Kevin and Carla at BarSwingOna

Kevin St. Laurent and Carla Heiney demo completely improvised Lindy Hop at the 2003 BarSwingona in Barcelona, Spain.

Hellzapoppin'

Clip from the 1941 movie Hellzapoppin' featuring Whitey's Lindy Hoppers and Slim Galliard's "Hellzapoppin' Jam"

General Notes

Keep fingers loose, especially on turns. To be more responsive to your partner, keep tension in the arms and frame (upper body), and keep your arms connected to your body (no noodle arms!) – think of a G.I. Joe or Barbie Doll where there aren’t any movable joints. Be gentle to your partner, both physically and verbally. Try not to correct your partner unless the s/he asks for it. However, if your partner is doing something that might hurt you, then please, speak up! Be open to new dance and social possibilities. And most importantly, have fun!

Following

The art of following requires a great deal of sensitivity and trust. Your work is to interpret the gestures of your partner and transform those small motions into turns, pauses, and other moves. Following also requires you to allow the lead to dictate what move will happen next – be generous and give the lead this opportunity to make decisions.

Leading

Leads should be attentive to the music, and your partner. There’s no need to crank your partner’s arm, simply suggest to your partner that she execute a turn. Your work is to keep the dance musical, think of the next move to execute, and then lead that move with confidence – if you don’t know what you’re doing, neither will your follow. See what your leading produces in the follow’s movements – if it’s not what you expect, then try leading in a different way.

Follower's Outside Turn - Cha-Cha-Cha

Leads: Moves are led on forward, back, cha-cha-LEAD. Leads raise your left hand and allow the follow to walk under it – lead’s continue stepping to the beat while the follow makes their turn.

Follows: turn counter-clockwise under your right arm, continuing to step in the basic rhythm. Step left forward toward your partner, then turn around 180 degrees, putting your weight on your right foot while keeping your feet in place. On the cha-cha-cha, finish your turn, ending facing your partner.

Basics to the Side - Cha-Cha-Cha

Step out to the side (lead’s right, follow’s left), shift weight back to the other foot (lead’s left, follow’s right), then bring outside feet (lead’s right, follow’s left) to triple step in place. Step out to the other side (lead’s left, follow’s right), shift weight back to the other foot (lead’s right, follow’s left), then bring outside feet (lead’s left, follow’s right) in and triple step in place.

Basic Step - Cha-Cha-Cha

Leads: Step forward with your left foot (1), shift weight to your right foot (2), return left foot next to right (3), step quickly in place left, right (and 4). Step back with right foot (5), shift weight to your left foot (6), return right foot next to left (7), step quickly in place right, left (and 8). Repeat

Follows: Step back with right foot (1), shift weight to your left foot (2), return right foot next to left (3), step quickly in place right, left (and 4). Step forward with your left foot (5), shift weight to your right foot (6), return left foot next to right (7), step quickly in place left, right (and 8). Repeat

The 3 quick steps on 3 & 4 and 7 & 8 are the "cha-cha-cha" part of the dance.

Waist-Slide - Merengue

Begin in 1-Hand Open Position, follow's right hand in lead's left. .

Leads: gently pull follow in with your left hand, placing the follow’s right hand about on your belly button. Let go of the follow’s hand, right shoulder to right shoulder by pulling the follow's right hand to your belly button with your left hand. Then let go of the follow's hand, raise your right arm just above waist height and turn left (counter-clockwise) into your own left arm.

Follows slide hand along the lead's waist while turning right (clockwise) around your lead. When you find the lead's elbow, simply slide hand down the lead’s arm to hand.

Follow's Outside Turn - Merengue

From Open Position: Lead raise your left hand and allow the follow to walk under it – lead’s continue stepping to the beat while the follow makes their turn. Follows continue stepping to the beat while turning clockwise until facing partner again.

Basic Step - Merengue

Step once to each beat, alternating feet. When you step on a foot, straighten that leg, which moves the hip on the same side out a bit (think that you've been waiting for the bus for far too long - hmmph!).

Inside (ARR!) Turn - East Coast Swing

Beginning in 1-Hand Open Position (follow’s right hand in lead’s left).

Leads gently move left hand in a large counter-clockwise circle (like a pirate’s arr!), ending with the hand at 12 o’clock, which allows the follow to move under your arm.
Follows, step forward with your right, then around 180 degrees to step with your left, and then do a rock-step in place.
Couple ends in 1-Hand Open Position, ¼ turn clockwise from where the couple started.

Butter, Butter, Stab - East Coast Swing

To continue leading in 1-Hand Open Position, leads move left hand slightly to your left on the left step, slightly to your right on the right step, then push slightly forward on your rock-step. Like in the morning when you butter your bread –to the left, to the right – then stab your cat. Butter, Butter, Stab.

1-Hand Open Position - East Coast Swing

Lead’s put left hand in front of you, forearm roughly parallel to the floor. Form a “C” with your hand, the opening of the “C” facing towards your right. Follows place fingers of the right hand into lead’s left hand.

2-Hand Open Position - East Coast Swing

Lead put both hands out in front of you, forearms roughly parallel to the floor. Make two “C” shapes with your hands, openings of the “C” facing inwards towards each other. Follow wrap the fingers of both hands, palms facing down into the lead’s hands.

Outside Turn - East Coast Swing

Beginning in Closed Position: Leads raise left hand, and gently put pressure on the follows back with the right hand. In the basic rhythm, follows step forward on the right foot under her right hand, the turn to face away from your partner, stepping left in the same direction, then turn around 180 degrees with a rock-step. Leads continue stepping in the basic rhythm while the follows complete their turn. End in One-Hand Open Position (lead’s left hand holding the follow’s right hand), ¼ turn counter-clockwise from where the couple started.

Closed Position - East Coast Swing

Leads put left hand out parallel to the floor, making a “C” facing towards their right. Follws place the fingers of the right hand into the leads “C,” keeping arms roughly parallel to the floor.

Lead’s right hand is placed on the follow’s back, with the thumb along the follow’s spine right about where a bra strap is. Follow’s left hand rests on the lead’s right shoulder.

Basic Step - East Coast Swing

The basic is done in six counts. Step (1), Step (3), Rock (5), Step (6). Follows begin stepping on their right, and leads on their left. The rock puts all the weight onto the ball of the foot (right for follows, left for leads), then quickly step back onto their other foot.

Follower's Solo - Cross-Step Waltz

Leads: when you take your large crossing-step with your right foot, stop with your right foot forward. Continue to move your upper body and guide the follow forward, then back towards you on her steps. When the follow is taking a left crossing-step, begin moving with the follow. This is a great move to do when you are dancing around the floor and find that a couple has stopped in front of you. Now you can pause while the follow continues to dance, without hitting anyone in front of you.

Turning Basic - Cross-Step Waltz

Both leads and follows take a large right crossing-step around their partner (around their partner’s right side), while the next two steps are small. This should turn the couple in a counter-clockwise direction. To aid in turning, leads can pull the follow around to your right on your left crossing-step.

Imagine you and your partner are headed down a train-track. As a chivalrous kind of guy, the lead takes a large crossing-step with his right foot, throwing his back towards the on-coming train. However, we’ve come a long way for gender equality, and us girls aren’t about to let an on-coming train get in the way (or perhaps the lead is having second thoughts about his self-sacrificial decision), so follows take a large crossing-step with their right foot, putting their back toward the on-coming train. This struggle continues as the couple moves turning counter-clockwise towards the on-coming train…

Closed Position - Cross-Step Waltz

Follow’s right hand in the lead’s left, held out to the side. Lead’s right hand wraps around the follow’s back. Follow’s left hand rests gently on the lead’s right shoulder. Most of the leading and following for cross-step waltz comes from the lead’s right hand on the follow’s back. To guide the movement of this waltz, the lead pushes gently on the follow’s back with the heel of the palm, then pulls gently with the fingers of the right hand.

Basic Step - Cross-Step Waltz

Leads cross right foot over left and step on it. Then step to the outside with left, then step right foot slightly behind left, turning body to face to the right a bit (turning slightly clockwise). Now cross left foot over right and step on it. Then step to the outside with right, then step left slightly behind right, turning body to face to a bit to the left (turning slightly counter-clockwise). Repeat.

Follows cross left foot over right and step on it. Then step to the outside with right, then step left slightly behind right, turning body to face to a bit to the left (turning slightly counter-clockwise). Now cross right foot over left and step on it. Then step to the outside with left, then step right foot slightly behind left, turning body to face to the right a bit (turning slightly clockwise). Repeat.

Octopus Walks - East Coast Swing

Start crossed hands with your partner - left hand over right. Lead: move your hands like you're driving a really big steering wheel that turns a car to the left - left hand up, right hand down, then right hand up to come over your own head, then left hand up and place behind the follow's head. Follow: turn to the left until the lead is next to you on your right.
When you have hands in place ("octopus arms"), walk one step to a beat (no rock-step). Walk in any direction you please, but be gentle with leading as arms are in a potentially uncomfortable position.
To unwrap, leads - continue to hold the follow's hands as you remove your left hand from behind the follow's head, then remove your right hand from behind your head and drive your big steering wheel as if you're turning to the right. Follows - turn towards your right (clockwise) . While unwrapping, leads and follows continue to take one step per beat. Leads: when you've unwrapped and the follow is about to step on their right food, push forward with your arms to signal a rock-step (follow's right, lead's left) to end in basic east coast swing with crossed-hands.

*Because of all the turning, it's extra important to keep the hands and fingers loose to let rotation come easy, otherwise fingers and arms can be bent in uncomfortable ways.*