Swing is a kind of jazz music that originated in America in the early part of the 20th century.  From the late 1920s to the 1950s, swing bands were hugely popular throughout the USA and the world.  Early swing bands were generally large bands with around twenty members.  These bands would play in hip places like the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem (which occupied an entire city block!) and hundreds of people would come to dance Lindy Hop and other swing dances. In the early 30's, George "Shorty" Showden was the first dancer to form a Lindy Hop dance troupe, and Frankie Manning brought the dance to new heights when he performed the first aerial in 1935. 

Swing dance on Wikipedia »

Download one of our swing sets!
Here's a set of swingin' tunes put together by one of our own dancers, Warren O'Daly (a.k.a. DJ Waza) of Invisible Agent Records...a gift from us to you: http://www.invisibleagent.com/media/Swing-Jazz_Volume1.zip

The masters--Whitey's Lindy Hoppers with Frankie Manning in overalls--from Hellzapoppin', 1941:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTg5V2oA_hY

The Harlem Hotshots showcasing swing dancing--check out the Lindy Hop at the end--2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClUh6YNByi4

Same event--Silver Shadows Lindy Hoppers at Frankie Manning's 95th Birthday party in NYC, 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA74bmxznZk

Skye Humphries & Frida Segerdahl--modern day legends--American Lindy Hop Championships Classic, 2007:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VZ92G665vc&feature=related

More Whitey's--from A Day at the Races, 1937:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5T8XauYhlU