Harlem, New York, 1920s-30s
LINDY HOP
Harlem's swing
Lindy Hop was born at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in the late 1920s, to the Big Bands of Fletcher Henderson, Chick Webb, Duke Ellington, and later Count Basie. It's an African American dance, born from a blend of the Charleston, the Breakaway, and Black vernacular dances. The name is said to come from Charles "Lindy" Lindbergh's transatlantic flight in 1927 ("Lindy has hopped the Atlantic!").
Its legendary founders — Frankie Manning, George "Shorty" Snowden, Norma Miller — invented the first aerial figure in 1935. After a decline in the 1950s, Lindy Hop was resurrected in the 1980s by Frankie Manning himself, who returned to teaching at age 70. It is today one of the most widely practiced swing dances in the world.
How it's danced
Technique & figures
Lindy Hop is danced as a couple, to swing Big Bands at 130-200 BPM. The basic step is an "8-count": a rock step and six triple steps. The couple alternates between closed position and open position, where each partner improvises. The music swings, and so does the dance.
Styles and fundamentals
The basic step has two variants: the "swing out" (8 beats in open position) and the "circle" (6 beats in closed position). Around it, a rich vocabulary: Charleston for two, Tandem Charleston, Jockey position, Aerials for advanced levels. Musicality and partnering take precedence over figures.
Main figures
- 01
Swing out
The foundational 8-beat figure: the couple opens, turns, and returns in a new configuration. The heart of Lindy Hop.
- 02
Charleston
Borrowed from the 1920s dance, with rapid forward-back kicks. Danced as a couple facing each other or in tandem (one behind the other).
- 03
Rock step
A back-forward rocking step that opens each eight count. The breath of Lindy Hop.
- 04
Triple step
A small triple step (right-left-right) over two beats, which gives Lindy its distinctive "swing."
- 05
Aerial
An acrobatic figure in which the follower is thrown, flipped, or lifted by the leader. Invented in 1935 by Frankie Manning.
- 06
Shine (solo jazz)
A moment when the couple separates to improvise solo over the breaks in the track.
Reading the music
Swing Big Bands of the 1930s-40s: Count Basie, Chick Webb, Ella Fitzgerald, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman. Today, contemporary bands (The Speakeasies, Gordon Webster) revive this repertoire.
Did you know?
Explore the rhythms
Same family
Retro
Cross connections
Styles from other families that share a common language with Lindy Hop.