Dance Styles Covered in Our Program
The following descriptions of jazz dances we teach at Sandra Cameron Dance Center are not meant to be exhaustive. They are abstracts or snapshots providing points of embarkation for the curious newcomer and eager enthusiast. Countless people over decades of late nights across numerous cities contributed to the social dances and dancing of today. It's impossible to represent these influences and contributions in a few short paragraphs—history books cannot even do it in a thousand pages. We urge those hungry for more details to ask a staff person or consult our swing resources page. Most of the dance forms listed here are taught on a monthly basis. Those not taught on a monthly basis are often featured in special classes or workshops. Check the classes or workshops page for schedule information.
LINDY HOP
(Also known as Swing, the Jitterbug, Lindy, and the Breakaway)
Developed in the late 1920s, starting in Harlem, the Lindy Hop evolved out of earlier dance forms. Some have cited influences as wide as the Charleston, Foxtrot, Original Two-Step, and the Breakaway. Unlike other dance forms where partners remain close together in closed position, the Lindy Hop allows dancers to separate, providing them more room to improvise. The dance's rise to fame matched the transition from early hot jazz to the swingin' sound of big band music.
SAVOY STYLE
The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem was the undisputed home of Lindy Hop. On its blocklong mahogany floor, the very best dancers swung nightly for more than 30 years. While each dancer at the Savoy Ballroom had his or her own style, what we now term "Savoy style" represents the set of steps and stylistic approaches passed down by a particular set of Savoy greats: Frankie Manning, Al Minns, Leon James, Norma Miller, and Eunice Callen. (See the staff section for more details about Frankie and Al.) This athletic and exhuberant style includes kicks, lifts, jumps, tosses and (when advanced) aerial steps. (Note: The Savoy was also home to great "Smooth Style" dancers in the 1930s-1950s. See below.)
SMOOTH STYLE
As the name suggests, Smooth Style emphasizes silky footwork and flowing patterns that remain athletic, but more grounded and subtle than Savoy Style. Also danced at the Savoy by dancers such as John Lucchese, George Lloyd, Dean Collins, Sonny Allen, Dawn Hampton, George Sullivan, and Sugar Sullivan, Smooth Style matched the dancing to the softening beat in big band jazz. New Jersey (and Savoy) transplant Dean Collins spread Smooth Style to the Southern California dance community, and his approach would influence generations of dancers on both coasts up to today. This style emphasizes more intricate footwork patterns, dips and slides. Back to top
BALBOA
Developed in the early 1930s at the Rendezvous Ballroom on Balboa Island off the coast of California and still danced today, Balboa is a primarily closed position dance originally created for crowded floors, slick shoes and fast music. Today Balboa is often danced with Bal-Swing, its later, more open form that emphasizes breakaways, kicks and fast turns.
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BIG APPLE
Invented in Columbia, S.C., perfected in Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom and dance halls nationwide, the Big Apple is the jazz dancer’s dictionary, a call and response dance comprised entirely of jazz moves such as Applejack, Charlie Chaplin, Camel Walk, Hitchhike, Suzy Q, Shorty George & Truckin’, plus many others. Dancers gather in a circle and dance the steps yelled out by a caller. Periodically, couples are invited to "Shine the Apple" by dancing in the center of the circle.
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BREAKDANCING (B-BOYING)
Description to come.
CAROLINA SHAG
The Swing dance of the South, Carolina Shag is a smooth, footwork-rich dance done primarily to rhythm and blues music. Also known as Beach Bop, Carolina Shag has remained popular socially since it reached the beach (in the mid ‘40s). Though danced mostly in just four states, Carolina Shag is one of the nation's most popular dances, based on numbers of dancers.
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CHARLESTON
Emblem of the Roaring Twenties, the Charleston swept the nation onto its feet in the early 1920s with partnered abandon, as it allowed dancers to kick, strut, stomp, and syncopate wildly. The Charleston not only captured the imagination of a generation of college kids, but also influenced ballroom and street jazz dancing for years to come.
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COLLEGIATE SHAG
A cousin of the Charleston believed to be from New Orleans, the Collegiate Shag is a six- and eight-count dance full of kicks, hops and taps done to faster big band jazz. Though danced as early as the late '20s, Collegiate Shag became popular nationwide in the '30s and '40s. It was one of six dances featured in the annual Harvest Moon Ball, held in Madison Square Garden.
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ST. LOUIS SHAG
Another cousin of the Charleston that places emphasis on a mix of kick steps and stomp steps. This form of Shag is done to very fast hot jazz and big band jazz.
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HIP HOP
Description to come.
PEABODY
Termed by noted teacher and historian Albert Butler as a "dancer's dance", the Peabody is a fast-moving one-step dance that captivated New Yorkers for more than four decades as couples raced around ballrooms, such as the Savoy Ballroom, Roseland Ballroom, and Club Fordham. George Burns, James Cagney and George Raft all danced the Peabody.
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VARSITY DRAG
Inspired by a dance number in the smash Broadway hit, Good News, the Varsity Drag become a popular solo and partner pastime in ballrooms and on campuses nationwide. Also called the Collegiate, the dance would later be absorbed into Collegiate Shag.
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