Lindy Hop
By: Michelle Armstrong
As Nicholas Hope once said, “Swing is so much more than a dance, it's a way of life. The music gets stuck in your mind and the dance is in your heart and the whole scene is engraved on your soul. You can fly.” Starting from the 1920’s until the 1940’s, Swing dance became very popular and as the years progressed new forms of Swing were developed. For example, East Coast Swing, the Charleston, Balboa, and the Lindy Hop are just a few to name. The Lindy Hop is definitely one of my favorites because of the movements and feelings that they give off while performing the dance. Their bodies and emotions are so free and energetic, which is very entertaining to me. The history of the dance is also an amazing story to tell.
It was in the 1920’s at a dance marathon where the Lindy Hope got its name. George Snowden, also known as “Shorty”, entered a dance marathon and began to dance freely with feeling and rhythm. Once he was finished, a reporter came up to him and asked him a few questions. The reporter asked, “What was the name of the dance called that you just performed?” Quickly, Snowden made up a name real fast and told him it was called the “Lindy Hop” and the name stuck.
The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York was where the Lindy Hop became so popular. It was so popular that blacks and whites wanted to incorporate their ideas together and form an even more interesting dance, and that’s exactly what happened. The dance broke the barrier of racial segregation and it was at the Savoy where they were all accepted to dance together. Together, they put their heads together and took ideas from the Charleston, tap dance, and other ideas they had in their heads, and made the Lindy Hop an even more interesting dance to participate in or watch. The moves were all wild, spontaneous, and full of feeling and rhythm. With the idea that this dance broke up segregation, I believe that it was a very important aspect of our society.
Herbert White, a bouncer at the Savoy, had put a group of dancers together and had them learn and perform Lindy Hop dances. They were known as “Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers.” People loved watching them perform and loved the energy and feeling they gave out to all of their audiences. Not only did they perform on stage, they also performed films such as “A Day at the Races” and “Hellzapoppin.” They became very popular across the world.
When I think of the Lindy Hop, I think of how it was a dance that was able to bring segregation to an end. They were able to put their differences aside and share ideas that made such an awesome dance so popular. Although the thought of the dance gives me an amazing feeling, so does the sight of it. It amazes me how fast they can move with such energy and rhythm. I’m actually a little bit jealous because I know for a fact I would never be able to do that. Even if I tried, it would turn out pretty bad. I really envy people who are able to perform this dance, and also the creator of the dance. With just a few moves from the Charleston and some from tap dance a dance was created that was so much fun to watch and do. The creator was very creative with his work and I really envy someone with such creativity and ability to accomplish something like this. Through the quick steps and the upbeat rhythm, this dance has become one of my favorite dances to watch.
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