How to Learn to Jitterbug

Learning the jitterbug can release your inner exhibitionist.

Learn the jitterbug and impress friends with your retro dancing skills. Many people believe famed band leader Cab Calloway coined the term, but it was originally used by Harry Alexander White. Edwin Swayzee, Calloway's trumpeter, overheard White using the word and wrote a song called “The Jitterbug,” which Calloway recorded and made a hit in 1934. The dance was so popular it even landed in Oz, in the 1939 cinema classic--but the routine ended up on the cutting room floor. Revive the past by mastering the erratic steps of the jitterbug and making it your own.

Things You'll Need

• Music

Instructions

Steps for Men

1. Step slowly to the left with the left foot. Each step should be performed in two beats, with a slight bounce.

2. Step in place with the right foot. Do not step to the side. Perform this step in two beats.

3. Step backward quickly with the left foot, placing the left foot behind the heel of the right foot. Perform this step in two beats.

4. Step in place quickly with the right foot. Do not step forward. Perform this step in one beat. Repeat the steps in time with the music.

5. Branch out with wild steps of your own invention. Dip and twirl your partner. Even in its heyday, the dance incorporated many improvisational elements, so don't hesitate to put your personality into it.

Steps for Women

1. Step slowly to the right with the right foot. A slight bounce should be performed with each step. Perform this step in two beats.

2. Step in place with the left foot. Do not step to the side. Perform this step in two beats.

3. Step backwards quickly with the right foot, placing the right foot behind the heel of the left foot. Perform this step in one beat.

4. Step in place quickly with the left foot. Do not step forward. Perform this step in one beat. Repeat the steps one by one slowly until you've mastered each one before you put them together. Once you've integrated the hands and feet in sequence, step up the tempo until you're jitterbugging in time with the music.

5. Invent extra steps, adding twisting motions, hops and shimmies. Make funny faces at your partner. The jitterbug was infamous in its day as an example of youthful decadence, so get wild!

Tips & Warnings

• For an authentic feel, jitterbug to Big Band swing and boogie-woogie recordings from the 1930s and '40s. You can also experiment with contemporary music--anything with a lively beat.

• The jitterbug allows ample room for expression. Try exaggerating steps and hand gestures to release your inner jitters, and check your inhibitions at the door.

References

• StreetSwing: The Jitterbug
• Party Directory: Ballroom Dance - Jitterbug Basic
• Dance Tutor: Jitterbug Sneak Preview