13 Facts About Lindy Hop

Lindy Hop is an American dance which was born in the African-American communities in Harlem, New York City, in 1928 and has evolved since then.

Lindy Hop is a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based on jazz, tap, breakaway, and Charleston.

Lindy Hop today is danced as a social dance, as a competitive dance, as a performance dance, and in classes, workshops, and camps.

Lindy Hop is sometimes referred to as a street dance, referring to its improvisational and social nature.

The most famous Lindy Hop dance, which is not connected to the other Lindy Hop dances, was born in the Harlem dance marathon in 1928 where George Snowden and Mattie Purnell reinvented the breakaway pattern by accident.

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Harlem Lindy Hop developed probably from four possible sources, or some combination thereof: the breakaway, the Charleston, the Texas Tommy, and the hop.

However, early versions of air steps in the Lindy Hop were performed already from the very beginning of the 1930s.

Lindy Hop entered mainstream American culture in the 1930s, gaining popularity through multiple sources.

Hollywood-style Lindy Hop is sometimes referred to as Dean Collins or Smooth-style, but these terms sometimes refer to different styles of Lindy Hop.

Savoy-style Lindy Hop was danced at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in the 1930s and 1940s.

Savoy style Lindy Hop was most frequently associated with living dancers from the 1930s such as Frankie Manning, and with the Swedish dance troupe The Rhythm Hot Shots .

Lindy Hop historians draw clear distinctions between the dancing styles of key female dancers such as Norma Miller and Ann Johnson.

In describing Savoy style Lindy Hop, observers note that the follower is led out of the basic Swingout sideways as a default.