Videos

What is Lindy Hop?

This paragraph is from the article written by Sharon Davis for In Retrospect Magazine.....

Lindy Hop is a partnered swing dance that evolved from the Charleston in the late 1920s and flourished in the Swing Era of the 1930s and 40s. It spread from the ballrooms of Harlem, New York, across the United States and to the rest of the world. In Europe it was often called the Jitterbug. You might have heard of other dances like Jive, Boogie Woogie, Rock ‘n Roll, Rockabilly, West Coast Swing or Ceroc – these dances all evolved out of Lindy Hop over the decades after World War II. Lindy Hop is the mother of them all – the original swing dance! Lindy Hop is alive and kicking today, with thriving social dance scenes in all major cities.

Is Lindy Hop a Partner Dance or a Solo Dance?

Today Lindy Hop is danced solo, by couples (as a partner dance) and also as group dances. It's very popular as a social dance danced all over the world. This means dancers would improvise to the live and DJ music at social swing dance events. 

Is Lindy Hop a Performance Dance?

Lindy Hop is danced in many different ways and this includes performance. The dance scene from Hellzapoppin' (1941) is THE most iconic Lindy Hop clip in history. Millions of viewers have been inspired by this routine, which is incredibly dynamic and exuberant!

The video below is an extract from the Teachers' Demonstration at DJam, a well-known Swing Dance festival in Durham, UK.- Teacher's Demo - the Big Californiapple

Is Lindy Hop a Competition Dance?

Lindy Hop is danced in many different ways and this includes compeitions. The video below is an extract from the 'Strictly Lindy Hop' Finals at DJam, a Swing Dance event in Durham, UK.

DJAM 2016 – Strictly Lindy Hop - Finals

Is Lindy Hop a Solo Dance?

Lindy Hop is danced in many different ways and this includes partner, groups and solos. The video below is an extract from the 'Jazz Roots' Finals at DJam, a Swing Dance event in Durham, UK.

DJam 2016 Competition  –Jazz Roots - Finals

Is Lindy Hop a Group Dance?

Lindy Hop is danced in many different ways and this includes groups. The videos below show various group, solo and partner dances by Lindy Jazz members.

Swingin' Out in Durham

The video below shows the well-famous Swing Dance routine,the Shim Sham as interpreted by Lindy Jazz members, who learnt this routine via Zoom during lockdown in the year 2020.