sing and dance to jazz and the blues. By 1926 swing dancing was becoming very popular in the various night clubs of New York and California. It seemed that everyone was wanting to learn all the latest moves associated with swing dancing.
Contests were held in various night clubs and many people entered them. They were anxious to share what they knew about swing dancing with others. They also wanted to win the various prizes offered. It was common for these night clubs to offer free swing dancing lessons before the crowds showed up as well. This was a good way for those that didn’t have the moves down yet to get some extra practice.
The most popular swing dances are the Lindy Hop, the Charleston, and the Jitterbug. By the 1940’s these were very popular on TV dance shows. American Bandstand featured artists and live dancers in the 1950’s. Various types of schools of dance all over the world began offering classes for swing dancing. It seemed like that was all people were really interested in learning. Those dance schools that didn’t offer them soon found their enrollment dropping rapidly.
It wasn’t until the 1980’s that swing dancing really became popular with the Country/Western crowd. By then this type of music had really taken a hold on the country. The trends in the sounds were changing and dancers needed some moves to go along with it. The two step simply didn’t fit the rhythm of many of these new songs. Of course many of the moves were different but the overall effect of the swing was the same.
Today there are plenty of variations of swing dancing. Each type of culture and music has taken the term and given it a unique meaning. This means that you may live on the West coast and have a type of swing you dance to. If you travel somewhere else you can expect for the swing to mean something completely different. This can be a great way for you to learn about new cultures though as well as share yours with others.
Contests were held in various night clubs and many people entered them. They were anxious to share what they knew about swing dancing with others. They also wanted to win the various prizes offered. It was common for these night clubs to offer free swing dancing lessons before the crowds showed up as well. This was a good way for those that didn’t have the moves down yet to get some extra practice.
The most popular swing dances are the Lindy Hop, the Charleston, and the Jitterbug. By the 1940’s these were very popular on TV dance shows. American Bandstand featured artists and live dancers in the 1950’s. Various types of schools of dance all over the world began offering classes for swing dancing. It seemed like that was all people were really interested in learning. Those dance schools that didn’t offer them soon found their enrollment dropping rapidly.
It wasn’t until the 1980’s that swing dancing really became popular with the Country/Western crowd. By then this type of music had really taken a hold on the country. The trends in the sounds were changing and dancers needed some moves to go along with it. The two step simply didn’t fit the rhythm of many of these new songs. Of course many of the moves were different but the overall effect of the swing was the same.
Today there are plenty of variations of swing dancing. Each type of culture and music has taken the term and given it a unique meaning. This means that you may live on the West coast and have a type of swing you dance to. If you travel somewhere else you can expect for the swing to mean something completely different. This can be a great way for you to learn about new cultures though as well as share yours with others.