SAVOY STYLE LINDY HOP - Savoy-style Lindy Hop is the term used to describe lindy hop associated with African American dancers who frequented the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in the 1930s and 1940s. It has been used in contrast with the terms 'Hollywood-Style Lindy Hop', popularly associated with Dean Collins and his lindy hop choreography in Hollywood films and 'Smooth-Style Lindy Hop', a third style most frequently associated with contemporary lindy hoppers. While these terms were popular with lindy hoppers in the 1980s and 1990s, the 2000s have seen an increase in general knowledge about the history of lindy hop in conteporary lindy hop scenes and a subsequent recognition of the limitations of these terms.

DEAN COLLINS STYLE LINDY HOP - In the mid 1930's, one-time Savoy dancer Dean Collins moved to Hollywood to dance in such movies as Buck Privates and Ride'em Cowboy. Whereas Frankie Manning exemplified the Savoy style of swing, with the man keeping himself low to the ground, like the runner at the start of a race, Collins held himself more upright when he danced. In the early 1980's, dance instructors Jonathan Bixby and Sylvia Sykes sought out Collins, who had since retired from dancing, and asked him to teach them his moves. They helped popularize Dean Collin's smoother, more contained style among West Coast swingers.

HOLLYWOOD STYLE LINDY HOP - Collins may have been the most well-known smooth-style dancer in the movies, but he wasn't the only one. Recently, interest has been increasing in the styles of some of his jitterbugging colleagues, most notably Jean Veloz (appearing in the cult dance instruction film Groovy Movie) and Lenny Smith. A few years ago L.A. dance teachers Sylvia Skylar and Erik Robinson, inspired by the many variations done by these film dancers, including Collins, trademarked a smooth Lindy as "Hollywood Style". They even tracked down Veloz at a local bar called Bobby McGee's, where many old-timers hang out. Since then the dance has been a major hit is Los Angeles and Washington D.C., with Lindy Hoppers in other cities catching on all the time. One of its distinctive marks is the whip, in which the leader sends the follower out with a very explosive action.

CHARLESTON - The Charleston is the dance we associate with the flamboyant flapper of the Roaring 1920s, however, there are accounts that report the Charleston in the south as early as 1900. Charleston became a national dance craze when it was danced on Broadway in 1922, and it remained popular until the Blackbottom, a new dance to the same music, hit the scene in 1926. Charleston can be danced solo or with a partner

COLLEGIATE SHAG - Collegiate Shag is a light dance which can quickly travel across the dance floor. Collegiate Shag steps can easily be incorporated into the Lindy Hop. If you've ever seen cartoons with which show dancers pressing their faces and torsos together while their feet move madly underneath them... that's Collegiate Shag. This is a great dance for fast music and is often used to provide a rest period during long uptempo songs.

BALBOA - The Balboa is an eight-count dance done in a tightly closed position first developed in a ballroom on Balboa island off the California coastline. Similar to the Shag and descended from the Charleston, the Balboa incorporates very rapid footwork and hardly any movement at all above the waist. Because the dance does not travel much, the Balboa allows people to dress up and still dance to very fast music.

SHIM SHAM - Developed originally as a tap number, the Shim Sham was adopted by Lindy Hoppers in the 1930s. Everyone stays facing the same wall throughout the routine, as they move through steps that include stomps, boogie backs, and the Shorty George. The best part is when the leader says "swing" or "dance". At this point you grab the nearest partner and dance the Lindy until the caller yells "stop".

EAST COAST SWING - Because of the public's fascination with the Lindy Hop being danced in the Savoy ballroom, American ballroom dancers developed the ECS, a six-count, more simplified version of the Lindy Hop. At first, there was a great distaste among ballroom dance teachers for the swing, spurring the insulting term "jitterbug" for the dance (a racial slur). ECS incorporates much of the Latin technique popularized in dances such as the Cha-Cha (as preferred by the ballroom dancers) with various figures from Foxtrot while retaining the feel of swing. In ballroom competitions, the pure Latin technique preferred in the dancing of the ECS has caused many swing dancers in observation to feel that it is not a true representation of swing dancing (ECS is not largely featured in National Swing Competitions).

WEST COAST SWING - WCS was originally called Western Swing, but the name was changed to avoid confusion with country-western swing. Some dance experts claim that WCS grew out of the smoother Dean Collins style; however, Collins claimed he had nothing to do with this variant, according to Sykes. WCS is actually more rigid than Collin's style, with the couple dancing in a line or slot, which some dance historians believe developed as a response to California's extremely crowded ballrooms. It is done in an upright position and the primary movies include a push, a pass, and a whip. Since the eighties the West Coast has also incorporated many elements of the Hustle. WCS can be danced to smoother modern music such as R&B or Pop, and can be extremely sultry if danced properly.

JITTERBUG - The Jitterbug originated in the late 1930s or 1940s as a simplified version of the Lindy Hop, danced primarily by whites trying to emulate dancers from the Savoy ballroom. Jitterbug is originally a derogatory term, or racial slur (generated by ballroom dance teachers resistant to teaching the Lindy Hop as a formal dance) that eventually became the accepted term for a six count variant with a rapid triple step. Sometimes referred to as street swing, Jitterbug is a less refined version of East Coast Swing, an invention of ballroom dance organizations in response to the public's fascination with Lindy Hop. Jitterbug was the accepted term for swing dancing across the United States for most of the forties and into the fifties. NOTE: There is some discussion as to what is actually Jitterbug. Some dancers used it as an additional named for Lindy Hop, but the term has drifted to refer to the 6-count social variant of ECS.

ROCKABILY JIVE - A European swing variant, Jive focuses on six-count tempos and can be danced to contemporary music and faster tempos. Jive follows the same count as ECS but has more of a hopping movement to it, with the hop executed in anticipation of the first beat. Jive is not as leadable as a social dance, because there is a lot of movement in the shoulders and because there is a set syllabus of steps, which does not allow for improvisation. Although popular in many European clubs, Jive is primarily a competitive dance, restricted to music that is 44 MPM.

MODERN JIVE - A social variant of Jive, Modern Jive borrows from various dance style including salsa, boogie woogie and lindy hop. This free form style of the dance is utilized for various styles and tempos of music and has built entire dance clubs around its instruction. Many dancers move from Modern Jive to a more refined form of dancing.

** There are a few more swing dances, but these are the essentials **

What about Rock n' Roll? For many, Rock n' Roll is not a swing dance per say. It has evolved from Boogie Woogie which itself evolved from other forms of swing, but Rock n' Roll is a faster more theatrical variant. Rock n' Roll is a dance that incorporates lots of leg shimmies, jumps, and lifts. However, it has been a very popular dance in America and Europe after the second world war and easily mixes with East Coast Swing.

More on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_dance

Competition dancers (Canada)
Canadian Championships
(aerials are for competitions only)

Lindy Hop dancers
Ottawa and Montreal, Canada

Rythm Hot Shots (Sweden)
doing some Charleston
in Singapore

Rockabily dancers (RnR)
Sydney, Australia