The spirit of swing is one of exuberance, improvisation, originality, individual style, and—for many—competition. This is owing in large part to its African American roots and the vintage and big band jazz music it’s traditionally danced to. Swing dancing can be fast or slow; raw and energetic, or smooth and elegant. It can be either silly or sexy (or silly and sexy).
Although competition and art are important components of swing dancing, it is first and foremost a social dance. Most swing dancers dance mainly to have fun and to meet people. Many dancers travel between cities—and even to other countries—for just these reasons.
Swing dancing is actually not a single dance but a family of partnered jazz dances that borrow generously from each other. Lindy hop, originating at Harlem in the late 1920′s, is considered the original swing dance; while also in the swing family are Charleston (often simply considered part of lindy hop), east coast swing (a simplified derivative of lindy hop limited to 6-count moves), west coast swing, balboa, shag, and blues (which is another dance family in itself).
To watch swing dancing in action, see the video clips page.
