Dances

Dances Established

inside of

Savoy

The Lindy Hop was born on the Harlem streets inside the Savoy ballroom. This dance was known to be a fast past partner dance that consisted of moves in the early 1920's. Most of the moves we grounded meaning that your feet would shuffle quickly among the floor. These are also known as floor steps which allowed a dancer to move out and away from your partner, showing off any fast unique steps that were similar to the Charleston and Texas Tommy.

As the Savoy became more and more popular, Whites became curious to take a peek at these fast pace dance steps they never seen before. With crowds of people that came more each night, the dancers got inspiration to spice up the moves a bit to show off even more. Eventually air steps were created and every one became a Lindy Hop fan. Air steps are known as acrobatic moves that would have partners flying in the air., tossed up from side to side, flipped, and twirled about.

Dance contest were made popular since the Savoy was all about showing off all you got. The contest were held on Wednesday nights and couples were able to win cash prizes. The top couples that ever performed in the Savoy got to be apart of the "cat's corner." Savoy allowed time for Blacks and Whites to come together in a time of where the world was at war. Today, the Savoy goes down in history for spreading different dances like the Black Bottom, Lindy Hop, Charleston, and many more. And from this ballroom we have aspiring talented people such a Josephine Baker, the Nicholas Brothers, and Bo Jangles.

To learn or view steps of the classic lindy hop, view the link below:

http://www.swingdanceshop.com/judyp/savstyllinho1.html

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Bibliography

"Savoy Ballroom." Savoy Ballroom 1926-1958. Online. Internet. 3 Mar 2004. Available: <http://www.savoyballroom.com/frameset/frameset.htm>

"What is Lindy Hop." Online. Internet. 1 Mar 2004. Available: <http://www.kcdance.com/catscorner/WhatIsLindyHop.htm>