Driven to Dance:

Motivations for Social Partner Dance

as Observed in the Subcultures of Swing and Lindy Hop

By: Pamela Stergios

Thesis Director: Merry Lynn Morris, College of Visual and Performing Arts
Submitted to the University of South Florida Honors College, Fall 2007

It takes you to the next level. It makes you experience love.

Its communication. I think its everything spiritual and
its everything loving about what people should be
and what they can be to each other.
- - - Jackie Harris, Director of Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp

Table of Contents

Introduction...................................................................................................4
Chapter I: Why They Danced......................................................................9
Chapter II: A New Age of Swing...............................................................19
Chapter III: Supporting Body and Mind..................................................25
Chapter IV: An Issue of Touch..................................................................29
Chapter V: Building Confidence...............................................................33
Chapter VI: Sustaining Community.........................................................40
Chapter VII: Seeking Relationships..........................................................48
Chapter VIII: Musicality and Creativity..................................................53
Chapter IX: Expression and Connection..................................................58
Notes.............................................................................................................64
Bibliography................................................................................................67

Introduction

Statement of Purpose
My intention in doing this project is to explore the causes and appeal of dancing,
particularly social dance forms done in a social setting. My primary interest is the
modern swing movement, a revival of early 20th century dance forms which has risen in
popularity during the last two decades. Of these dance forms, I am focusing specifically
on the Lindy Hop and the people who dance it, who often refer to themselves as lindy
hoppers. However, as all dancing informs all other dancing, those who dance lindy will
most likely participate in, or use other dance forms in their social dancing. For this
reason, my research examines the swing scene as a whole, which incorporates many of
the following social and ballroom dances: Balboa, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing,
Jitterbug, Charleston, Shag, Fox Trot, Blues, Swango, and other popular street dances that
can be danced in a social or competitive setting and fall under the umbrella category of
swing in the 21st century.
The social dance scene has a distinct culture, one that has fascinated me from the
moment I began dancing three years ago. I believe there are many psychological and
physical benefits to participating in dance, coming from my own personal experiences.
Swing dance attracts fascinating people of all ages and from all walks of life. The longer
I danced, the more I wondered what these people were looking for, and if the attraction to
dance for them was the same as it was for me. Was there a common thread that dancers
shared, or did everyone have different goals which drove them to find a home in the
dance community? I noticed there was a core group of people involved in swing dancing

that became regulars at each venue, coming out week after week, and for some, year
after year. Their passion drives them to invest immense amounts of time, energy and
money on social dancing, dance lessons, competitions, and for many, traveling to social
dance events outside of their local dance studios and clubs. For many, dance has become
part of their lifestyle, described even by some as an addiction. I wondered what this
addiction was, and why some had this passion while others did not. Was it just because
dancing was fun and enjoyable for its own sake, or were there deeper needs that people
were trying to fulfill by participating in this particular activity? That was the question I
tried to answer through this project.
Motivation
First, I would like to provide a short definition of motivation. Motivation is a
reason, or set of reasons, for engaging in a particular behavior, especially human behavior
as studied in the field of psychology. There are two types of motivation, extrinsic and
intrinsic. Someone who is extrinsically motivated may desire rewards such as praise or
money, for example. Intrinsic motivation is evident when people engage in an activity
for its own sake, without some obvious external incentive present. A hobby is a typical
example. According to the need theory set forth by psychologist Abraham Maslow,
human beings have wants and desires which influence their behavior. Drives and desires
can be described as a deficiency or need that activates behavior that is aimed at a goal or
an incentive. Only unsatisfied needs can influence behavior, satisfied needs cannot.
These needs range from the most basic to the most complex, but one can fulfill the next
level of needs only after the lower level need is minimally satisfied.1 There are five

categories suggested in Maslows need hierarchy theory, arranged in order of importance,

as follows:
Physiological: breathing, food, water, sleep, sex, homeostasis
Safety/Security: security of body, employment, resources, health, property, family
Social [Love/Belonging]: friendship, family, sexual intimacy
Esteem: self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of and by others
Self-Actualization/Growth: morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving,
People are motivated to do something because they receive a certain benefit from
doing it. That being said, I wondered what those unsatisfied needs were that brought
certain dancers back week after week, year after year. Interestingly, during the course of
this project I noticed that social dance can satisfy the top three of these five categories of
needs, which may explain why it can become, for some people, so deeply satisfying, and
such an essential addition to ones social life experience. This necessity for dance, and
the culture surrounding it, fascinates me. For this reason, I am focusing on those social
dancers for which dance has gone from being not just a hobby, but a lifestyle. To
accomplish this, I have conducted a one year ethnography of the swing dance scene.
Research
The definition of ethnography is the branch of anthropology that deals with the
scientific description of specific human cultures. To do this, one is engaged in fieldwork
which consists of participant observation, living among a group, asking questions, and
observing cultural functions. As I am a swing dancer myself, this gave me a certain
insight into the culture, and a better understanding of where people were coming from
and why they think the way they do, as opposed to someone who has never danced before

and has not experienced the presence of this culture first hand. I gathered the majority of
my information from personal interviews with swing dancers, as well as the review of
some published sources in the fields of music and dance that could provide me with some
context in which to write. I found very few published sources that discussed the benefits
of, or motivations for, social dance on more than a superficial level. Most works on
dance psychology that I was able to find pertained to the fields of professional and
performance dances such as modern and contemporary dance, and ballet, with negligible
references made to social dance, either modern or historical. Some articles I found on
social dance did discuss the dance experience and culture, but not to the extent that I
wanted to cover it.
I conducted 44 informal, structured interviews with dancers both in and outside of
my own peer group; however I had personally met all of them locally or in my travels to
other dance scenes. Twenty-four came from outside of my home dance town of Tampa,
FL, fifteen of which are from outside of Florida. They ranged from having 1-18 years
dance experience, a couple of whom were from the older generation and had experienced
swing or social dance as a way of life from a very young age, and were therefore unable
to provide me with a set number of years of dance experience. Some were instructors,
while others had danced socially for only a year or two; however all of the interviewees
were regular dancers, meaning they attended social dance events at least once a week
or more whenever they could. I interviewed 30 males and 14 females. I hoped to have
an even number of genders sampled, but ultimately found that gender had no influence on
why people danced, though females seemed more willing to share personal details while
men focused more on technical aspects. I tried to encourage all of them to open up to me,

and look deeper into themselves to analyze their reasons for dancing, beyond the obvious
answer of, its fun. I posed the following questions in my interviews:

What, or who, brought you out social dancing the first time you went and why did
you agree to go?
What were your first impressions upon going to a social dance or lesson for the
very first time?
What are your reasons for continuing to go out social dancing at this point in your
life?
Would you say that dancing has changed you, or affected your personality since
you started, and was it for the better or worse?
What obstacles or challenges have you overcome while social dancing?
What do you think about when you are on the dance floor?
How does being watched affect your dancing?
What type of people would you say are attracted to the swing scene in particular?
Would you describe yourself as an introvert or an extravert?

Not all of the questions solicited responses that were as useful as others, but they
often opened new doors and led dancers to share other opinions and personal insights
they had with me. I did find common threads running through many of their answers, but
some had unique experiences that shaped their lives and their passion for dancing
differently than others. From these interviews, I was able to identify the participants
varied responses as falling into one or more of several general topics pertaining to
motivations for dance, of which I designated one chapter for each. I would like to begin
with a little history of social dance, followed by a brief description of how the modern
swing dance scene developed today. I will then move on to cover each of the motivations
in subsequent chapters, beginning with the more superficial benefits of dancing, and
gradually progressing into the deeper reasons that drive people to dance.

Chapter I: Why They Danced

Since the beginning of civilization, human beings have danced. Whatever the
reasons may have been, dancing was important enough to record on stone even before
written language.2 Dancing, both communal and solitary, has been incorporated into
every culture to mark key events in peoples lives, whether for planting crops, initiating a
hunt, going to war, marriage, announcing a birth, or preparing for death. Prehistorically,
it is thought that dancing may have had an evolutionary function. Initially, it may have
encouraged humans to form groups that were larger than small bands of closely related
individuals. Forming larger social groups could have enabled humans to better
participate in group defense.3 It could have also given certain individuals a reproductive
advantage in sexual selection, not to mention dissolving petty rivalries and factional
differences between a groups members through harmless competitions over dance
prowess.4
Throughout European history, dancing was a way for the lowest social classes to
release tension and anxiety from long hours of toiling and doing laborious manual work.
This was the main motive for secular dance and celebration in the Middle Ages.
Escaping hard work and drudgery, at least for a short period of time, seemed to be
something people not just wanted, but needed, and being deprived of this physical outlet
and release had destructive consequences. In 14th-17th century Europe a phenomenon of
dance manias broke out in which groups of people danced through the streets, sometimes
foaming at the mouth or speaking in tongues until they collapsed from exhaustion. 5 One
example of such a mania, known as St. Johns Dance, occurred in medieval Germany and

was thought to have been caused by mass hysteria breaking out as a result of fear of the
Black Death.6 Whether the reasons were sociological, physiological, or a result of
demonic possession (which was the popular diagnosis at the time), these dance manias
have perplexed scholars for centuries. People hard pressed by poverty or plague sought
relief in carnivals, ecstatic rituals, and other forms of social celebration. They were an
opportunity to relinquish ones destitute economic status, and break out of whatever
social category they had been boxed into by dressing in costumes and mocking religious
and political authorities.7 Over time, the uninhibited festivities drove a wedge between
the classes because from an elite perspective, they caused a leveling effect, dissolving
rank and other forms of class distinction. After all, Its difficult, if not impossible, to
retain ones regal dignity in the mad excitement of the dance!8 Upper classes
continuously tried to subdue and gain domination of the masses through social control,
and the Catholic church in particular tried to restrict or completely ban public festivals of
dance and celebration. Despite the constant demoralization of communal celebration and
dance (the Lateran Council of 1214 made dancing a confessable sin), it was not an easy
task to make Europeans concede to religious authorities. However, the Capitalist
perspective that emerged in later centuries also served to undermine communal joy and
celebration for working class people. The early to rise, early to bed, work hard for a
living and be happy with what you are paid mentality began to set in.9 People were
motivated to commit their lives to work instead of dancing and other leisure activities.
This is not to imply that Western cultures did not, or could not, retain their traditional folk
dances and celebrations, but it is important to understand that social dances and traditions
tend to develop as a backlash to the social climate of the times.

10

For indigenous societies, dance has been a way to pass on values, traditions, and
history to the group and to future generations. From the 18th century on, European and
American colonization had a significant impact on the indigenous populations of the
Americas, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. The enslavement of Africans in North America
from the 17th-19th centuries was possibly one of the most heinous exploitations in
American history. As Africans were abducted from their communities and brought to the
Americas through the Middle passage, they found themselves separated not only from
their families, but their culture, as they were often placed with other Africans who had
been captured from different tribes in Western and Central Africa who may not have
shared the same local language or customs. One of the ways these enslaved people were
able to communicate and bond was through shared rituals of music and dance. For
Africans, music and dance had always been so integral to daily life, and the two so
intertwined with each other, that many African languages lack distinct words for music
and dance because they are seen as the same thing.10 White Americans were shocked by
the raw, syncopated rhythms and full body movements of African dancers, and viewed
their dances with either contempt or amusement.
Many Africans living in America tried to retain their old dance customs.
However, slave owners continuously suppressed their access to music, as drum beats
were suspected to be used in communication between slaves who may have been
planning an escape. Occasionally though, slave owners allowed their slaves to dance, in
hopes that it would lift their spirits and persuade them to work harder at the start of the
week. Slaves frequently used Saturday nights to have their own dances (as Sunday was a
day of rest), and may even have been allowed to visit neighboring plantations to dance

11

and celebrate. Slaves who were good dancers might also be used as entertainment for
their owners, and were therefore highly prized. For African-American slaves, dance was
also a form of counter-politics. Stripped of any form of ownership, personal rights, and
autonomous freedom to create a life for ones self, the body was the only capital they
possessed. The African-American dancer could, through a dance, redefine their body as
desirable, beautiful, dynamic and creative; an instrument of pleasure rather than an
instrument of labor.11 After all, the ability to move ones own body was one thing that
could not easily be taken away. Dance as an escape from a rough and laborious life
continued for African-Americans after the Civil War.
The European and African dances in existence in North America made an
interesting recipe for the evolution of social dance. Social dancing for white Americans
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries consisted mostly of the imported European dances
like the waltz, one-step, and two-step. In most of poor rural America, white people were
limited to their local folk dances and barn dances.12 Black people had their own dance
traditions, some of which developed as imitations or parodies of the formal European
dances done by white slave owners. The Cakewalk is one such example. It originated
among slave populations in the southern United States in the late 1800s and was danced
to syncopated music which eventually evolved into Rag-time. Rag-time music also
originated in the African-American musical communities and descended from popular
jigs and marches of the late 19th century.13 Rag-time was popular with blacks and whites
throughout America, and various animal dances such as the Grizzly Bear and Turkey
Trot developed to accompany the new musical style of rags. Only the lower classes did
animal dances, as the upper classes were offended by the popular dances of the time, and

12

mostly stuck to court and sequence dances.14 The Vatican even denounced the Turkey
Trot as vulgar (though this only served to increase its popularity).15 These dances were
eventually replaced in general popularity by the Fox Trot. Lead and follow partner
dancing became accessible to the upper classes after Vernon and Irene Castle appeared on
the scene around 1912.16 This famous dance couple was among the first to make a career
out of social dancing in America, as they broke the social taboo surrounding touch
dancing by redefining partner dances such as the Fox Trot, Castle Walk, Tango and
Maxixe as elegant, refined, and fashionable among New York society. Black dancers also
performed these social dances, but in separate venues. They also partook in many other
forms of dance and entertainment prevalent during this era, including minstrel shows, tap
dancing (performed by whites and blacks), and the black vaudeville circuits. The
entertainment industry was still segregated at this time. Dances such as the Charleston
and Black bottom, two other African-American derived dance forms, became two of the
biggest dance crazes America has ever seen, reaching their height of popularity during the
1920s. Rag-time music gave way to jazz, which increased in popularity as blacks
brought their musical talents north with them after leaving the south to escape the
segregation and discrimination of Jim Crow laws. This resettlement of blacks in the
northern states, also called the Great Migration, created a market for black art and culture
as jazz and blues were brought north to cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
and New York City.17 The focal point for the black arts was in Harlem, New York, and
this period of time became known as the Harlem Renaissance. Jazz music was popular in
both white and black culture, and for the first time, whites and blacks had a shared
interest. During the Harlem Renaissance, an abundance of theaters, nightclubs, and

13

ballrooms popped up to cater to those who wanted to dance to this new music. Dance
halls attracted thousands of visitors, both black and white, and developed into a very
booming business. For the first time, black people could make a good living by working
in entertainment as musicians, singers and dancers.18 These dance halls became the hot
spot for white audiences to go when they had a thirst for culture and night entertainment.
The Savoy Ballroom in Harlem was one of the only integrated dance halls at the time. It
stretched a block long and it was here that whites could be seen dancing side-by-side with
blacks. That Savoy was a popular destination for locals and celebrities alike, and it
attracted the best dancers in Lindy Hop (and everything else). Swing bands like Benny
Goodman, Count Basie and Duke Ellington were big, but Lindy Hop was not the only
dance people did at the Savoy. Dancers might also do the Rumba or Tango, or a dance
called the Peabody, which used a quick walking step similar to the Fox Trot.19 People
usually did the Fox Trot or Charleston to swing music, and later, partnered Charleston. It
was from partnered Charleston that Lindy Hop first developed.20 Dances were held at
one ballroom or another almost every night of the week and there was no shortage of
dancers to fill them. What brought thousands of people crowding to these ballrooms
night after night? Well, social dancing served as peoples primary social outlet and
entertainment in the first half of the 20th century; after all, television had not yet been
invented. Black dance troupes such as Whiteys Lindy Hoppers got to travel the country
and perform in the finest venues for white and black audiences alike. In this respect,
dance, at least for blacks, was used as an escape from the drudgeries of daily life, such as
working long hours at low-paying menial jobs, and the ever-looming burden of
segregation.21 In a lecture by Dawn Hampton, (a black singer, song-writer, and cabaret

14

performer who grew up in Harlem and danced at the Savoy), she explained: At the time
that we were dancing, we were dancing because dancing was our form of freedom. A lot
of people were working jobs that they really hated...a lot of people were not working. So
dancing was our freedom.22
What is Lindy Hop?
Simply stated, Lindy Hop is a lead and follow partner dance that resulted from the
fusion of the European and African social dances. It was danced to swing music, which
fused the European eight-bar structure of music with African polyrhythms. Swing music
had a smoother, more elliptical sound than the earlier ragtime, which had more vertical
and staccato qualities.23 This became an ideal environment for creating a new type of
dance that fit well with the smooth sound and syncopation of swinging jazz music. The
unique feature of the Lindy Hop was the swing out, a moment in the dance when the
lead swings out the follower and the dancers become separated from each other for a
short moment in time. The swing out came from an earlier movement called the break
away, as partners began to break away from each other while dancing partnered
Charleston. They still used the lead and follow framework of existing European partner
dances, but the swing out allowed for individual footwork and individual improvisation, a
distinguishing characteristic of African dance movement. Dance partners alternated
between a closed hold and a one hand hold during the swing out, with the circular pattern
creating a certain amount of centrifugal force that kept the dancers well balanced. As the
music became faster and the dance evolved, the dance became more grounded and the
swing-out wider. The dance had a less formal, more street style, yet was danced sideby-side with the other ballroom dances being danced in the Savoy Ballroom at the time.

15

Lindy Hop is said to have been named after Charles Lindbergh, who hopped the
Atlantic in a flight from New York to Paris in 1927. While dancing the break-away in a
marathon contest, a reporter asked a dancer named George Shorty Snowden what kind of
dance he was doing, and he replied Im doing the Lindy hop. From then on, the public
and the media referred to the dance as the Lindy, but dancers still knew it as the breakaway.24
Lindy Hop moved into the mainstream as white swing bands grew in popularity
and the dance was appropriated by the mass culture. In 1943, LIFE magazine ran a cover
story on Lindy Hop, calling it Americas National Dance.25 However, Lindy Hop was
never a major dance form; it was always a subculture within the larger framework of
swing dances, the dominant ones being perhaps Fox Trot and Eastern Swing.26 Other
forms of swing dance besides the Lindy Hop evolved to the swing music played in other
areas of the country. A dancer named Dean Collins brought his own personal style of
Lindy Hop from Harlem to the west coast, where it was taught to the local dancers as
well as appearing in several Hollywood films. Here it took on a smoother, more fluid
style, and later evolved into what is known as West Coast Swing. Also on the west
coast, people did a dance known as Balboa, which kept the dancers close and the steps
small. This was a result of fast music and crowded ballrooms, and a restriction placed on
couples which banned them from doing the break-away or Charleston kicks. Shag was
another partner dance that was popular in most every part of the country, and different
versions of shag developed in different areas.
American swing music and dances of all sorts became so popular that they spread
to other countries, particularly during the Second World War when the GIs brought the

16

dances abroad with them. It was embraced in most places except Germany, where the
Nazis labeled swing dancing and jazz music degenerate forms of entertainment. They
spent much time debating over what constituted a racially acceptable rhythm for people
to dance to. The following quote will demonstrate the extreme to which this was taken.
On no account will Negroid excesses in tempo or in solo performances be
tolerated; so-called jazz compositions may contain at most 10% syncopations; the
remainder must consist of a natural legato movement devoid of the hysterical
rhythmic reverses characteristic of the music of the barbarian races and conducive
to dark instincts alien to the German people. 27
The situation in Germany was just another example of social control obtained through the
restriction of music and dance.
Dance marathons, partially-staged, dramatized endurance contests for dancers
also sprung up all over the country. They lasted for days or weeks and were especially
popular during the Depression as people looked for a way to displace their own misery
onto the physical pain experienced by the contestants.28 The popularity of swing music
and swing dancing continued into the 1940s, but after this decade, Lindy as a popular
dance form began to decline. There were several reasons for this decline. The music of
the swing era gave way to bebop, rhythm and blues, and jump blues and other less
swinging musical styles. Many men were drafted for the war, which deprived big
bands of their musicians, and left the women without dance partners. This resulted in
many women learning the leads part in dancing, at the same time as they began to join
the workforce. Fuel rations inhibited bands and audiences from traveling as much for

17

performances. When the men returned from war, nobody really wanted to continue
dancing to the music of their parents generation.29 It was time for something new.
Some people continued to partner dance, especially those of the older generations,
but young people were not learning it, and it was no longer mainstream. The ballroom
dances, which were standardized by the 1940s, continued to be learned and danced, but in
more competitive, rather than social venues. All of the swing dances suffered greatly in
the 1950s and 60s as partner dancing gave way to call and response and novelty dances
such as the Twist. Again, there were still people dancing Lindy Hop, but it was a very
small subculture of individuals and dancers who continued to do it.
The Disco era of the mid 1970s to mid 1980s was significant in the revival of
partner dancing. As a backlash to the isolated dances of the 50s and 60s, Disco brought
back touch dancing, not in the form of swing, but in dances such as the Hustle and Cha
Cha.30 It is said that innovations in lifestyle are mirrored by innovations in dance style.
Emerging rock music and its corresponding dance forms were more solo and individual
in nature. Dances imitated the style of Hip-Hop, Techno, and synthesized music. This
corresponded with our increasingly individualized and progressively technological
society. People lost touch with each other physically and socially. While it was probably
a necessary interlude in the evolution of dancing, many see this as an unfortunate
occurrence. It wasnt until the 1990s that the social environment was conducive to a new
wave of partner dancing and swing dances, such as the Lindy Hop, could emerge from
their cultural dormancy.

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Chapter II: A New Age of Swing

It is probably safe to say that the modern swing revival began in the late 1990s,
as a result of swing dance and lindy hop being featured in mainstream media. However,
swing had been developing as a subculture for some time before the media caught on to
the trend. Certain individuals had been trying to learn and spread vintage dances such as
the Lindy Hop since the 1980s. These dancers included Erin Stevens and Steven Mitchell
from California, Jonathan Bixby and Sylvia Sykes, also from California, the Rhythm Hot
Shots dance troupe from Sweden, and the Jivin Lindy Hoppers from London.1 They all
made an effort to track down some of the original dancers from the Swing era to help
teach them Lindy Hop, and in doing so, spread knowledge of the dance across America
and Europe. Frankie Manning, one of the original swing dancers from Whiteys Lindy
Hoppers dance troupe in Harlem, though now retired, agreed to work with these young
people to teach them Lindy Hop and was one of the driving forces behind the spread of 8count swing. Swing dance also had a following among young kids who were into the
punk rock and rockabilly music scenes of the 1980s and 90s. Some of these young
people, who were primarily out of the Los Angeles area, were watching old vintage film
clips from the Swing Era and trying to copy the dance moves that they saw. They
experimented among themselves in bars and nightclubs trying to learn how to swing
dance, practicing and showing each other the different moves they could come up with.2
So swing dance as both a culture, and as a partner dance, found a new following mainly
among subcultures of enthusiasts and hobbyists. Eventually, the media became aware of

19

what these groups of young kids were doing and reported on it, and in doing so, brought
national attention to the dance.3
The swing scenes were also fueled by the appearance of swing dance in movies
such as the 1993 movie Swing Kids, and the 1994 movie The Mask.4 Swing dance
scenes were becoming established across the United States in cities such as Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, and New York. Swing dance really exploded in 1998
after the airing of a commercial from the GAP clothing store called Khakis Swing.
Suddenly, people were flocking to local clubs and taverns to dress up and learn how to
dance swing. Swing dancing became a very in thing to learn for a short period of time.
The year 1998 is generally considered by dancers to be the official revival of swing, as
it was the first time that swing dance caught on as a trend among the younger generation
and was popularized via the mainstream media. Neo-Swing bands like the Brian Setzer
Orchestra and Royal Crown Revue, catered to the kids who were interested in learning
the hot new dance craze. At first, most people were taught some form of 6-count
swing, and it was not until later that 8-count swing, or Lindy Hop, caught on as a
preferred swing dance. In the beginning, people were more into the culture surrounding
swing dance, rather than the dance itself. They were into the fashion, the look, the
attitude, the music, and everything vintage. When people went out, they dressed to the
nines, wearing their best suits, ties, and suspenders, or vintage dresses, heels and saddle
shoes. Since swing dance was such a new thing, there were really no instructors, and no
set rules, so people felt free to create their own moves and go wild with the dancing. The
dancing was fast, high energy, and aerials were a dime a dozen.5 After the initial buzz
died down, swing dancing remained widespread, but lived a more subdued existence.

20

Dress clothes gave way to clothes that were more comfortable, and the focus shifted from
who could do the wildest dance moves, to perfecting technique and learning the proper
way to lead and follow.5 This resulted in a more low-energy, social atmosphere which
was more focused on dance than swing culture.
Even though we are no longer in the hey-day of the revival, swing dance now has
a huge following in almost every major city in the United States. It also has a huge
international following, with dance scenes established in countries such as Sweden,
England, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and Korea. But on a whole, the
existing community of swing dancers is still only a subculture that is known to exist.6
This means that while most people have heard of swing dancing, it is not a part of daily
life and is not danced by everyone as it once was during the Swing Era. In fact, most
people who have never gone dancing, have a misconception about what social swing
dance looks like as it is danced today.
Interestingly enough, though the Lindy Hop emerged from the black ballrooms of
Harlem in the 1920s, the swing revival was promoted through white culture, and has its
largest following among white, middle class, suburban youth. White or black, for those
who do throw themselves into mastering the Lindy Hop dance and culture, they find they
have opened a whole new world of disciplines that they may not have known growing up.
One female dancer I interviewed, and also one of the few African-Americans I spoke
with, told me: Im connecting with my culture. Most black people today dont know
that. Even though my family is keen on learning about African history and keeping up to
date on the community, most dont know anything about swing dancing. I attended a
Lindy-focused event where some of the original Savoy dancers, who are all black,

21

participated in a panel discussion, and some of them expressed great sorrow that it was
only white kids who had put effort into reviving and spreading what was originally an
African-American influenced dance form. Dawn Hampton, one of the panel members,
expressed her opinion on the issue by stating: My people say that swing dance has
been taken from them by the whites, but I say, you threw it, and they caught it!
Whatever side one takes on this argument, I will not be examining the issue any further in
this paper. My purpose in writing this paper was not to figure out why the demographics
developed to be the way they are. I wanted only to report back what people had told me
first-hand about why they dance now. I wanted to go into this project without any
presumptions about dancers motives, or making any personal assumptions of my own.
Whoever these people are, and wherever they are from, I wanted to learn what the
attraction is, for them, to the swing dance scene as it exists now in the year 2007. I found
peoples reasons to be mostly personal in nature.
I have gathered some basic demographic information during my interviews. It is
important to note that the swing scene as a whole attracts most every type of person, but
the demographics of a certain area may depend on who is promoting in that city.7 One
may see children as young as three, or adults as old as ninety at a swing dance. Or one
dance may be taken over mostly by high school and college students whereas another
dance may see mostly middle-aged people in attendance. It depends a lot on who is
promoting that dance, who the instructors are, and sometimes, what type of swing dance
is being danced at that particular venue. Social dancers also tend to identify with a
certain dance subculture within the larger subculture of swing. For example, someone
who enjoys dancing mostly Lindy Hop may identify themselves with that culture by

22

saying Im a lindy hopper, whereas someone who enjoys dancing West Coast Swing
may refer to themselves as a westie. Lindy Hop, as one of many swing dance forms,
tends to have a certain demographic of its own. Since it is a vintage dance, it is danced
mostly to faster, big band music from the swing era. This usually means faster dancingwith more athleticism required to keep up with the tempo. As a result, most who dance
Lindy Hop at a proficient level are either relatively young, or older individuals with
tendencies toward more physical and athletic leisure pursuits.
This would correspond sensibly with the demographic of people I interviewed for
this project. Of the dancers I interviewed, 59% were in their twenties, 20% were in their
thirties, 16% fell into the forty to sixty-something age category, and 5% were over
seventy. The swing scene as a whole is quite massive, and people can sink pretty deep
into the subculture of their choice. The Lindy Hop scene is dispersed throughout the
country, but is small enough that most dancers know each other, particularly in the local
dance circles. Most people know if you are on the circuit, as dance events are
organized nationally as well as locally, and many people use these opportunities to visit
some of their favorite dancers in other areas of the country. Dances and workshops
where one can learn and increase their technical skills abound. In earlier decades, there
never used to be couple dancing teachers like there are now. People just knew the
dance that was done in their own era, because they grew up with it, and because it was
done in gyms, at sock hops, school dances, family functions, wherever. Todays dancers
spend a lot of money to take workshops where they can learn new dance moves, styling,
and enhance their lead/follow technique. Dancing is a relatively inexpensive thing to do
locally, but can get a little pricey for those who decide to travel to the national events.

23

Swing dancers today are generally more affluent than they were during the swing era.
Whereas swing used to be an escape from the hard-knock life, a rural dance, todays
dancers have enough disposable cash to turn swing dance into a lifestyle.
Since swing dance is no longer as mainstream as it once was, how did the dancers
of today discover that swing dancing exists, and begin attending dances? Well, the
majority of people I interviewed heard about swing dance through word of mouth.
Usually they were invited by a friend, or a significant other who had also heard about the
dance through a friend. Other reasons that people began swing dancing included hearing
about it through a church group, attending a concert, witnessing demonstrations on a
college campus, or becoming inspired through a school dance function. Some stumbled
upon it accidentally when they heard unconventional music coming from a club and
wandered over to see what was happening. Of those who had been dancing a little
longer, a couple started learning to swing after they witnessed that first Gap television
commercial back in 1998. Some of the more experienced dancers had been constituents
of the jazz and swing music scenes for a long time before swing dance scenes had been
fully established in their town. So, once people had found out about swing dance, what
made them stay? I will cover all of these reasons in detail in subsequent chapters.

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Chapter III: Supporting Physical and Mental Health

Mainstream mid 20th century culture began an era very restrictive of physical
motion, as the advent of cars made even walking obsolete.1 Between many hours spent
sitting in classes and working deskbound jobs, even young people live surprisingly
sedentary lifestyles. Swing dancing, and social dancing in general, is one of the best
ways to keep physically fit. Of course, as in any other physical activity, one would need
to dance on a regular basis to experience any lasting benefits. Almost every dancer I
interviewed agreed that it was an excellent way for them to keep physically active.
However, it was a major motivating factor mostly for elderly people, some of whom said
swing dancing was their primary, if not their only form of physical exercise, and kept
them from becoming too sedentary. Keeping physically fit was not a primary reason for
younger people to participate in dance, but many told me that it came as a surprisingly
good side effect from doing something they loved so much. Dance is a great physical
outlet for people who do not find playing sports or going to a gym very appealing forms
of exercise, and some people noticed a big increase in their energy levels after going out
dancing just a couple times a week.
There is an abundance of research on the benefits of dance for the body. The most
obvious is the cardiovascular benefits of dancing, particularly fast dancing. Dancing fast
Disco, Latin, or Ballroom dances can burn up to 400 calories an hour.2 An article in U.S.
News and World report declared that dancing the Quickstep for one and a half minutes
uses the same energy as an 800 meter race. Dancing is also an excellent isometric
exercise, which means it helps to improve posture.3 Most dancers will agree that gravity

25

is enemy number one, and learning to maintain a good frame while dancing keeps your
spine and hips well aligned. It is one of the best activities you can be engaged in for bone
strengthening and preservation, which is another reason that dancing can be such a
benefit for elderly people. You must regularly stress your bones in order for them to keep
regenerating and forming new trabeculae, which are the supporting structures in bone.
While dancing, most of the load bearing occurs on your legs, hips and spine, which
strengthens these important bones.4
Dancers also develop a high level of isolation of the muscles. This, along with
repetitive movements of the body, helps to increase coordination. Different social dances
encourage the use of different muscle groups. Repeated use of the same muscles and
nerves, such as one might experience at a very sedentary job, dries and stiffens the body,
and slows receptivity and responsiveness.5 The brain is a very use-it-or-lose-it organ,
and there is a direct link between an active lifestyle and a flexible mind.6 It is important
that whatever age you are, you do whatever you can to create new neural paths in the
brain. This can be achieved by participating in an activity that requires you to think, and
to make on-the-spot decisions. Social dancing is excellent for this, because as one
dances, and particularly as one leads, it is necessary to make split-second decisions about
what move or pattern to execute next. The improvisational nature of Lindy Hop and
other social dances encourages this on-the-spot decision making, for both leads and
follows. Another interesting fact to note about dance is that can help ward off
Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. In a study in the Lancet British
Medical Journal, it was found that people who developed Alzheimers disease or
dementia were far less physically active than those people who did not develop it. At the

26

Albert Einstein Center in Bronx, New York, another study of 500 people found that
partner dancing was the only regular physical activity that could decrease the level of
dementia in the subjects. This is because it is stimulating not only on the physical level,
but also mentally and socially.
Social interaction is an emotional support system that enhances brain
development. Social isolation and depression are risk factors for cardiovascular disease,
among a host of others.7 In a book by John P. Lenhart called Dance to Live, he talks
about some psychological studies that were done years ago on apes. He says that apes
that were constantly interacting as they were growing, thrived and developed rapidly,
while apes that were not socially interactive, did not have touch and were isolated, even
though they were given proper nutrition and physical activity, showed severe reduction in
their development. It only makes sense that the same would be true for humans. People
must stay active physically, mentally, and socially throughout their lives in order to stay
at their optimum health.
Many of the dancers whom I interviewed told me that dancing was one of their
major stress relievers. It is hard to dwell on negative thoughts when one is preoccupied
with the physical aspects of the dance. Social dance has the same properties of a hobby,
in that it drives ones mind off of regular duties. Many young people used it as a way to
unwind after school, or like one dancer, as a break during intense periods of studying for
med school exams. It was also a competition free zone where they could release
tension and just have fun. For many others it was a distraction from the troubles of their
personal and professional life. One dancer I interviewed, who is also a pilot, put it to me
quite colorfully: The same way you escape gravity in a plane, I escape my troubles on

27

the floor. A couple of classically trained dancers I spoke with enjoyed social dance
because it was a release from the usual technicality and perfectionism required in their
professional career, and the social dynamic provided a change of scenery from
choreographed and solo dance routines.
Many dancers also told me that social dancing helped to instill a strong work ethic
in them. Those who have danced extensively know that people become better dancers
through hard work and practice only. Dancing is always a quest, as one can spend years
learning, practicing and dancing, and realize that they will still never learn everything
they want to know. However even for the casual dancer, seeing regular improvement in
their skill level keeps them excited to learn more. Some said it was greatly inspiring to
watch other people do something with apparent ease and elegance, and it increased their
desire to get better and be willing to go through more pain to get there. In addition,
learning something new and staying on the learning curve is self-empowering. One
dancer told me that it helped her to feel better about her body - to be more appreciative of
what it can do and for the way that it moves. It would seem to most social dancers that
the benefits of dance for body and mind are a package deal.

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Chapter IV: An Issue of Touch

I found physical touch and the issues surrounding it to be so significant to social

dancers that it needed its own chapter. A good number of people whom I interviewed
described themselves as very kinesthetic and touch-oriented people, without even being
asked. Dance seems to attract either very tactile people, or people who do not get enough
touch in their life. In fact, the physical contact received at a swing dance may be the only
human touch certain people receive in their lives.
The majority of Americans experience a very isolated culture, even if they do not
realize it. America is primarily a very visually and aurally dominated spectator culture.1
By spectator I mean, most forms of entertainment in this country are consumed, rather
than experienced, and watched or heard rather than touched, smelt, or tasted. We watch
movies, we watch football games, we watch concerts, we surf the internet, and we listen
to music, but there are not many forms of entertainment in which we get to be actively
involved. We also live in a very sexualized society, where any kind of touch is
sexualized, and which results in an isolated, touch-repressive environment. One dancer I
interviewed explained to me: We dont understand touch, we dont teach with it, in fact
we legislate against it. We have this big culture of concern. I think its so bad not
touching people to the point that they want to be touched. At the time of this writing, a
thirteen year old girl from Mascoutah, Illinois has been given detention at school for
hugging two friends good-bye. Apparently the student handbook bans public displays of
affection, stipulating: Displays of affection should not occur on the school campus at
any time. It is in poor taste, reflects poor judgment, and brings discredit to the persons

29

involved.2 When a community over reacts in this way to non-threatening forms of

human contact, it perpetuates a very unhealthy culture.
Touch has certainly become taboo in the American school system. This is
unfortunate, as research suggests that touch deprivation in early development and again
in adolescence may contribute to violence in adults. Research has shown that low-touch
cultures have extremely high rates of youth and adult violence in comparison with hightouch cultures. France, for example, has one of the highest touch-oriented cultures, while
the United States is among one of the lowest. In a study coming out of The Touch
Research Institute in Fort Lauderdale Florida, it was found that American adolescents
touch each other less and are more aggressive toward their peers in comparison with
French adolescents. They observed adolescents of both cultures interacting in public
restaurants. In the Paris location, significantly more peer touching was noted. Types of
touch included leaning on each other, casually rubbing a peers back while talking,
hanging an arm around anothers shoulder, or leaning a head on anothers shoulder.
Among American adolescents, less peer touching, and significantly more self-touching,
was noted. This included wringing their hands, rubbing their own limbs, wrapping arms
around themselves, cracking knuckles, biting lips, and general fidgeting. They also
showed more aggression towards others, including hitting, pushing, and knocking others
down.3
Other research has shown the positive effects of touch on physical health. While
most studies have involved children and the elderly, people in body work professions,
such as massage therapy, are keenly aware of how beneficial touch can be. Touch
deprivation impairs development. In neonatal intensive care units, touch is used to

30

encourage premature infants to grow. Babies who receive massage gain more weight,
sleep better, and relate better to parents. Children with ADD or autism become more
attentive, more alert, and learn faster. Touch also decreases stress hormones and
increases serotonin, the bodys natural antidepressant. In autoimmune diseases such as
asthma, lung functions improve and asthma attacks decrease.4 The list goes on.
It is important to recognize the role that touch plays in the physical, mental, and
social aspects of a persons overall health. The boundaries of physical touch permitted at
a swing dance allow body contact between males and females to become normalized.
Outside of a swing dance, people are afraid to be in close quarters. We apologize for
grazing someones arm in public, as if we are touch phobic. Social dance keeps us
literally in touch with other people. In American society, men rarely experience
physical contact with other men. But at a swing dance, one can see guys dancing with
guys, and girls dancing with other girls. This environment fosters a certain touchy
feeliness. It is not uncommon to see dancers cuddling or sharing massages on the
sidelines, and in general being very affectionate towards one another. One swing dancer
told me his experience with the touch issue, saying: I think dance brings a more physical
sense out of people. Ill hug people at a dance Ive never even met before, hello or goodbye; whereas people at work, or even family members sometimes I dont give them a hug
when I say good-bye to them. It is not unusual for lindy hoppers at dance exchanges to
kiss good-bye someone theyve met just moments ago, and hugging a partner in thanks
for a particularly good dance is the norm.5 People who are new to dancing can get easily
caught up in the physicality of the environment. A couple of dancers I spoke with felt
that they went through a period of time in which they took touch too far, or acted too

31

aggressively and became addicted to touch rather than letting human interaction be a
healthy part of their life. Reasons for this included being an only child, being very
reclusive in high school, or lacking experience with the opposite sex.
For some people, the touch received while social dancing serves as an alternativeor substitute, for intimacy. One female dancer confided: This might sound kind of
funny, but since I dont have a boyfriend, I like physical contact...I think dancing is a
healthy way for me to get physical contact without going and being sexual or...doing
anything else like that. Many swing dancers preferred partner dancing precisely because
the touch between men and women was perceived as more respectful than the way human
touch occurs in other popular night spots.6 Being able to touch others of the same and
opposite sex without the sexual overtones prevalent in night clubs, results in a deeper
level of trust between people than is found in general daily encounters. People must
come to recognize that partner dancing is a contact sport, and once they learn to relax and
understand that touching is okay, it can then become very enjoyable for what it is. Many
dancers say that embracing partners one after another at a dance is like giving a series of
hugs all night. Hugging other people is easy to do and encourages healthy friendships.
One dancer said, When you hug somebody, its like youre reinforcing your relationship
with them- a sign of, Hey, I care about you. You could say a certain skinship
develops between regular dancers, and once they become accustomed to the high contact
environment, it is hard to go without it.

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Chapter V: Building Confidence

One of the strongest motivations swing dancers shared for dancing was the fact
that it allowed them to build confidence in themselves. When I first approached this
project, I expected there to be an overwhelming majority of shy people or introverts
among those whom I interviewed. This hypothesis was based on my own personal
experience and opinion. Though my methods were not scientific, I asked people if they
had taken a personality test before, or, if they had not, if they knew which end of the
personality spectrum they felt they tended to, introvert or extravert. To my surprise, there
was almost an exact same number of each personality type. Among those interviewed,
exactly nineteen claimed to be introvert, and twenty claimed to be extravert. Two felt
they were both fully introverted and extraverted, and three were absolutely unsure. My
conclusion from this was that swing dance was ideal for people who were already
sociable and confident in social situations, because the nature of the swing scene allows
for talking and interacting with many people. It was equally ideal for those who did not
have confidence, or for whom social skills did not come as easy as others, because the
dance itself could act as a social lubricant. Alcohol also has a reputation as a social
lubricant. What this means is that it gives people an excuse to interact, even if it is not
something they would naturally do, or even want to do. In terms of dancing, it can allow
people who are anxious or uncomfortable around strangers to break through the
introductory social barrier. However, even those who claimed to have extraverted
personalities spoke about confidence gained as a result of swing dancing. Basically,

33

every single dancer I interviewed except three said that in time, swing dancing
definitely changed their personality for the better. So it is probably safe to say that this
is a major motivation for everyone.
When an individual who has never danced before walks into their first dance
lesson, or goes to their first social dance, the experience can be a little distressing. Many
dancers described their first dance with adjectives such as overwhelming, intimidating,
confusing, embarrassing, scary, uneasy, or downright terror. However, other first
impressions of a swing dance were that it was fun, it was not pretentious, it was an easy
way to meet people, and other dancers were incredibly friendly and understanding. So
those who stayed and learned were those who confronted their fears and plunged ahead,
seeing joy was on the other side. Those who stayed with it in the long run were
individuals who continued to see joy on the other side of each challenge they confronted
while dancing. Taking the first step is the hardest part, and males tend to let potential
embarrassment hold them back more than females, who jump into dance with a little
more exuberance.1 Some dancers would not even dance socially when they first learned,
and only danced with their friends or a significant other who they brought to the dance
with them. But eventually they, too, gained enough confidence to dance more
comfortably in a social setting. Some dancers found they preferred the swing scene over
the club dance scene because they felt night clubs were too pretentious, or they did not
feel comfortable or like they were accepted there. Dancing with a partner was also
preferred over solo dancing, like one might do at a club, because the partner served as a
crutch and took some of the spotlight off of what they were doing individually. The act
of dancing with a partner allows people to feel less self-conscious, and an individual can

34

feel at ease knowing that the success of the dance is not dependent solely on them, but is
a team effort.
One of the most obvious characteristics about social dancing is that it makes it
very easy to talk to people. A person can go right up to a complete stranger, ask them to
dance, and feel no hesitation or uneasiness about doing so. Male dancers in particular
said it was much less intimidating, especially when it came to talking to women. They did
not worry about being rejected by a woman the way they would at a bar or nightclub
because there were no pretensions involved. Many said they gained a lot of confidence
with girls, and some enjoyed the fact that girls suddenly found them attractive, or at least
in demand. One male dancer described the occasion this way: Where else, as a guy, can
you go where youre in such demand (and me as an older, married guy)... where else can
I go and have girls line up and race one another across the floor to get to me. Thats good
for the ego. A female dancer also described the sense of relief she felt at a dance: I
didnt have many friends in high school. The only contact I really have with males is
through swing. Its a good way for me to connect with guys. I dont have to start a
conversation with them...dance is the conversation. Ease of interaction makes partner
dancing a safe activity for people who feel uncomfortable in social situations. At the very
least, many dancers described themselves as socially awkward, and said that dancing
helped take the edge off of their geekiness. There was sort of a general consensus that
the swing scene in particular tended to attract people who were either on the nerdy side,
or who were not exactly the popularity king or queen in their school years. One male
dancer was quite taken aback at his first swing dance, saying: It was the most backward
thing ever; all these girls were all over the nerdiest guys! Some dancers also confided

35

that they had a low self-esteem about their physical appearance, and being skilled at
dance helped them feel better about themselves and how they looked. Another female
dancer made this observation: I think it attracts anyone who struggled through high
school socially...all the nerds and rejects and everything that high school considers you,
are like the best dancers.
Some dancers saw their introverted personality as undesirable, and used going to
a swing dance as a personal challenge to walk around a group of strangers they did not
know. They could go from being a wallflower to being a social butterfly at a dance.
Eventually the dance floor becomes a place where people feel the most confident,
capable, and self-assured. Some went so far as to say that their personalities on the dance
floor became different from what they were off of the dance floor. They described a
change in themselves that could almost be described as a dance alter-ego. One swing
dancer described his transformation this way:
Steve is a shy guy who, is, basically, just shy. He doesnt have the courage to go
up and talk to complete strangers or start random conversations with people. Hes
more likely to be laid back and go with the flow. But Swing Steve is open,
inviting, outgoing, a complete extravert, not afraid to talk to people, and takes
control of situations. Swing Steve will come out sometimes at random times. And
the concepts of the two Steves have begun to intertwine over time.
Other dancers described a similar phenomenon. Many dancers told me they felt that
dancing had turned them from an introvert to an extravert, but it is more likely that, with
time, the confidence they gained on the dance floor transferred off of the dance floor and
into their personal lives as well. A majority of the dancers I interviewed were in their

36

twenties and early thirties, and some said that they were not sure if the increase in offdance floor confidence was a result of dancing, or if it was just a result of growing up a
bit more and becoming better socialized. But it is probably safe to say that social dancing
is where many of these young people learned to enhance their social skills and social
graces. Some people credited dance with changing their whole personality and outlook
on life. One dancer shared the following: It changed me hugely. I used to be insecure, a
victim, angry, very disillusioned, bitter, and not very good with girls. I didnt have a
sense of confidence with who I was. It helped me define myself after a life of pretty
much being defined by other people.
One advantage for some of these individuals is that through dance, one can go
from being a social outsider to someone who is well-regarded, and all levels in
between. Social dance is an activity that one can get relatively good at rather quickly and
still be able to impress people, even as a beginner - considering that the average person
has no dance training at all. Many dancers said that they received a big confidence boost
whenever they had the opportunity to go out somewhere or to show off in front of nondancers. However, on the dance floor, relations of inequality exist just as they do outside
of the dance arena. Within each dance scene there tends to be a nucleus of good dancers,
more sought-after than the other occasional dancers and newbies (people who are brand
new to the swing dance scene). Because it is a tight-knit group, most people know where
and how often the other regulars go dancing, and even how much training they have
had, where they learned to dance, or which instructors they studied under. It is interesting
to note that the social swing dance scene defies societys social inequities while
perpetuating its own. There is always an opportunity to become upwardly mobile, but it

37

is based on dance ability rather than conventional traits such as good looks, wealth, skills
at sports, or even outgoing personality. Like one dancer explained: I could transcend the
better looking or wittier guys in the room because I had an ace in my sleeve...I could
dance. This underlying hierarchy of dance is not explicitly declared, but tends to be put
into effect by other dancers who project a higher esteem onto certain individuals based on
either their own observations, or reputations identified by other dancers.2 People are
usually placed on a pedestal when they possess something that others wish they had,
whether it is good looks, or the coolest dance moves. Of course it feels good to be
admired, and if people did not admire other dancers, they would not have the inspiration
to improve their own dancing. Still, it is natural to walk into a social dance and judge the
other dancers there, and most dancers know where they fall on the totem pole in the
hierarchy of participation. However, dancers must be careful not to promote too much
exclusivity in the scene, as this can be very detrimental to the confidence of other dancers
or make them feel excluded. As ones dance abilities increase, it is easy to become
narcissistic and develop an over-inflated ego. Dancers must become humbled and rehumbled at various stages of the learning process to prevent the development of an elitist
mentality toward other social dancers.3 I am not saying that every dancer acknowledges
or is an enabler of the hierarchy in the swing dance scene, but these statements are based
on my own personal observations and those of a handful of people I interviewed who
observed similar behavior in their dance scenes.
It is said that a good dancer is one who is able to rise above their own needs to
ensure the future of the dance they love so much,4 and not destroy the confidence of other
people at the swing dance by repeatedly turning them down for dances or neglecting to

38

ask people outside of their social circle to dance. Getting turned down seemed to be a
problem that a lot of older dancers felt they faced disproportionately, but everyone
experienced it once in a while. On the same note, some dancers told me that the swing
dance scene was a safe and healthy environment for them to learn about rejection.
Asking the question Would you like to dance? sometimes results in a negative
response, rather than the anticipated Yes. This may not always be because the person
does not like dancing with that individual in particular, but because they are tired, do not
like the music, or simply do not feel like it. People must learn not to take being turned
down personally. Dancers told me that experiencing this on a regular basis helped them
to accept rejection better even off of the dance floor. Whether intentional or not, the
dance floor allowed a transformation to happen in people that they could not achieve in
other places.

39

Chapter VI: Sustaining Community

One of the strongest motivations for people to get involved with swing dance was
the opportunity to create a sense of community and find belonging with diverse but likeminded people. We so often apply the word community to any collection of individuals,
such as a neighborhood or a school, but rarely do we get to live alongside each other in a
way that promotes true community, and not just a happenstance of geography.1 The
swing dance scene is an example of a spontaneous communita, a Latin term used in the
field of anthropology to refer to a spontaneously formed, unstructured community in
which people are equal, or to the spontaneous love and solidarity that can arise within a
community of equals.2 When somebody walks into a swing dance, they are seen as
another dancer, as one of us, and not defined by their other qualities, or as something
different. In other words, it does not matter what you look like, or what your day job is
off of the dance floor. People only recognize, initially, the fact that you are there to
dance, or that you are a dancer. People from all walks of life are represented at a social
dance. When a person becomes involved in the swing dance scene, they experience
frequent exposure to individuals of many different dimensions, diverse in age, race,
economic status, body size, beliefs, health - everything. However, none of these
characteristics have a significant impact on whether you dance, or how well you dance.
Since these superficial qualities do not affect the dancing, people are not hindered by
them when interacting with others on the dance floor. This puts everyone on equal
footing and allows them to cut through the superficiality and engage with each other
without pretension. This type of exposure results in less prejudice among individuals in

40

the dance scene, and in society as a whole - which can only be a good thing. After
bringing a friend who had never danced to a swing dance this year, she told me that she
experienced a cultural shock upon seeing an old man and a young black girl dancing
together. She had never seen anything like this before. But this diversity is what makes
swing dance so attractive to people who are looking to be part of a community where
they feel accepted.
American culture tends to be isolationist, and meaningful relationships are
difficult to find, much less sustain. In this day and age, people relocate with such
frequency that it is hard to make friendships last longer than a couple of years. There
also tends to be an absence of strong bonds outside the nucleus of the family. People fill
their lives with spectacles of commercial entertainment and consumer culture. Anyone
who can resist addiction to consumer culture entertainments soon find that something is
missing in their life, though individuals often remedy this by becoming involved in a
religious or spiritual community.3 Many dancers told me that they enjoy being alone but
need time around other people to feel complete. With the swing dance community,
individuals have the opportunity to connect into something bigger than themselves. What
better place to find this than a community that embodies togetherness at the same time
that it offers diversity?
One of the most obvious characteristics of the swing dance scene is the vast range
of ages in attendance. Many younger dancers told me that swing dance was their first
exposure to an activity in which a variety of ages were represented. They enjoyed the
fact that they got to talk to people of ages they would not normally talk to. Hanging out
with people older than their peer group was also a growing up experience. Older

41

dancers commented that they, in turn, appreciated the open-mindedness and hospitality
that the younger kids showed them whenever they went to a dance. It was an opportunity
for them to be seen as one of us by the youngsters. One older gentleman told me:
Young people in swing dance have been warm and welcoming to us even though we are
mostly old enough to be their parents. Whereas at other functions you want to be near
your peers, swing dance is one activity where age has nothing to do with it. The younger
dancers also told me that swing dancing seems to be a safe atmosphere that attracted a
more wholesome type of people than could be found in other places. When I asked them
to explain what they meant by wholesome, one female dancer told me: Well, you
dont have to think twice about bringing your grandma to the swing dance venue.
Dancers found the swing community to be a preferable alternative to other clubs...where
the drugs, drinking and cussing that might be commonplace seemed to make these typical
social clubs more anti-social.
Many dancers felt strong ties to the swing community, like it was part of them, or
they described it as their second home. One dancer said, It felt like coming home, to the
home I never had. Another dancer told me: I never felt 100% part of something, but
with swing I was part of the family immediately. People have created life long bonds
and friendships through swing, and they found their friendships more sustainable because
dancers nowadays have a higher propensity to travel long distances in order to share a
common experience with each other - more so than other social groups. Swing dancers
also keep in touch with each other through extensive communication on the Internet, and
social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace. While people feel varying
degrees of closeness with other participants, people told me that no matter where they

42

went, they always felt they were welcomed with open arms. This is never more apparent
than when people travel for dance. One dancer shared his experience on this: For the
first time in my life I have real friends. Throughout my entire life Ive had friends that
were more like footprints. Theyd go in, then go out. The beauty of the dance scene is
that people travel, and now I have friends that I know theres no way in hell Ill ever lose
touch with them.
This trend of traveling is owed more often than not to local and national lindy hop
dance exchanges which are hosted by local dancers in different cities. Originally intended
to bring dancers from different places together for the exchange of ideas, dancers now
journey to these events to catch up with distant friends, and share in a weekend of
workshops, dancing, networking, parties, and seeing the town. Many people enjoyed the
randomness that came about as a result of these weekend trips. Locals often open their
doors to out-of-towners, and people they have never met, for the duration of the event.
This saves money, and allows dancers to connect with inhabitants from the host city and
experience the local culture first-hand. One swing dancer told me he felt this experience
helped make him a better friend, to be more appreciative of people who let him stay at
their house or ride in their car.
In return, some dancers have made it their goal to give back and to support a
community which once supported them. Many dancers said they used the dance scene as
an opportunity to help or encourage others. A good dancer is someone who is not only
a skilled dancer, but is always positive, gives back to the scene, and acts as an encourager.
Some people told me they enjoyed teaching because it gave them the opportunity to help
and encourage others, something they did not have the opportunity to do at their job, or in

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other settings. They enjoyed seeing a new dancers face light up when they were first
exposed to the possibilities of swing dancing. By passing on their skills and knowledge,
they could return the favor that was once given to them by watching as their students
skills improved and their dancing became more enjoyable. At the same time, they
acquired skills such as public speaking, the ability to address large groups, and an
understanding of class mechanics. It is important for instructors to promote good
etiquette, so that dancers may have a more enjoyable time and to help sustain their local
swing scene. Social dancing is an excellent way, for teenagers especially, to develop
good social skills. Good dancers promote pleasant relations between the other
participants at a swing dance. In the words of one dancer: A true gentleman or lady of
the dance floor is like a rising tide to the dance community...they raise not just one, but
all of the boats. People also found means to benefit the dance community in other ways,
by maintaining websites and forums or designing t-shirts or promotional materials, for
example.
It can not be ignored that sometimes things happen in the swing dance scene that
are not very beneficial for the community. People told me that some of the biggest
challenges they faced after dancing for some length of time involved the politics of the
dance scene. Swing dances are often run like a business, and people can run into a
myriad of problems ranging from rival venues, to competing opinions about dancing or
how dances should be run. Occasionally malicious acts have been committed, such as
holding conflicting events with other groups, getting dancers kicked out or banned for life
from a dance, disputes on online discussion boards, and arguments over dance styles and
musical preferences. There also tends to be cliquishness and snobbery, and what some

44

dancers have coined lindy snobs. Lindy snobs were described as those who would not
invite people to dance who did not dance the 8-count lindy hop style of swing, or who
ignored those outside of their own social circle, or someone at a dance who in general,
acted arrogantly. Some dance scenes were described as downright unfriendly, and one
dancer said, I stopped dancing for awhile because I felt a lot of pressure to be that much
into the scene and addicted to lindy hop. There also tends to be a divide between
preservationists- those who want to preserve the aesthetics of the vintage dances - and
evolutionists- who want to experiment by adding new things to the older dances, or
fusing the aesthetics of different dance forms to create something new. Individuals had to
learn to compromise, especially in certain scenes where, for example, there were frequent
disagreements over teaching style.
One unique characteristic of the swing dance scene is that it is an instant
community. What that means is, while the community retains a tight cohesiveness, a
certain anonymity can flourish at a swing dance.4 While this has its advantages, it also
has its drawbacks. Some dancers felt it was too easy to go to a swing dance and not
generate any meaningful relationships with the other participants, resulting in a kind of
superficiality. In other words, the dance made it so easy to interact with large numbers of
people, that it became difficult to get beyond the dance and into real life.5 There is a
tendency to develop familiarity, not friendship, and in actuality one can know nothing
about the other people at a swing dance, if they so choose. One dancer was perplexed,
and said I have to ask myself, how do I connect with these people I see every week, yet I
dont know them outside of dance? On the other hand, you dont have to move beyond
familiarity in order to have a good time. This brings up the concept of friends versus

45

contacts. While discussing this with a friend in the dance scene, she told me: Its so easy
to meet new people...theres no baggage there, no history, no arguments...only the
excitement. I have to wonder if this opportunity for anonymity and superficiality could
be one of the main motivators for people who stay in the dance scene. After all, swing
dance allows one to connect intimately with another person, but not necessarily interact
in any other way than the three minute duration of a song. Could it be that it attracts
individuals who are afraid of, or looking for the illusion of, commitment? There is no
real obligation to other people, either during the dance itself, or outside of the dance.
Dancers have to put forth the extra effort to establish close and meaningful relationships
with other dancers. This might include making an effort at conversation during the inbetween times at a dance, or inviting other dancers to hang out outside of the dance or to
do a non-dance related activity. Some dancers, particularly those who described
themselves as introverted, found it easier to talk to people who they knew were dancers
even if they were not at a dance or talking about dance, because they felt a shared
common experience. Nurturing the social aspect of dance, but in a way that does not
promote cliquishness, is healthy for the scene. Another advantage to this, according to
one dancer, is that the social aspect can sustain you if there is not a lot of good dancing
happening that night. For example, if the quality of music and other dancers at an event
are very good, one might spend more time physically dancing but not talking or
socializing very much. But if one is not enjoying the music or dancing that is happening
at an event, it is nice to be able to fall back on the social element.6
Dancers who became very involved in swing, and who made it their primary
concern to support the swing community, found it to be a deeply rewarding experience

46

that helped them grow personally as well. For some, it was a learning experience to
focus on being inviting, courteous, and sociable with other people at a dance. Some
dancers said they became less self-oriented, and more others-oriented, as a result. One
female dancer illustrated the sense of community this way: If you used the analogy of a
quilt, were all connected to make up a whole. Whereas before I would have been just a
square patch of quilting fabric, I now see myself differently, and look at myself as a
fabric of the community, instead of just, Megan. I found people very motivated by the
fact that they were able to go anywhere to dance on a whim and be able to connect into
something bigger than themselves, to support and be supported by other human beings
whether they had a close personal relationship with them or not. When an individual puts
effort into supporting the dance community, he or she can leave a dance feeling like a
more valuable and worthwhile person. Another dancer described the swing community,
saying: Theres just so much love in the dance scene, that Ive found. People really
support each other. Its stronger than any other group Ive been a part of. If only we could
make the rest of the world a macrocosm of the dance scene...it would be a much better
place to live.

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Chapter VII: Seeking Relationships

After completing all of my personal interviews for this project, I was very
surprised that only one or two out of 44 people even mentioned the opposite sex as a
motivation for dancing. My first thought was that perhaps it was so obvious, people felt
it did not need mentioning, or, they did not want to admit that it was something that
motivated them. However, since most of the individuals I interviewed had been dancing
for a longer period of time, it is a very likely thought that they had moved beyond the
initial appeal of the opposite sex and were driven by different things. I think most
experienced social dancers would agree that when they first started out in swing, the ease
of interaction with the opposite sex was a significant factor in the motivation to keep
dancing. But after awhile, they began to realize that they no longer needed to pursue the
opposite sex; it will always be there because that element of interaction is ingrained in
social dance.
This is not to say that people do not go to dances with the intention of dating, or
finding someone special. At a swing dance with a predominantly older crowd, the singles
there seem to be more focused on finding companionship. This is unlike a swing dance
with a predominantly younger crowd, in which one is more likely to see people both
attached and unattached, running around, chatting with friends of the same and opposite
sex, and in general, engaging in significantly more group interaction. Many dancers
enjoy the flirtatious aspect of swing dancing, and this was a motivation for people
regardless of age. Flirtation is part of dancing and part of what makes it fun. Some
people were naturally flirtatious, and had felt comfortable interacting with the opposite

48

sex from a very young age. Others felt that the effortless contact with the opposite sex on
the dance floor brought out a more flirtatious side of their personality.
There are other reasons which are specific to the older crowd when it comes to
motivations for dancing. Anyone can see that there is a lack of the 40-60 year old age
group at most swing dances. This is because many people put leisure activities on the
back burner when they get married and family responsibilities increase. Some people
may come into the dance scene because it is something they always wanted to do but
their partner never cared to share with them. For men and women, it can be a way to get
back out in the world and circulate after the loss of a spouse or loved one. Whether the
loss is from death, or a divorce, people can receive emotional and social support from the
dance community. It is also a new opportunity to make friends, especially for middleaged individuals who may have spent most of their married years with their spouse or
family and did not cultivate new peer friendships, or lost touch with old ones. A middleaged male dancer, who I spoke with regarding his divorce, told me the following: One of
the mistakes in my marriage was...we were it for each other. That person meets certain
needs, but they dont meet every need. Ive come to learn that one day, when a
relationship comes along, I dont want to give up all of my friends. Another dancer I
spoke with held the belief that people who come to a dance, who are already married or
established, may be missing something in their relationship. Perhaps loneliness is a
defining moment in the desire to dance, both for singles and for people in committed
relationships. After all, swing dances are primarily a singles scene, no matter what age
bracket you consider. This is not to say that someone who has danced a long time or who
feels dancing is in their blood, would not continue to social dance and enjoy it even if

49

they stopped being single. But it is a rare sight to see a couple who is already established,
and were not dancers previously, come to a social dance, and stay there long enough to
become regulars. They dont seem to get hooked the way singles do. This is only what
I have observed in my local swing scene. It has also been noticed that a romantic pair
who goes to a social dance as partners and do not dance with anyone but each other, can
stir resentment, and such anti-social behavior can even be seen as bad etiquette. This is
because they undermine the structure of social dancing by refusing to contribute to it.
Why deny every one else at the dance from an enjoyable dance with you? Occasionally
this also results in a bone of contention between current regular dancers who bring a new
romantic partner to a dance who is jealous or does not understand the intimate culture of
social dancing.
There seems to be a split between those who think dating a dance partner is fun,
and those who think dating within the scene is an absolutely bad idea. In swing dance,
people change partners more frequently than most other types of social dances. There is
more rotation during lessons and less practice time one on one, unless an individual is
lucky enough to find someone who they are compatible with as a dance partner. Some
dancers told me they tried to avoid dating their dance partner, or anybody in their swing
scene. Of course a very compatible dance partner is often a very compatible romantic
partner, and therein lies the conundrum. At the very highest levels of dancing, and
particularly in ballroom dancing, the search for a dance partner becomes almost like
finding a marriage partner, and many ballroom couples ultimately marry each other
because the chemistry, commitment, and physical comfort level required to connect and
communicate successfully while dancing and competing is remarkable. It would make

50

sense that this concept of compatibility would be felt even in the most casual of social
dancing situations. Dancers often seek out the other people at a dance with whom they
feel the most compatible, not necessarily to date, but to have the best dance experience.
Young people today are experiencing a new transition from adolescence to
adulthood that older generations may not be as familiar with, a period called emergent
adulthood. This time is frequently characterized by delayed marriage, attending college,
and working non-career jobs. The median age of marriage for females is now 25, and 27
for males. Emergent adults are single longer, and live the single lifestyle longer.1 This
has resulted in an abundance of casual relationships, noncommittal sexual partnerships,
and the ever popular hook-up encounters. While hooking-up is still a part of modern
swing, it is perceived as less toxic than other social settings. Wherever they originate,
hook-up encounters occur for the thrill of the chase, being chased, attention, competition,
conflict, and social interaction.2 Some swing dance scenes have more of a reputation for
hooking up than others. Some social dancers find this to be distasteful, because swing is
ideally a family social event, and not a meat market.
The physicality of social dancing causes mixed signals, and the close contact
increases the tension between romantic and non-romantic partners. The exchange of
dance partners often leads to the exchange of sexual partners. A break-up can cause
tension between the dancers involved and bleed into other aspects of the social dance, as
people are forced to deal with their negative emotions within the structure and etiquette
of acceptable behavior at a dance event.3 Dancers have to learn to maintain self-control
as they watch their partner dance with or date other people in the scene. One dancer told
me she stopped having casual relationships in the dance scene because it became too

51

hurtful, and a couple of dancers told me that sleeping in the same room or bed with other
people at exchanges encouraged hooking-up and sometimes offended or provoked
jealousy from other dancers. For regular dancers, the dance scene was frequently
described as a constant soap opera, complete with all the drama and rivalry. Because
people are socially invested in the swing dance scene, they have to proceed with caution
if they are going to date within their own social group.
At the same time that dancers told me they did not go dancing with dating as a
specific motivation, many told me that they found it hard to imagine sharing a life with
someone who had no interest in dance at all, or who would not understand their passion.
It is probably safe to say that swing dancers are partially motivated by this thought, but
enjoy the casual relationships they have along the way of searching for their most
compatible dance and romantic partner.

52

Chapter VIII: Musicality and Creativity

Music is fascinating as an academic field of study, in that it is unique to human

kind. Humans, and only humans, have created music for playing, listening, singing and
dancing since the beginning of time. This is interesting because music is neither strictly
necessary for biological survival, or reproduction, yet humans experience intense
physical pleasure in response to music. In a study by the Montreal Neurological Institute,
cerebral blood flow changes were measured in subjects who listened to a selected piece
of music that was pleasurable enough to elicit chills or shivers down the spine. As
they listened to the piece, cerebral blood flow increases and decreases were measured and
observed in regions of the brain thought to be associated with reward/motivation,
emotion, and arousal. These same brain structures are known to be active in response to
other euphoria-inducing stimuli, such as food, sex, and drugs of abuse. Simultaneously,
researchers thought there may have been a decrease in activity in brain structures
associated with negative emotions.1 This and many other studies might explain why
dancing can be so pleasurable. It takes the pleasure of music and adds another element to
it, a physical element, and an individual can become a visual, physical embodiment of the
music. There are few activities that combine the physical with the mental, and many
people said they used social dance as a creative and artistic outlet. In social dance, this
aspect does not usually motivate an individual until they have danced for some time. An
understanding of musicality must be cultivated in most people who have never danced or
played a musical instrument before. Most beginners, or brand new dancers, spend a lot of
time focusing on learning steps, patterns, rhythm, and leading and following skills. As

53

these skills become second nature, there comes a point when they want to move beyond
these things and be able to express themselves to the music.
Swing dances usually play a variety of music from the eras of swing and soul,
encompassing the big band, jazz, soul or blues sound, and many people were either jazz
enthusiasts or had an affinity for the music before they ever started dancing. Other
people said they had never listened to that type of music before they started to dance, but
came to appreciate jazz both for its complexities and emotionally uplifting vibe. Lindy
hoppers could become like a jazz musician themselves, improvising and experimenting.
One dancer described his passion for jazz music this way: The music. God the music.
All of it. Even the sad songs sound a little bit happy because of that beat. It just reaches
deep down in ya and says Hi! How ya doin, be happy! There was also a general
consensus that swing music drew a certain type of people, those with a more positive,
down-to-earth personality. One swing dancer put it this way: At a swing dance, you
dont get too many bitter, emo goth kids that hate their lives and hate the world...you
dont really see them out dancing, digging Benny Goodman, its just not their scene.
The swing scene also seems to attract individuals who are musicians, or those
who have more analytical minds such as those who work in computers and engineering.
Individuals who excel at social dance often have a natural ability to understanding the
mathematical structure of music. In a study done on a social dance class at Stanford
University, it was found that 52% of students in the dance class were engineering majors.
In addition, all of them were proficient at playing a musical instrument. It was theorized
that engineers were attracted to dance because they tend to be visual learners, and have a
high level of spatial intelligence. Much of dance involves physics, and requires making

54

judgments about rotation and velocity, and predicting where ones partner and ones own
body will end up after executing a move. Learning or replicating a dance move also
requires the ability to visualize it in the mind, and substitute the image of oneself in the
same position, in order to execute it successfully.2 This ability allows spatially and
mathematically inclined individuals to become more proficient at social dance, and they
can enjoy doing something that makes logical sense to them. Lindy hop provides an
outlet to be technical and analytical at the same time that it provides the potential for
creative release after a day of doing repetitive or dexterous tasks on the job.
Lindy hop is one of the most difficult partner dances to master because there is
only one physical point of connection between partners during the swing out - the hand.
The act of separation during swing outs and other break-aways, allows both leader and
follower to improvise and innovate on-the-spot. Swing dancers said that they stuck with
lindy hop because it was one of the few social dances that allowed them to be highly
creative as well as social. Some dancers gave up other musical hobbies, like playing the
piano, in favor of an activity with a social outlet. People found it more enjoyable to be
creative while playing off of another person. It also served as a release for performance
dancers because it offered the opportunity for the dancer to be his or her own
choreographer. However, creativity in Lindy Hop often has to be learned, as beginners
focus primarily on learning lead and follow skills. The follower is often inhibited from
being creative at the lower levels as creativity is made sole responsibility of the lead. At
higher levels, leads can give the follower space to make her own suggestions and add her
own ideas to the dance, or, often leads and followers may switch roles. In modern swing,
followers often learn the lead part and leads often learn to follow. This offers another

55

opportunity to be creative and play, in addition to gaining a better understanding of the

technical side of dance. Having a partner that allows one to play, experiment, and
interpret the song in different ways is important to both leads and followers. The most
amazing dancers hear things in the music, or add things that could be there. Many social
dancers make it their ultimate goal to be able to dance anything to any type of music, in
order to express themselves fully, and for this reason they may branch out and explore
other dance styles. This is another reason why dance hybrid forms have sprung up in
different areas of the country, and workshops have been introduced to expose swing
dancers to different dance forms, for example Swango, which is a cross between Tango
and Swing.
Many dancers also took pleasure in using swing dance for performance. While
Lindy Hop is a social dance, it still has a performance element. Dancers often try to
outshine other dancers, and compete with each other in a friendly way on the dance floor.
Formal competitions allow people to experience a moment in the spotlight and the thrill
of performance, something many dancers told me they enjoyed. Some also used
competitions to learn to become more comfortable in front of a crowd. This would also
explain why many people whom I interviewed were in drama and theater in school, or
engaged in similar performance activities such as singing, acting, or playing in a band.
One dancer described why he loved performing swing: They say music is a passion of
the soul, so if music is a passion of the soul and you can physically give that passion a
better voice and show people the music by the way that you move and the way that you
dance and connect, you can physically give music a visual representation - you can share
that passion with other people, and not just your partner. Apart from occasional

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performances or competition, there are always people watching at a social dance, and
even those who only dance socially want to learn how to look good as well as feel good.
Modern swing dancers place a lot of emphasis on how smooth and connected one feels
with their partner. However, some dancers said it was a cop-out for other dancers to
say that how a dance felt was the only thing that mattered - how it looked mattered too.
Social dancing is unique in that it is a participatory sport, but can also be a spectator
sport. If one feels tired or is not in the mood to dance, he or she can always sit down,
relax, and socialize, and enjoy watching other people dance and be creative for awhile. It
is always inspiring to watch a couple dance with grace and elegance, and create
something beautiful together.

57

Chapter IX: Expression and Connection

Once a dancer has progressed beyond the basic moves and steps characteristic of
the Lindy Hop or any other partner dance, they can be free to express themselves
however they choose. Many people use dance as an emotional release, and continually
try to push what is possible in order to find emotional fulfillment on the dance floor.1
What is unique about social dance is that a dancer can pull another person into that
experience, so that it becomes a shared experience. For example, the follow can share in
the leads interpretation of a song, and he (or she) can express his (or her) feelings at that
moment in time, directly and immediately to the other person. Swing dancers seek those
shared experiences, those rare moments when they can express themselves with another
person without any inhibitions or self-consciousness.
It is said that the essence of dance is two people in harmony as one.2 The
connection that is shared between dance partners can be one of the most potent physical
and mental experiences a person can have. In order to experience this feeling, dancers
seek several connections to be present in each individual dance. First, there is an
intellectual connection between partners which happens when both people hear and
interpret the music in the same way. Then there is a technical connection, when both
partners are at an equal skill level so that the dance movements can be executed smoothly
and without hesitation. Lastly, there is an emotional connection which occurs where
partners are so compatible with each other that, at that moment, their minds seem to meld
into one. This moment of connection was described by many dancers, in different ways.
Dancers described the experience as a world fade-away moment, another called it a

58

feeling of Zen, and yet another described it as euphoria. One dancer explained the
connection between partners and the music with this analogy: What I most enjoy is the
conversation between the music and myself, and my partner and myself. Theres like a 3way conversation going on, a little manage-a-trois thats happening on the dance floor and thats what I look forward to, the love affair, the little 3-minute manage-a-trois.
When partners are connected both with each other, and with the music, they create an
amazing atmosphere. Yet another dancer described the moment this way: When the
music is amazing, then its like youre visiting new worlds, and thats when your body
lights up, your mind, your heart, everything. Every girl in the room looks prettier when
theres that magic with the music. During a social dance, a person is able to connect
intensely with someone even if they knew nothing about each other previously. Because
dance is a form of non-verbal communication, some dancers have told me that they had
wonderful dance experiences even with partners who did not speak English. Its all a
communication thing. If Im speaking a certain language and you dont know my dialect,
it doesnt matter, we can have a really good conversation, its just like nothing else - and
that is a rare thing.
A romantic connection was not required to experience a deep connection. As one
dancer put it: I could be dancing with the hottest girl in the room, but if she cant dance,
well, Id rather dance with the girl who isnt as attractive, but knows how to dance and is
really connected, really there with me. Being that intimately connected with someone
releases endorphins and many dancers describe dance as an addiction, saying they get
hooked on this feeling and become very unhappy or go through withdrawals if they
do not go dancing for some time. People have to put in hundreds of dances before getting

59

another really awesome dance, but the thought of that perfect dance keeps them going.
Absence of these intense shared experiences brings people back again and again for
repeated fixes.3
While dancing certainly may be an end in itself, most people are looking for
something deeper. People find great joy through connection with other human beings,
possibly the greatest joy. In a survey by the University of Chicagos National Opinion
Research Center, it was stated that people with five or more close friends are 50% more
likely to describe themselves as very happy than those with smaller social circles.
People in happy, stable, committed relationships also tend to be far happier than those
who are not.4 What does this tell us? That life is about relationships. As one dancer put
it: Its not only about the music. Its about what you can do with another person that
makes it so incredible! This search for joy is at the root of all things that we do. Why
does an artist paint a work of art? Of course the act of painting may be enjoyable in and
of itself, but the deepest satisfaction for any artist comes from two main things:
expression and connection. The act of painting allows that individual artist to create
something meaningful and express his innermost feelings. Then the act of sharing that
painting with the rest of the world allows the painter to connect with other people, to
communicate who they are on the deepest level to whomever may be viewing it at that
point in time. A similar comparison can be drawn to any artistic endeavor, and social
dancing is no different.
People do not seek joy enough in their lives. It is interesting to note that suffering
is almost the exclusive focus of psychology. In the last 30 years, 45 thousand articles
have been written on depression, but only 400 have been written on joy.5 Swing dancers

60

have found one of those sources of joy. My hope is that the modern swing community
makes itself known to those who need to find joy in their lives, because many people do
not even know it exists. I stumbled upon it myself only by accident. I think social dance
has a place in society - and in our school systems. Recently I told a friend at a party, who
was a dance major and had been dancing since a very young age, about social swing
dance, and she had never heard of it. She looked at me incredulously and asked, You
mean people actually go there just to...dance with each other? As a society, how can we
let such a wonderful opportunity to connect with each other and with the community slip
away? It is my hope for the Lindy Hop community that we can reach out to people who
will find joy in swing, and create a new generation of people who are driven to dance.

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For all the swing dancers and lindy hoppers who contributed to this project, I would
like to thank you sincerely for sharing with me your time, thoughtfulness, and
passion for dance.
Allen Hall South Haven, MN
Amanda Smith Orlando, FL
Andy Pollock Tampa, FL
Arwen Long Durham, NC
Boris Filev Houston, TX
Brendan Smith Tampa, FL
Bryan Spellman Dallas, TX
Chris Smith Daytona, FL
Christian Campbell Gainseville, FL
Colin Claypool Rock Island, IL
Danielle Plank Tampa, FL
Dan Parshall Knoxville, TN
Dave Welch Orlando, FL
Dee Kalick Orlando, FL
Ed Kane Tampa, FL
Eric Hughes Tampa, FL
Forrest Outman Tampa, FL
Fran Johns Tampa, FL
Ginger Brown Minneapolis, MN
Glenn Gasner Tampa, FL
Jay Rockwood Miami, FL
Jesse Wolf Tampa, FL
Jim Webb Tampa, FL
Josef Cuaresma Tampa, FL
Josh Corlew Nashville, TN
Les J Wardell Tampa, FL
Linden Wright Tampa, FL
Mark Flickinger Tampa, FL
Megan Adair Knoxville, TN
Melissa Reilly Tampa, FL
Mia DAvanza Tampa, FL
Nathan Robinson Houston, FL
Niko Balcom Minneapolis, MN
Patrick Foley Tampa, FL
Patrick Mullins Tampa, FL
Rachel Peters Birmingham, United Kingdom
Roger Fadersaer Las Vegas, NV
Sam Mahfoud Tampa, FL
Shaneve Tripp New York, NY
Shem Parsons Tampa, FL
Steve Stone Orlando, FL
Tamar Mucha Miami, FL
Victor Celania Virginia Beach, VA
Vinnie Tampa, FL

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Dancers Answers: The main thing that motivates me to dance is...

joy (6)
fun (6)
connection (4)
people (3)
music (3)
freedom (2)
passion (2)
emotion (2)
happiness (2)
ecstasy
escape
community
movement
enjoyment
need
socialization
exercise
girls
love
wife
atmosphere

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Notes
Introduction/ Chapter I:
1. Wikipedia, Motivation, www.wikipedia.org/wiki/motivation
2. Barbara Ehrenreich, Dancing in the Streets (New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1998), 22.
3. Ibid, 23.
4. Ibid, 24.
5. Ibid, 86.
6. Ibid, 85.
7. Ibid, 88.
8. Ibid, 44.
9. Ibid, 101.
10. Ibid, 216.
11. BlackHawk Hancock, American Allegory: Lindy Hop and the Racial Imagination
(Diss., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004) 14.
12. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 1 Dec. 2007.
13. Wikipedia, Ragtime, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rag_time.
14. R. Kelm-Strickland, A Brief History of Lindy Hop (Diss., Kent State University,
2003), 33.
15. Wikipedia, Turkey Trot, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_trot.
16. R. Kelm-Strickland, A Brief History of Lindy Hop (Diss., Kent State University,
2003), 33.
17. Wikipedia, Great Migration, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Migration_
%28African_American%29.
18. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 1 Dec. 2007.
19. Frankie Manning, Ambassador of Lindy Hop (Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2007), 70.
20. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 1 Dec. 2007.
21. Ibid.
22. Dawn Hampton. panel discussion, March 2007.
23. Frankie Manning, Ambassador of Lindy Hop (Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2007), 49.
24. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 1 Dec. 2007
25. Kansas City Lindy Hop Society, Lindy Hop History,
http://www.kclindyhop.org/history_a.htm.
26. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 1 Dec. 2007.
27. Barbara Ehrenreich, Dancing in the Streets (New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1998), 200.
28. Carol Martin, Dance Marathons (University Press of Mississippi, 1994). xxi.
29. R. Kelm-Strickland, A Brief History of Lindy Hop (Diss., Kent State University,
2003), 72.
30. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 1 Dec. 2007.
Chapter II:
1. R. Kelm-Strickland, A Brief History of Lindy Hop (Diss. Kent State University,
2003), 76.

64

2. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 2 Dec. 2007.

3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 5 Oct. 2007.
7. Jay Rockwood. personal interview, 3 April 2007.
8. Fran Johns. personal interview, 22 Oct. 2007.
Chapter III:
1. Barbara Ehrenreich, Dancing in the Streets (New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1998), 212.
2. John Lenhart, Dance to Live (Saint Petersburg, Medfo, 2007), 83.
3. Ibid, 92.
4. Ibid, 75.
5. Ibid, 87.
6. Richard Powers, Thoughts and Musings on Dance,
http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/intelligent.htm
7. Barbara Ehrenreich, Dancing in the Streets (New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1998), 254.
Chapter IV:
1. Dave Welch. personal interview, 4 Sep. 2007.
2. Associated Press, Girl, 13, get detention for hugging two friends,
www.msnbc.com/id/21661718/?GT1=10547.
3. Tiffany Field, American Adolescents Touch Each Other Less and are More
Aggressive Toward their Peers than French Adolescents Adolescence. 34, no. 136
(1999).
4. Nancy K. Dess, Touching news: Studies give new meaning to hands-on healing.
Psychology Today. 33, no. 2 (Mar/Apr 2000).
5. S. Carroll, The Lindy Binge
6. S. Renshaw, Two Ethnographies in Popular Culture (Arizona State University, 2004)
84.
Chapter V:
1. Fran Johns. personal interview, 22 Oct. 2007.
2. Steve Stone. personal interview, 1 Dec. 2007.
3. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 5 Oct. 2007.
4. D. hast, Music, Dance, and Community: Contra Dance in New England (Wesleyan
University, 1994), 143.
Chapter VI:
1. Cheryl Pallant, Contact Improvisation (Jefferson: McFarland and Company, 2006),
141.

65

2. Barbara Ehrenreich, Dancing in the Streets (New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1998), 10.
3. Ibid, 255.
4. D. Hast, Music, Dance, and Community: Contra Dance in New England (Wesleyan
University, 1994), 27.
5. Ibid, 128.
6. Brendan Smith. personal interview, 1 Sep. 2007.
Chapter VII:
1. S. Renshaw, Two Ethnographies in popular Culture (Arizona State University, 2004)
149.
2. Ibid, 147.
3. D. Hast, Music, Dance, and Community: Contra Dance in New England (Wesleyan
University, 1994), 155.
Chapter VIII:
1. Anne Blood et al., Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in
brain regions implicated in reward and emotion, Proceedings of the National Academy
of the Arts and Sciences 98 no. 20
2. Joan Walton, Engineering + Social Dance,
http://www.stanford.edu/group/dance/vintage/resources/essays/engineering_dance.html
Chapter IX:
1. Forrest Outman. personal interview, 5 Oct. 2007.
2. Charlotte Jorgensen. lecture, 2006.
3. S. Carroll, The Social and Cultural Functions of Lindy Exchanges
4. David Futrelle, Can Money Buy Happiness? Money, August 2006, 130.
5. Barbara Ehrenreich, Dancing in the Streets (New York: Henry Holt and Company,
1998), 13.

66

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