by Ann Williams
That GAP ad got our attention! Not only are people swing dancing in commercials, but they're forming clubs around the U.S. and posting web sites. The subculture of dressing vintage, enjoying cocktails and dancing till dawn has been made mainstream by a popular trendy clothing store.
And now dressing "vintage" is dressing "swing." It's true! Every fashion show on Regis & Kathy Lee for "back to school" style features swing fashions.
The Swing movement encompasses every type of dance from the '30s up to the '50s, including big band, jazz, swing, rock-a-billy and ska. But it's important to know from where this type of dance originated. The first web site I visited does an amazing job of telling the story.
The Archives of Early Lindy Hop (http://www.-savoystyle.com) has the history of Lindy Hop, biographies of the original swingers and movies featuring the dance style. In the late 1920's in Harlem, Lindy Hop was breaking out wherever people were partying. But it wasn't until the opening of the Savoy Ballroom that Lindy Hop got its name and a home. At the Savoy, the Lindy Hop got hotter and hotter as people danced to the top big bands in the land. And it got better and better, as the popular Saturday night competitions pushed good dancers to greatness. New steps were born every day. The styling got refined and was executed so well that the dance was a joy to watch as well as do. When it looked like it couldn't get any better, a young dancer named Frankie "Musclehead" Manning created the first airsteps in 1935, and the Lindy Hop soared.
Lindy Hop became a dance craze worldwide, known as Jitterbug. It evolved into many forms, such as West Coast Swing, Rock‘n'Roll and Boogie Woogie. But the authentic style, the original style, will always be the Savoy style from Harlem, USA.
The SwingSet.Net (http://www.swingset.net/) covers music, slang and dance resources in several metropolitan locations. Check out the "swingistics." Pretty hilarious. You can also search by date and club for "what's shakin'."
SwingTown (http://activemedia.home.mind spring.com/swing.html) is an Atlanta guide that has it all—listen to music on-line, check out the Internet resources or find out what's hot. The music section is nice: great write-ups on local bands and where to find them.
The US Swing Dance Server (http://simon.cs. cornell.edu/Info/People/aswin/SwingDancing/) is an Internet guide to every aspect of swing. This site has external links all over the place. When I wanted to know more about the different styles of dancing I clicked over to The South Florida Swing Dance Society Inc., which was formed in 1992 as a not-for-profit social organization dedicated to "the preservation, perfection, progression and promotion of Swing Dancing." Sound familiar? I think they'd get along with our group!
The Nocturne: Los Angeles Swing Times (http://www.nocturne .com/swing/swing .shtml) is a Swing guide that does not limit itself to Los Angeles. It contains tips on how to get fully immersed in swing culture. Their motto: "Making the world a swinger place." This site has everything you need to know to survive at night in L.A. in vintage style! Here you'll find where the cool clubs are and all the shops to dress the part. They have a real kitsch "take a 'hair-do' workshop," where you can click on a deco "do" and download the picture to try and do it yourself. Instructions mot included.
So here's a cushy start to the swing net, but I suggest getting out to the clubs and dancing to the new bands and using the net to find your way.