Swing Into a New Era: New coming of a dance and of a population

Swinging into a New Era:

Youth Rebellion Brings out a Dancing Change
Alicia Wilson
FRINQ: Portland State University

Abstract
For this research paper, we went through the process of finding a topic of a style of art that
represents the time period and culture it is related to. Once the topic was chosen, research on it
began, which includes databases and library searches. During these searches, information
needed to be gathered about the history (time period), background, and influences that the art
movement occurred around. From there, all of these aspects are analyzed, and a thesis is created
explaining how this art form is a reflection of the aspects. Specifically, swing dance shows the
youthful rebellion of its time period, and reflects a culture mixture of black and white
Americans. The essay that is put together also explains the actual art form, and goes into further
detail about the background information.

Swing Into a New Era: New coming of a dance and of a population

The door opens into a secret, underground club, and there are about 50 people. The guys
are wearing suits, and brimmed hats. The girls are wearing flowing dresses that reach just below
the knee, with pearls and headbands. Half the room sits and enjoys the live jazz band, with
trumpets, deep soulful singing, and drums. They're sipping on their drinks, and make small talk.
The other half is jumping, hopping and swinging. There's a connection between each set of
dance partners, and the entire room exudes excitement. Suddenly, the doors bust open, and a
swarm of police rush in. They begin collecting people, as everyone scurries out the other door.
The excitement increases, and everyone will have a night to remember.
Originating in the 1920s, Swing dance emerged among rebellious youth who disagreed
with societal norms. This conglomeration of dance moves and counterculture is one form of a
partner routine that can be described with lots of excitement and joy. The dance incorporates six
or eight beat rhythms, which just means that when routines are made, they follow the 1..2..3..4,
etc counts. The dance can be done in competition, shown in movies, or enjoyed in the comfort of
a studio. Everyone who swing dances uses lots of energy, but not just how normal dances do.
The dance includes animated movements from the legs and arms, and lots of jumping and
swinging the partner around. The dance incorporates complex leg movements that either involve
kicking or shuffling that helps to bring the dance alive. The partner dance aspect involves a few
dangerous moves, where the guy gently tosses his partner in the air, and swings her around him.
There's a few popular forms of this dance, such as Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, and West Coast.
According to Stevens (2011), Lindy Hop is the original and earliest form of swing dance; The
Lindy Hopper dances a circular basic with slightly bent knees, swaying torso and hip motions,
and uses the entire body (not just the arms and legs), for a flowing smooth line (Stevens 2011,

Swing Into a New Era: New coming of a dance and of a population

Pg. 110). This beginning form used lots of creativity, as dancers improvised parts of their
routines, and broke away from the norm. Stevens explains that the next style, Jitterbug, was
renamed as a new craze for white Americans. The main difference of this style is that the steps
are much quicker. The West Coast swing originates in California, and its main difference is that
it is danced in a straight-line slot (Stevens 2011, 114). This just refers to the fact that it focuses
more on individual footwork, as opposed to the typical mirroring of partners that happens in
other forms. Each of these forms have original roots set in Africa.
These dances stem from a very sad time, the African slave trade. Tamara Stevens (2010)
explains that when African slaves were brought over on ships, their captors forced them to dance
to keep healthy and fit. Their dance style was very spiritually based, and brought them back
mentally to their home. The dance style is described by chants and moans, repeated words and
vocal melodies, became their music...shouting, clapping, and counterclockwise movements
(Stevens, 2010. Pg. 3-5). Stevens (2010) talks about how these slaves brought their cultural
dancing to European dancing, and began to mix the two styles to create a completely new dance
form.
The Great Migration occurred in the early twentieth century, and as Huggins and
Rampersad mention, Large numbers of blacks had streamed into the northern cities in the first
years of the new century.. (Huggins & Rampersad 2007). When this happened, African
Americans began to bring their influence into the White American culture, which started to
become a sort of melting pot. All Americans began dancing at the same clubs, and parties. They
came together because they wanted to enjoy the optimism of change that was occurring through
an exciting time period filled with happening music, dance and lifestyle. Still, there were a lot of

Swing Into a New Era: New coming of a dance and of a population

differences between African Americans and White Americans. Brown (2007) mentions that
many European-influenced Americans did not want to give African Americans any credit for the
dance or music of the time. They merely took it as their own new creative style, instead of
admitting where the roots of the dance sprouted from. Even though White Americans ignored
this aspect, they still were able to interact with African Americans in a way that had never been
done before. Jazz music is the heart of swing dance. Jazz also finds its beginnings from Africa,
and brought over during the slave trade, only to be mixed with European music as well to create
a new kind of music. Gioia (2011) talks about the history of jazz, stating that many believe it
was born in Storyville, New Orleans in the early 1900s. Storyville was known as a red light
district, and Buddy Bolden commonly credited with being the first jazz musician was
forced to conclude that Bolden 'did not play in the brothels. None of the musicians who were
interviewed remembered playing with a band in a whorehouse, nor did they know of anyone
who had' (Gioia 2011). The start of jazz is so controversial, as well as jazz itself. It is often
referred to as devil's music, because of its African roots as well as the sexuality of the music.
Dance involved with jazz, including swing dance, was seen as too sexy and and was often
shunned in early 1900s. Mainly the youth enjoyed the dancing, and used it as a way of rebelling
against society. In general, the time period was filled with a scandalous lifestyle, so it only made
sense that everyone began to grasp the dance and music. It was a time of excitement, and the
dance art expression needed to match it.
The end of World War 1 in 1918 had set off many changes in the United States, including
a boom in the economy, and many new inventions. Varrasi (2005) discusses some specific
changes in the American cities, such as huge skyscrapers being built. With the growth of cities,

Swing Into a New Era: New coming of a dance and of a population

different transportation options were explored, and railroad systems were considered. With the
emphasis on the car, highways were backed up by government, and it was easier for travel to
happen (Varrasi 2005, web). With increased travel, opportunities for all increased, because
people were able to see more of the world. Coupled with the migration of Afro-Americans,
people were beginning to become more connected across America. This only made it more
likely that a mass dance craze would take over the entire nation, but not completely accepted at
first.
Many Americans took to drinking, as most European countries had been doing for a long
time. There were many saloons and bars that younger Americans frequented, which led to
awareness of this new kind of behavior, and was very frowned upon by the older population. In
order to combat the drunkenness, the government put up laws to shut down saloons and cut off
the alcohol supply. In 1920, the 18th amendment was ratified, and selling and transporting
alcohol was made illegal. This only added to the decrease in morality in American individuals,
by tempting them to do illegal things. They began to have many parties underground, with lots
of alcohol, which was accompanied by dancing and music, which was mainly jazz music and
swing dance. The dancing felt very scandalous, and this created an alluring feeling in this time
period. Swing dance in the immoral clubs was one way for them to express this new sensation
that was hard to understand. The media paralleled the rebellion and scandal that youth
Americans craved during this time, and women, specifically, were now seen as a sexual object.
Woman's sexuality had never been so open before, and in a way it allowed for more
expression and individuality. Women were the stars in movies, and had many different kinds of
parts to play, including flapper girls. Flapper girls are known for embracing their sexuality, and

Swing Into a New Era: New coming of a dance and of a population

using it to get what they want. They are also very daring, and dance often at parties, drive cars,
and live a lavish lifestyle. Ross (2001) states, They furthermore increased the sexual stakes by
having the flapper character take control of romantic situations, and express an uninhibited
enjoyment of the sensual pleasures that went with her activities (Ross 2001, Pg. 421).
Although women were portrayed very sexually in the media, they also gained confidence in
being able to openly express themselves through dress, makeup, and extracurricular. Women
would go out to parties to dance with everyone around them to this new dance craze, swing.
Stevens (2011) states: This brassy, swingin' age of jazz marked the dawning of a new-found
freedom, especially for women. Corsets were a thing of the past. Hair was bobbed short. Long
cumbersome skirts were out, and the newly attained 'ability to move' was celebrated (Stevens
2011). Ladies, however, were often seen as objects, and not as human beings. This is a constant
struggle, seen in the current time, as well. Youthful women definitely began to play a crucial
part in rebellion. They simply began to go against any cultural norms from before the beginning
of the 1900s, where women were not seen or heard. Women still have a far way to go to be seen
as equal to men, but shortly after the start of the century, in 1920, women had received the right
to vote, which was a huge victory. They gained a bit of individuality, and were not tied to their
husbands or fathers. Soon, after WWII, most Americans were sent off to war, men and women,
alike. However, most women stayed behind to fight the war on the home front, which proved
that they are just as capable as men in anything. Women even started all girl bands in the
1940s, to play jazz music so that the excitement and joy of the swing dance didn't go away. The
swing dance had become such a big part of the culture in the early 1900s, and it would be
difficult to lose.

Swing Into a New Era: New coming of a dance and of a population

Swing dance is an integration of African and European American cultures, which is the
result of such a free and open time period. Although it was a very controversial dance and
lifestyle back then, most art revolutions similarly create a lot of change that impacts the future.
In this case, it gave way to the sexuality and freedom of women, giving them more power to
realize what they are capable of, as well as putting the youthful counterculture in the forefront.
Swing dance incorporated diverse cultures, people, and communities, and served as a step
towards the future in the world of dance.

Resources

Swing Into a New Era: New coming of a dance and of a population

Brown, T. (1998). It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that harlem swing: Social dance and the
harlem renaissance. Afro - Americans in New York Life and History, 22(1), 41. Retrieved
from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/docview/200849042?
accountid=13265
Gioia, Ted. (2011). History of Jazz (2nd Edition). Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press,
USA. Retrieved from ProQuest ebrary.
Huggins, Nathan I. Rampersad, Arnold. (2007). Harlem Renaissance. Cary, NC: Oxford
University Press, USA.
Ross, S.. (2001). 'Good Little Bad Girls': Controversy and the Flapper Comedienne. Film
History, 13(4), 409423. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3815458
Stevens, Tamara, and Erin Stevens. (2011). Swing Dancing. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood.
Stevens, J. D. (1989). Media and morality in the twenties. History Today, 39(11), 25.
Varrasi, J. (2005). Soaring Twenties. Mechanical Engineering, 127(5), 39-41.