The Birth of Swing Dancing - Lindy Hop

Courtney Johnson
Dec 16, 2025
2 min read

By Doug Jauer

Around the turn of the 20th century in New York City, many young people were dancing in the streets to the popular music of the time—jazz. These dances were heavily influenced by the African American and immigrant communities that lived in the city. As these street dances grew in popularity, they began to move into jazz clubs and speakeasies.

The dance evolved into a partner dance centered around a move called the breakaway (also known as the swing-out). At that time, traditional partner dances were performed in closed position, and the breakaway introduced a totally new style of dance. The name "Lindy Hop" came from the celebrity of the era—Charles Lindbergh. Later, the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem would be credited as the birthplace of Lindy Hop.

At its core, modern-day Lindy Hop is an 8-count dance, but dancers also have a lot of freedom to shorten or extend patterns. It is characterized by its relaxed posture and the ability for partners to shift from closed to open position. There is a strong partner connection that makes use of spins, turns, and a number of highly athletic lifts and dips. It has a bouncy feel as couples use a pulsing motion with their feet and legs to stay on beat with the music.

Lindy Hop quickly spread across the country and spawned other regionally popular styles of dance. Related dances, including Charleston, Balboa, and blues dancing, are commonly practiced by Lindy groups in addition to the traditional Lindy Hop.

Modern-day Lindy Hop retains the style of the dance from the 1920s and has standardized the footwork of its basic patterns. It has regained its place as one of the most popular forms of swing. It is common to find large Lindy Hop social dances and competitions throughout the United States and around the world. Lindy Hop can be danced to modern upbeat pop, blues, and R&B music, but many Lindy dancers prefer to maintain the historical significance of the dance and choose traditional jazz and vintage ragtime music that made it popular over a hundred years ago.

Note from the Editor: If you want to try a super simple, easy to learn style of swing dancing and you're not local to Northwest Iowa where Midwest Swing Dance Co. hosts classes and events, we also offer an online class for you and we hope you'll give it a try! You can take this class at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. Here's a link for more information and to get yourself signed up: SWING DANCE MADE SIMPLE