How to Dance The Lindy Hop Basic

Learning the basics on how to dance the Lindy Hop is the starting point for mastering this swing dance. The Lindy Hop is a couples dance that originated in the New York in the 1920s and was associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. A reporter saw the dance in 1927 and asked if the dance had a name. A Lindy pioneer, George Snowden, said the dance was a celebration of Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic and that they called it Lindy's hop.http://www.jitterbuzz.com/lindyhop.html

The frame is the posture and position of your body during the dance. In the Lindy Hop your elbows should be at your side and the lead will have their palms face up while the follower will have their palms face down. Grip each others hands with a gentle interlocking grip. Keep your shoulders level and always face your partner. Your upper body should remain still with the movement coming from your feet and legs.http://www.jitterbuzz.com/less1.html

The Lindy Hop is based on eight beats. The basic eight steps are " rock step, triple step, step, step, triple step." You can practice these steps alone each day until you become accustomed to them. The follower will mirror the steps of the lead. So the lead steps will be "rock step, left-right-left, step step, right-left-right", and the followers steps will be "rock step, right-left-right, step step, left-right-left."http://www.jitterbuzz.com/less1.html

The turn in the Lindy Hop takes place during beat five and six. The lead will let go with their right hand and raise the left. Raising the hand is the signal for a turn. The lead raises the followers hand until their elbow is at an approximate 90 degree angle. The follow does half of the turn on the fifth beat and finishes the turn on the sixth beat.http://www.jitterbuzz.com/less1.html