Yesterday I told you that today I would be sharing about my first forays into the world of the Lindy Hop, but I've decided to switch gears. More about me later.
Have you ever wondered where the name "Lindy Hop" came from?? I mean, who or what or where is "Lindy"?
Well, "Lindy" was a who (haha, that sounds so Dr. Suess)...
The quick 'n dirty rundown: swing dance evolved in the late 1920's
alongside jazz music. Dance and music do go hand in hand, after all. Well, dance marathons were hugely popular in the ballrooms of the day, and couples would compete for days and days and days against other couples, hoping
to be the last couple standing at the end. What this looked like, if you can imagine, was each person leaning up against his or her partner so they would remain upright and dancing (more like sleep-dancing). If you sat or fell down, you forfeited.
Okay. So, during one particular marathon, a man
by the name of George “Shorty” Snowden was dancing with his partner, Big Bea.
They had been dancing for a long while and nothing exciting had happened... Until! Shorty noticed that there were reporters nearby. Hoping to grab their
attention and make himself and Big Bea stand out--he really wanted to win that marathon!--he pushed Bea out, she did a
little twist of her hips, and then he pulled her back in. The reporters went
crazy! They declared a new dance move and demanded to know what it was called. Shorty had to think quick on his feet. He remembered seeing headlines about Charles Lindbergh's flight across the
Atlantic Ocean in newspapers, exclaiming “Lindy Hops the Atlantic!”
 |
| Discovered via Google Images and also seen here |
So, with all the cool in the world, he told reporters: “That? Well. That ain't nothin' but the Lindy
Hop!”
And the Lindy Hop was born.
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I am not a historian. This story was gathered over years of swapping tales with my fellow swingers. If you have cold, hard facts that boost my story, please share! I'd love to connect.
xoxo
J
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