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Photo credits:
Allison Michael Orenstein
David Woolley
Bryant Gover
Marcell Bendik
Ana Luz Crespi
The term “swing dancing” is an umbrella term for any dance done to swinging jazz music, from the 1920s, 30s and 40s. The most popular (and spectacular) of these dances was the Lindy Hop.
Lindy Hop is a partnered swing dance, that evolved out of the Charleston in the late 1920s, in the ballrooms and on the streets of the African-American district of Harlem in New York City. The dance evolved alongside swing music itself, emerging in the late 1920s when hot jazz (born in New Orleans) was transforming into swinging jazz, and died out (as we know it) in the late 1940s as the swing era gave way to bebop and rock ‘n roll. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, as swing music spread across the USA and the world, Lindy Hop spread with it.
Legend has it that Lindy Hop earned its name in 1927 when one of its original dancers, George “Shorty” Snowden, was asked its name by a reporter, and dubbed it Lindy Hop after aviator Charles Lindbergh and his famous solo flight across the Atlantic that year (newspaper headlines read “Lindy Hops The Atlantic”). It is sometimes simply called The Lindy, and some parts of the world knew it as The Jitterbug.
While the acrobatic aspect of Lindy Hop is perhaps most familiar to many people, Lindy Hop has many characters. Though it can indeed be danced wild and fast, with spectacular airsteps, it can also be slow and smooth, elegant or sexy.
Lindy Hop is the mother of a variety of other dances, that evolved out of Lindy from the 1950s onwards, including Rock ‘n Roll, Boogie Woogie, Jive, Ceroc and West Coast Swing. Lindy Hop is the original swing dance!
While The Killer Dillers don’t require a live band to perform to, the excitement and energy of live jazz music simply can’t be beat! The Killer Dillers have performed with many live jazz and swing bands around the world. Here are some of our favourites, who not only play the hot and swingin’ jazz music we love to dance and perform to, but also capture the style and glamour of the jazz age. These bands often tour nationally and internationally:
The Nine Pennies
Location: Bologna, Italy
Website: http://www.myspace.com/theninepennies
Email: classjazz@libero.it
Bratislava Hot Serenaders
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
Website: http://www.serenaders.sk
Ondrej Havelka & His Melody Makers
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Website: http://www.melodymakers.cz
The Carling Family Band
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Website: http://www.carlingfamily.se
Jonathan Stout & His Campus Five
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Website: http://www.campusfive.com
Michael McQuaid’s Red Hot Rhythmakers
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Website: http://www.redhotrhythmakers.com
The Boilermaker Jazz Band
Location: Pittsburgh, USA
Website: http://www.boilermakerjazzband.com
Mora’s Modern Rhythmists
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Website: http://morasmodern.com
Tap, Cane, Lindy Hop, Musician
Lindy Hop, Jazz, Tap, Vocalist
Lindy Hop, Tap, Cane, Acrobatics
Lindy Hop, Burlesque, Charleston
Lindy Hop, Cane, Acrobatics, Comedy
Lindy Hop, Aerialist, Charleston
The Killer Dillers are a troupe of professional dancers drawn from across the globe, specializing in performance artforms of the jazz era. Aiming to bring back the spectacular style of song-and-dance entertainment from the golden age of show business, the Killer Dillers' repertoire includes Lindy Hop, Charleston, Tap and a variety of other authentic vintage jazz dances, as well as comedy, acrobatics and burlesque. Read more...
