Swing Dancing: Basic Steps
Learning the swing dancing basic steps cannot be done until the dance itself is understood. Swing is a form of dance which dates back to the 1920s and the wildly successful Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. The Savoy featured a very large dance floor and an elevated bandstand which lent itself perfectly to the enthusiastic form of jazz dance that came to be known as swing. Swing dance started off as a fad in the twenties, gained popularity in the thirties and became a full-blown craze in the forties, spawning schools, competitions and variations. Swing today is quite similar to how it was in its heyday, with participants even wearing costumes from decades past.
Swing is definitely a social pursuit and is often done in pairs. Unlike other forms of dance, however, swing is a bit promiscuous in nature in that partners are often switched frequently. For example a dancer may dance with one partner for one song, then switch to another partner for the next. Traditionally, the lead dancer will ask the follower for a dance. When it comes to music, you’ll find that the upbeat form of jazz known as swing follows a predictable beat pattern which lends itself perfectly to the various dances.
There are several swing dances that make up this form of dance and they include the Lindy Hop, the Charleston, East Coast Swing and the Balboa. Each dance consists of particular moves that are performed at particular times. The moves themselves are the heart of swing dance, no matter what dance is being done. For example, the Sugar Push is a stylized step where the dancers come close and go far from each other to the beat of six counts. The Sugar Push is the foundation of traditional dances like the Lindy Hop.
Another example of a common move is the Side Pass, where the follow starts on one side of the lead and makes her way to the other side to the beat of six or eight. Other basic moves include the skip up, circle and groucho. The best way to learn swing dancing basic steps is to take a beginners’ course. There are plenty of them being held around the country, as swing dancing has experienced a resurgence of popularity in the new millennium. Or, you can attempt to learn at home with an instructional DVD. You will, of course, need a willing partner as swing is a dance made for two or more!
