Explanation of the Lindy Hop

Series Summary

The Swing or Jazz Era in the United States made the music culture between the 1920's and 1940's a remarkable time for musicians, artists and party-goers. Along with jazz itself, swing dancing has withstood the test of time, encompassing a wide variety of influences and styles to remain one of the most enjoyable forms of dance. The essence of swing dancing is the inclusion of various forms of dance styles and music. Popular swing dance moves take their cue from jazz, Latin and traditional African dances. One of the specific forms of swing dancing is called the Lindy Hop and is a great introduction into the world of swing dancing.

In this free video series, watch as dance instructors Spencer Weisbond and Jessi Spatz teach how to dance the Lindy Hop. Get all the fancy footwork and learn how to do different forms of the Charleston kick in this beautiful and fun partner dance made in 1920's. Learn such steps as the windshield wiper step, the helicopter kick, the front to back Charleston, and the stop and pop move. Let the experts at ExpertVillage show you how to do this exciting form of swing dancing with these step by step tutorials.

Video Transcript

"On behalf of Expert Village I'm Spencer Weisbond and this is my lovely partner Jessie Pats. I'm with Hop, Swing and Jump Dance Studios which was founded in NYC and is now based in New Orleans, Louisiana. We're showing you the Lindy hop. Today we'll be going over the difference between 6 count swing and 8 count swing, in 6 count swing also called basic swing or east coast swing. The basic step is done on a six count pattern and that is 1 2 3 4 5 6 and repeat, in Lindy hop which is 8 count swing the basic step has 2 extra steps and is a little more intriquette. So an 8 count 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 and repeat so today we'll be going over the difference between 8 count and 6 count and the various moves you can do when doing 8 count swing. You can't when you're doing 6 count swings, Lindy hop is a NYC based dance started in the 30s and 40s at the ballroom here in NYC in Harlem. It was Charles Lindberg and his transatlantic flight the Lindy hop."