Swing originated from jazz and early African traditional dances. Along with the more familiar Charleston, early forms of dances included the Texas Tommy (also known as the Mooch and Sugar, and the Breakaway), Turkey Trot, Apache Dance, Black Bottom, The Shimmy, The Strut, Cakewalk, The Frisco, Foxtrot, Tap. These partnered jazz dances eventually evolved into Lindy Hop. In 1927, this style was given the name Lindy Hop by the swing dancer from Harlem named George “Shorty” Snowden. “Shorty George,” as he was known, called the dance the “Lindy Hop” after the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh, who was the first person to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. Short George and many other famous Lindy dancers like Frankie Manning and Norma Miller danced at the Savoy Ballroom, which opened in 1925 and was well-known as the go-to venue for swing.

Lindy is often called the original swing dance, from which many other forms of swing evolved, include West Coast Swing, Carolina Shag, Texas Whip, Boogie Woogie, Rock and Roll, Balboa / Bal-Swing, and many more regional dances. West Coast Swing is the Official State Dance of California. West Coast Swing’s origins come from the Savoy Style Lindy, which comes from the Savoy Ballroom in New York in the early 1930s. Although it was not invented by Dean Collins who also came from the Savoy Ballroom, he was instrumental in creating the dance we know as West Coast Swing (WCS). Swing dancing continues to evolve, has grown tremendously, and is now danced throughout the world.

Thanks to Sonny Watson, WSDC Dance Historian and Bobby White from Swungover