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The History of Swing Dancing

Swing dancing has made a great impact on contemporary American culture as many people continue to enjoy this type of ballroom dancing. It is important to note that swing dancing has a rich history of innovation and ingenuity. Swing dancing originated from the african american community where there was a lot of dance improvising and practice. Many kinds of different dance moves were later popularized.

Swing dancing traces its roots to the 1920’s but it was not called swing dancing then, rather, swing dancing is the spin-off from Charleston and the Lindy Hop. It is interesting to note that swing dancing also derived some influence from the Waltz and the Tango. When the waltz and the tango dances were first introduced, people were shocked at the dances because they required some touching between dance partners. These were accepted in time.

When swing emerged later on from these types of dances, it was still frowned upon by many but the catchy tune and the great moves you need to do from the swing dance cannot be ignored. The swing dance took many forms depending on the area where practiced. For example, the Savoy Swing was quite popular in New York. This type of swing requires tremendous energy because it is fast and jumpy. On the other hand, there is the Lindy style type of swing dancing, and this type of dance is smoother. You can even say that it looks more sophisticated.

Meanwhile, the West Coast Swing was the type of swing that was commonly practiced in California during the 30’s up to the 40’s. Of course, if there is a swing dance in the West Coast then there is sure to be a swing dance in the East Coast also. The East Coast Swing was mainly used in ballroom dance schools and some venues. There are many other types of swing dance that were popular during this era. Many of these dances are still being practiced up to this date.

Swing dancing really made a sweep in the United States during this era. It is amusing to think that swing dancing, which traces its roots to different other types of dancing that were scandalous their time, is now widely accepted. It is, in fact, the less scandalous form of dancing today. As you can see, swing dancing is definitely a dance that had lasted for decades and it will continually be practiced by many more fans for many years to come.