SWING DANCE AND THE LINDY HOP

VENUE, MEDIA, AND TRADITION BY: HOWARD SPRING

Mike Bortnowski

Elements of Dance 11/19/14

HISTORY OF SWING MUSICHOW SWING ORIGINATED AND TRANSITIONED THROUGH CULTURE CHANGE OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION

HOW IT ALL STARTED:•BEGAN IN NEW YORK CITY IN THE EARLY 1920S

•A MORE MODERN FORM OF JAZZ IN THE ERA OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION

•TRANSITIONAL ERA

•WIDESPREAD COMMERCIAL POPULARITY, BUT DIFFICULT TO STUDY

•STYLISTIC FORM OF MUSIC

•THE LINDY HOP- CATALYST FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SWING MUSIC

HOW IT ALL STARTED:

• STABLE FOR MORE THAN A DECADE

•MUSIC SHIFTED FROM LATE 20S INTO 30S WITH NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGY AND RECORDING EQUIPMENT

•NEW VENUES

•ACCESS TO OLD RECORDINGS

•BENNY GOODMAN

•DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO SOCIAL DANCERS.

THE LINDY HOPFROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN SUBCULTURE TO EASTERN EUROPEAN ENTERTAINMENT ,THE LINDY HOP WAS A WIDELY POPULAR DANCE MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE 1920S AND 30S

THE LINDY HOP•AFRICAN AMERICAN ORIGIN

•HIGH DEGREE OF PHYSICAL ENERGY AND VIGOR

•DRIVING RHYTHM -4 BEATS PER MEASURE

• POPULAR-SPREADING FROM MINORITY SUBCULTURE TO THE MAJORITY POPULATION

• FIRST INTRODUCED IN THEATRICAL SETTING-SAVOY BALLROOM

•MUSIC CHANGED TO MEET THE RHYTHMIC DRIVE OF THE LINDY HOP.

THE SAVOY BALLROOM

THE HOME OF THE LINDY HOP

THE SAVOY BALLROOM•HARLEM , NEW YORK

•OPENED ON MARCH 12, 1926

•ATTRACTED ALL CROWDS OF ETHNICITY AND ORIGIN

• INCLUSIVE

•WIDELY POPULAR AND COULD DRAW MORE THAN 5000 PEOPLE ON THE WEEKEND.

• “LINDYHOPPERS”

TROUPES OF LINDY HOPPERS•THE LINDY HOP BECAME SO WIDESPREAD THAT

AMERICAN CULTURE GROUPS WOULD FORM TEAMS

•CALLED THEMSELVES “LINDYHOPPERS” FOR EXAMPLE: “WHITEY’S LINDYHOPPERS”

•TOURED THE USA

•TOURED OVERSEAS THROUGHOUT EUROPE

•PERFORMED STREET SIDE, LIVE, AND IN THE THEATRICAL SETTING

THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD:

•LATE 20S INTO THE 1930S

•GREAT DEPRESSION CAME TO AN END

•SWING MUSIC DEVELOPED ITSELF INTO SWING DANCE, OR ONE ENTITY

•MODERN MEDIA TECHNOLOGY FOR CLEANER RECORDINGS

•THE “LINDY HOP” EASED THIS TRANSITION OF OLD TO NEW SWING MUSIC

FROM OLD TO NEW:•MUSIC BECAME MORE “RIFFY”

•MORE EMPHASIS ON BIG BAND INSTRUMENTS

•SOLOS THROUGHOUT

•PERCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT AND BANGING CYMBALS

•IN THE EARLY 1930S THE LINDY HOP BECAME MUCH MORE COMPATIBLE TO THE MUSIC

THE NATURE OF THE LINDY HOP

THE RHYTHM, MOVEMENT, TECHNICALITIES, AND DESCRIPTION OF THE MOST POPULAR DANCE IN THE 1920S

THE NATURE OF THE LINDY HOP• “THE CHARLESTON”-FROM THE SHOW RUNNING WILD WAS THE

FIRST POPULAR FORM OF THE LINDY HOP IN 1923.

•USE OF THE ENTIRE BODY:

HIPS, BUTTOCKS, HEAD, AND NECK ALONG WITH EXTREMITIES

•VOLUPTUOUS, FLAMBOYANT, AND ENERGETIC

• EPILEPTIC

PHYSICALLY DEMANDING

THE NATURE OF THE LINDY HOP•IMPROVISATION

•DIFFERENCE IN RHYTHM FROM OLD SWING DANCE TO THE LINDY HOP

•OLD SWING DANCE- “THE FOXTROT” AND “BLACK BOTTOM” IS IN 4-4 TIME OR COUNTING 1,2 BEATS FOR EACH WALKING STEP

•THE LINDY HOP-4 BEATS TO THE BAR RHYTHM

THE SPREAD OF THE LINDY HOP•THE SAVOY BALLROOM BROUGHT THE LINDY HOP TO FAME

•NORMA MILLER

•THE SAVOY HAD STRONG TIES TO THE COMMUNITY-RACIALLY INTEGRATED

•AFFORDABLE

•4000 TO 7000 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE ON THE WEEKEND

WAS THE LINDY HOP

TABOO?

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC&DANCE•MUSICIANS HAD TO CHANGE THEIR STYLE OF PLAY TO

ACCUSTOM THE LINDY HOP STYLE OF DANCE

•EDDIE BARFIELD

•OLD SWING MUSIC AND DANCE- 2 TO 4 BEATS PER RHYTHM

•LINDY HOP AND MODERN SWING MUSIC- 4 -4 RHYTHM

•4-4 RHYTHM BY TED BREWER.

PROGRESSION OF MODERN INSTRUMENTS

• BANGO GUITAR

• BRASS BASS PIZZICATO STRING BASS

• GUITAR SOLOS AND RIFFS

• DRUMMING FILLER SOLOS

DANCER AND MUSICIAN FEEDBACK•CONSTANT FEEDBACK

•CREATING MOMENTUM

• IMPROVISING BASED ON DANCE MOVEMENTS OR THE TEMPO OF THE SWING MUSIC

•DANCING ADDED TO THE MUSIC, MUSIC ADDED TO THE DANCING

•CONSTANT REHEARSAL TOGETHER AND IMPROVISING IN UNISON CREATED A NEW DANCE MOVEMENT CALLED “AIRSTEPPING” LED TO THE “AERIAL LINDY HOP”

SWING AND LINDY

GO MAINSTREAMTHE COMMERCIALIZATION AND WIDESPREAD

POPULARITY OF THE SWING MOVEMENT

THE END