Lindy Hop - Week 1
- theprofjitterbug
- Sep 5
- 3 min read
Hello!
Welcome to your first week of Lindy Hop! You've joined a tradition that goes all the way back to Harlem, NY in the 1920s (and truly, much earlier than that!).
Each week in this 4-week series, you'll be sent 3 Keys to Success, to keep you motivated and prime you for next week.
3 Keys For Success This Week
Practice the Basic 8-Count Rhythmic Pattern 3x this week.
In class, we introduced the basic rhythmic pattern of the Lindy Hop a few different ways:
*Double-Triple-Double-Triple
*Step-Step, Triple-Step, Step-Step, Triple-Step
*1-2, 3 & 4, 5-6, 7 & 8
Three times this week (perhaps, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) choose a Swing song (or use the song linked below) for practice.
Begin by dancing the 8-count basic in place, making sure to practice starting with both your left and right foot.
Once you feel comfortable, take that same 8-count basic and move it through space.
Forward, backward, side-to-side—allow your dancing to travel, expand, and explore. Feel the rhythm in your body, and let the music guide your direction.
Need a little inspiration? I highly recommend this excellent footwork exercise by Sharon Davis—a gifted dancer and devoted student of jazz-era history.
Watch this Historic Lindy Hop Clip from 1941.
As you begin your journey into the world of Lindy Hop, there is perhaps no better way to glimpse its brilliance than by viewing what many consider the greatest performance of the dance ever captured on film.
This remarkable sequence comes from the 1941 motion picture Hellzapoppin’, a zany musical revue that first made its debut on the Broadway stage in 1938. The dancers featured here were members of the legendary troupe Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, the celebrated ambassadors of Harlem’s own Savoy Ballroom—known far and wide as the “Home of Happy Feet.”
In order of appearance, the dancers are:
William Downes & Frances “Mickey” Jones Billy Ricker & Norma Miller* Al Minns & Willamae Ricker* Frankie Manning & Ann Johnson
Watch closely. The joy, athleticism, and rhythmic brilliance you see here continue to inspire dancers around the globe to this day.
Astounding, isn’t it? That performance never fails to impress. Now, rest assured—while you may not be executing aerials by the end of this series, you will be learning many of the foundational rhythms, shapes, and spirit that make the Lindy Hop so joyous and enduring.
If you’re curious to learn more about this iconic moment in dance history—widely regarded by Lindy Hoppers as the finest recorded performance of our beloved dance—I encourage you to explore the excellent article titled “Seven Things You Should Know About Hellzapoppin’.” It offers a deeper look into the film, the dancers, and the cultural significance of this unforgettable sequence.
Listen to this album & dance to this song.
Royal Crown Revue, "Kings of Gangster Bop" (1991) - There are countless contenders for the title of “most important album of all time.” But for your professor—this one holds that honor. In 1998, as a junior in high school, I first encountered this album. It was my very first time hearing what I would later come to know as Swing. The energy, the rhythm, the horn lines were unlike anything I’d experienced before. I attended the band’s concert on June 18, 1998 at the Joint, and three months later, I went out Swing dancing for the first time. This album—and this band—remain my favorite to this day.
Count Basie, "Splanky" - This song by Swing royalty Count Basie is well known in the Lindy hop world as "Frankie Manning's Favorite Song." Frankie was part of the second generation of Lindy Hoppers and is perhaps its most important figure. After 30 years as a Postman in NY, Frankie returned to the Lindy Hop community in the mid-1980s and, along with his contemporary Norma Miller, led the dance's revival starting in the late-1990s. By the way, both Norma and Frankie were featured in the Hellzapoppin' video above.
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