Lindy Hop is a dance that emerged in 1928 when Black dancers, "Shorty" George Snowden and Mattie Purnell, lost their grip and briefly broke away only to return to each other again. Lindy Hop is first and foremost a Black dance having been created during the Harlem Renaiisance and took flight at the legendary Savoy Ballroom as an expression of Black kinetic values such as call-and-response, improvisation and making African-American rhythms visible on the dance floor.

What is East Coast Swing, Jitterbug and Swing?

When swing dance schools or related festivals and events refer to east coast swing, jitterbug or swing, they're often referring to Lindy Hop, albeit a specific rhythm pattern featuring Slows and Quicks. These names indicate these organizations are engaging in cultural appropriation rather honoring the Black heritage or creators by using the names they gave their dances. Much like jazz, swing dances contain a multitude of rhythms and call on dancers to express themselves individually even while in partnership. East Coast Swing or Jitterbug was created to reduce the rhythms, limit individual expression and create a hierarchy where the leader, typically male, is the role dominant over the follower, typically female. Black social dances, rather, encourage mutual assertiveness. Lindy Hop and other Black social dances were dances of liberation, joy and freedom and made people fear upheaval of the status quo.

Where can I find social swing dancing in Denver?

Swingin' Denver offers a multitude of options through the year with our partnerships and collaborations across metro Denver and beyond often featuring live music. Here in Denver, you can also find options at The Pearl, Denver Turnverein, Avalon Ballroom in Boulder and other spots around town. When you find a favorite band, we encourage you to follow them so you can discover other venues where you can dance!

How can I stay informed about classes and events?

We encourage you to check out our website calendar and follow us on Facebook.

What should I wear to a dance class?

Lindy Hop is a casual dance and can be as athletic as you'd like it with a variety of rhythms, kicks, hops and bouncing. We suggest comfortable clothes that you can move around in, and non-marking flat shoes that will stay on your feet (open backed shoes or flip flops don’t work well.) Followers don’t generally wear heels in Lindy. If you have leather soled shoes, maybe bring a backup option in case you think the floor is a bit too slick.

Do you offer private lessons?

Some of our instructors do offer private lessons. Please email info@swingindenver.com. We offer private lessons for those seeking choreography, wedding dance help, improvement and other reasons.

What are the dance roles called?

The two dance roles are called leader and follower. Either gender can dance either role and switch during a dance if consent is there. Since we teach Black social dances, it's important to emphasize these roles are mutually assertive and both partners can be dancing different rhythms at the same. Much like how these dances encourage you to create bent lines and revel in asymmetry so is that asymmetry found between partners as we're constantly listening to the other partner and responding in time.

Resources for "Is Charleston A Swing Dance"?

From our response on Westie Discussion of the Day:

It is a swing dance and it can also be defined as a vernacular dance (meaning you make visible African-American rhythms on the dance floor) or a traditional dance (something that is rooted in tradition, but wholly alive).

One good resource is Margaret Batiuchok's dissertation (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rUe7jHb0c7VFlu8fNL-cgYe0pv4IYk3P/view?usp=sharing) featuring Black Lindy Hop elders with information such as "Frankie Manning said Lindy came from the Collegiate which looked like closed position Charleston"

Another resource is iLindy discussing the connection between Charleston and Geechee culture - https://ilindy.com/blog/origins-of-the-charleston/ - thanks to enslaved Africans being able to keep a greater portion of their West African traditions due to being isolated from white slaveholders.

I'd also recommend Steppin' on the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance (Folklore and Society) as it builds correlations between HBCU marching band culture, Charleston, solo jazz and the concept that Moncell Durden often talks about that you carry your cultural heritage in your blood DNA which is why you'll see seemingly "unrelated" though related movements occur within Black dance traditions.

This leads me to Moncell Durden's documentary Everything Remains Raw - https://www.moncelldurden.com/film.