About East Coast Swing
Swing dancing began in the 30s, and the dance which evolved among Afro-Americans in the ballrooms of Harlem became known as the Lindy Hop. The focal point was the Savoy Ballroom in New York where swing music was played by the big band greats such as Count Basie and Bennie Goodman and where some of the great legends of swing dancing, such as Frankie Manning, danced. The music and the dancing evolved together through the 30s and 40s (right through world war 2).
East Coast Swing or Jitterbug appeared in the 40s as a simpler and easier dance than Lindy Hop. It is now back in style again right across the USA. Dancers of the easier East Coast Swing would today outnumber Lindy Hop dancers in the US by at least 10 to 1, if not 100 to 1. East Coast Swing is an easy, relaxed style of dancing at moderate tempos, but can also accommodate very fast tempos. It has a six count basic, whereas Lindy Hop has an eight count basic, However Lindy Hop and East Coast share many patterns, and Lindy Hop eight count patterns can be incorporated into the East Coast dance.
In the 50s, East Coast Swing evolved further to become the dance for Rock & Roll music. The jive and other Rock & Roll dance styles taught in Australia owe their origins to East Coast Swing/Jitterbug. As a consequence many East Coast Swing patterns will be familiar to Rock & Roll dancers, although the basic styling is rather different.