What is Swing Dancing? An introduction

By Doug Jauer

Swing Dancing is a style of dance that originated in the United States over a hundred years ago. It is characterized by its relaxed dance posture, the ability to shift from closed to open position, and the high frequency of spins and turns. The footwork generally consists of a combination of single steps, double steps, triple steps, and/or rock steps.

Some styles of Swing step directly on the beat creating a smooth flow through the music, and other styles alternate stepping on the beat and either stepping on the half beat or on every other beat creating more of a dynamic feel to the dance allowing dancers to accent different parts of the music.

Most styles of Swing developed around a specific genre of music, usually the popular music of the time. As each style of Swing gained popularity, it would often start to influence the music as artists would create songs that could fit that particular style of dance.

As time passed, Swing Dancing moved across the country and different styles of music would come and go. Different styles of Swing would also evolve to meet the changing culture and styles of music.

Portions of the history of Swing Dancing are not well documented. I’ve done some research and coupled that with stories I’ve heard over the years to compile a brief summary of Swing Dancing through the years. We will examine the history of the evolution of Swing Dancing in the next four parts of this series.

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

Up next: The Birth of Swing Dancing – Lindy Hop

Sources:

• Swing Dance History Infographic (Reddit)