Swing Dancing in the 1930s
The style of dance known as swing originated in the 1920s and continued on through the 1940s with much popularity in between. In the late 20s, the dance du jour was the Lindy Hop. Swing dancing in the 1930s saw the introduction of the Jitterbug, named for a piece of music by big band leader Cab Calloway. The 30s also ushered in the age of swing-jazz music and is thought by many to be the decade which defined swing dancing. Eventually, dancers who participated in swing style dancing were called Jitterbugs themselves, after the popular dance that took the world by storm.
As the decade progressed, dancers began integrating tap and jazz steps into their swing routines to create an even more exciting version of the original Lindy Hop. In the mid thirties, the Lindy, the Jitterbug and the word swing were used to describe this form of dance. This form of dance became a craze all over the United States. As with all trends, there were some traditionalists who weren’t at all pleased and expected swing to die out. One of the most famous quotes about swing came from Donald Grant in 1938. Grant was the president of the Dance Teachers’ Business Association at the time, and said swing music and the dance it inspired were a degenerated form of jazz. But that’s not all — Grant even went on to say that swing enthusiasts were victims of economic instability.
Despite these negative comments or perhaps because of them, swing dance continued to grow in popularity throughout the 1930s with competitions and clubs popping up all over the place. This form of dance even made its appearance in the movies of the day. In the early 1940s, the first swing dance schools opened to teach this particular form of dance in a formal way. Swing as it was known at the time began to evolve a bit. Western swing was born, which set the Jitterbug against country western music.
Swing dancing today is quite similar in many ways to swing dancing in the 1930s. If anything, it is more exciting today because it incorporates the glamour and style of the 30s with the developments of modern times. There are swing dancing classes and clubs which practice the original Lindy Hop as it was done in the 30s, then there are other classes and clubs who put new twists on old swing and create variations of the original. No matter how or where you choose to participate, you’re sure to find this dance trend as enthralling as its founders did!
