We teach a variety of vintage dance styles from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s
Charleston
Charleston is most often associated with 1920’s America. It originated in the Black communities in the South particularly around Charleston South Carolina. It became wildly popular all over the US after the song “Charleston” along with the dance appeared in a popular Broadway musical in 1923. 1920’s Charleston can be done as a solo or partnered dance. Another swingier version of Charleston was developed in the 30’s alongside lindy hop. This style of Charleston also has solo and partnered versions. Solo Charleston dancing often includes a variety of other solo steps from the jazz era such as the Suzy Q, Truckin, Shorty George, etc. Today these dances are sometimes referred to collectively as vernacular jazz. Even though you’re more likely to learn dance in a classroom today all of these dance styles are improvisational social dances. To really capture the spirit of Charleston or vernacular jazz you’ll need to listen to the music and be ready to bring your own creativity into the dance.
More about the history of Charleston
Lindy Hop
Lindy hop is an improvisational partner dance—lindy hoppers learn a repertoire of common moves and technique and then add their own creative flair and improvise with the music like a jazz musician. Lindy hop is the original swing dance, a Black American dance that started in New York in the late 1920’s. The first lindy hoppers were dancers who could dance the Charleston as well as a variety of ballroom dances. They improvised new moves and new ways of connecting with a partner to fit the swinging style of jazz that was becoming popular at the time. By the 1930s people were coming from all over the city to listen to the bands at the Savoy, the Cotton Club and other famous ballrooms and to see the dancers interpret their music on the dancefloor. By the 1940’s lindy hop became so popular that dancers from the Savoy toured the US and Europe and appeared in several Hollywood films. From the 1950s a variety of new lindy hop inspired swing dances began to emerge as the dance was adapted for different audiences and different styles of music. In the 1980’s and 90s there was a sudden resurgence of interest in swing music and swing era dances that has brought lindy hop to new audiences all over the world. Several of the original lindy hoppers from Harlem have been involved is passing on the dance to this new generation of lindy hoppers. Rob and Tina have been fortunate to attend classes taught by these respected elders of lindy hop including Frankie Manning and Dawn Hampton.
More about the origins of lindy hop and the original lindy hoppers
Balboa
Balboa is a swing era dance that developed in California around the same time that lindy hop was developing in New York. Like lindy hop it is danced to swing jazz and has some roots in Charleston and ballroom dance. However it evolved entirely separately and has a different connection and repertoire of moves which were heavily influenced by the impact of ridiculously overcrowded ballrooms of Orange County. The Balboa you see today is usually a mix of a couple of different styles including ‘Pure Bal’, which is danced with a very close connection and ‘Bal-swing’ which includes some closed moves and some moves in open.
Swing Dance Leeds 