PureDWTS Ask Courtney: What’s the Difference Between Jive/Lindy/Jitterbug/Charleston/etc.?
This is a very good question :-), but unfortunately one that required a bit of research on my part…so please bear with me as I give you guys a brief history/background of the swing dances.
First things first: all of the above dances are related, and evolved from one another, so that’s why they all look so similar to the naked eye. Even I often have a hard time discerning between them, especially within the context of DWTS, where I think sometimes even the pros themselves aren’t quite sure about some of these dances – especially the Jitterbug & Lindy Hop. The lines between them are very blurred, because there’s often a lot of overlap in terms of steps, timing, & styling.
Charleston was the earliest of the swing dances, originating in the speakeasies during the 1920’s, and is usually associated with the “flappers”, who danced it alone or with each other to mock the “drys” – people who supported Prohibition. At the time, it was considered to be a pretty provocative dance. It has a bouncy feel to it, and the basic step does have the backward rock-step characteristic to almost all of the swing dances. Here’s a good example of some other Charleston steps – note how it also has some twisting movements, high kicks, and very jazzy arm styling. The music was a swing beat, with perhaps a bit more of a ragtime feel than other swing styles to follow – think “Hot Honey Rag” from Chicago. These days, it more often lends steps to jive & quickstep, rather than being danced as its own, exclusive dance – my boyfriend’s studio doesn’t have an official Charleston syllabus (just not enough steps), but he does often incorporate Charleston steps into other dances. One example many of you may have noticed is that funky leg flick that the pros often add to their quickstep routines – Mark does it at about the :55 mark of he & Chelsea’s quickstep. Yep, Charleston moves fit Mark’s jimmie legs perfectly 🙂 Which is probably why he & Melissa’s Charleston in season 9 sticks out to me as the best representation of the dance on the show – it has the characteristic steps, and they stuck with the 1920’s flapper theme.
Out of the Charleston came the Lindy Hop, which had its heyday in the big band era of the late 1920’s-40’s. It was a product of the Harlem Renaissance, and was born in traditionally black clubs like The Savoy & Cotton Club in New York. Its footwork was similar to the Charleston, but it had elements of other vernacular/folk dances (such as the cakewalk and Texas Tommy) and also included a breakaway/throwaway step, which allowed the couples dancing it to do more open work than in the Charleston. It was also quite a bit more daring – when wealthy white patrons descended upon Harlem clubs to watch the black dancers, the dancers themselves upped the ante, and began doing increasingly more dangerous & eye-catching lifts, flips, and tricks (“air steps” or “aerials”) to entertain them. This often resulted in the dancers being hired to perform or teach Lindy Hop to the patrons. I would say it’s definitely the “showiest” of all the swing dances, due to all the tricks that have come to be standard fare in the Lindy – and with the pros on DWTS, nothing seems to scream “Lindy!” more than some crazy lifts. In terms of said lifts, I would say that Melissa & Tony’s Lindy in season 8 is the best example; but in terms of overall “feel” (and good use of basic steps), I’d say that Ty & Chelsie’s Lindy is the best example.
The history of the jitterbug is a bit more murky – since many early Lindy-hoppers (such as Shorty Snowden & Frankie Manning) referred to Lindy as “the jitterbug” before it was officially named the Lindy Hop in 1928, some argue that jitterbug & Lindy are one in the same. However, I’ve also heard it relayed that “jitterbug” refers to the early style of Lindy (which did not include aerials), that was more akin to a smoother, more fast-paced Charleston or East Coast Swing; yet another story I’ve heard is that when the Harlem Lindy-hoppers began to teach the dance to wide-eyed white patrons, they toned it down quite a bit and took out a lot of more intimidating steps to make it more “suburb-friendly”, and the result was the jitterbug. “Jitterbug” can also just refer to any of the swing dances in general. Are you confused yet? So am I 🙂 If I had to guess, I’d say that the jitterbug is most likely a watered-down version of the Lindy – at least within the context of DWTS. This is supposedly the basic step – looks a lot to me like single-time East Coast Swing, so this may be a case of “tomato, to-mah-to”: same dance, different names. In the few jitterbugs we’ve seen on DWTS, it seems to look a lot like Lindy, with perhaps a few less lifts, and a slightly slower tempo. Not different enough to necessitate including both dances, in my opinion; also not really fair to the pros – remember when Derek had to go Google “jitterbug” to help him choreograph he & Brooke’s routine? Yeah, my boyfriend did the same thing when I asked him to do some jitterbug – and he still didn’t really know what it was (I believe he just shrugged & said “I dunno, it’s probably just like Lindy!”) So, that said – since I don’t really know what a jitterbug looks like, I can’t really & truly say what a good example of one on the show is…and I’m gonna venture a guess that the judges don’t really know either, because they seemed to give rather vague critiques of all the jitterbugs done in seasons 7 & 9 (the only 2 seasons when it was performed). It was either “Yeah, that was good, great energy!” or “I didn’t really like it, it was messy.” No real reference to steps or technique – which further leads me to believe that the jitterbug is not a real dance, but just a general “feel” that can include any number of steps from the other swing-type dances. Brooke & Derek’s jitterbug and Cody & Julianne’s jitterbug in season 7 seem to be popular favorites.
The final dance to evolve from the swing family was the jive, which is the most structured of the swing dances on the show. When the swing dance craze swept the US and Europe after World War II, the ballroom community found the dance “ugly” and disorganized, so they created the jive as a more elegant, clean alternative, and it was adopted as the 5th and final International Latin dance in 1968. It mainly differs from the other, previous swing dances in that it is much more strictly regulated – since it was created by ballroom dancers themselves, rather than regular folks messing around on the dance floor (like the Lindy), there is a syllabus of acceptable steps, and it is less open to interpretation and improvisation. The characteristic bounce of it requires picking the knees up very high (which you typically don’t see in the other swing dances), and because the tempo is so fast, jive does not move around the floor as much as the Lindy, jitterbug, or Charleston – it’s danced more in-place because the dancers just don’t have the time to move around much. Granted, there are similiarities with the other swing dances from which it evolved – it has the same “triple step” swing rhythm structure as the other dances, and many of the figures are obviously inspired by moves from the other dances (i.e. the shadow stalking walk of the jive looks very similar to a step used in the Charleston). I’ve always said the best example of the jive that I’ve ever seen on the show is Nicole & Derek’s jive in season 10 – she has been the only contestant that I’ve seen nail the high knees, slightly bent-over posture, and compact, sharp leg flicks of the jive.
Since I seem to be hitting on all the swing dances, I may as well touch briefly on East Coast & West Coast swing – just in case those nutty producers ever decide to dredge those up again 🙂 The East Coast Swing is basically a slowed-down version of the jive, with more of a “downward” feel – the knees aren’t sky high, and since it’s not so fast, there’s a bit more movement side-to-side than in the jive. The basic step is essentially the same as the jive – rock step back, triple step right, triple step left – but with the technique tweaked slightly. Rumor was that they were supposed to add it to the repertoire in season 10 or 11 (I think), but that never materialized – and I’m kinda glad, because I don’t see the need for both the jive and ECS when the two look so similar to the uneducated eye. The West Coast Swing is probably the most different of the swing dances, because it’s “slotted” – meaning that it generally moves back and forth along one line, with the lady doing the moving and the man staying stationary (for the most part) slightly outside of the slot. It’s not entirely different from the Lindy Hop basic mentioned above, but is slower and not quite so haphazard. The word I most often hear used to describe it is “slinky” – there is almost no bounce to it, and the elastic “back and forth” movement of the lady lends itself well to swiveling of the hips, so it can be a very sexy dance. It’s also probably the most open to improvisation, of all the swing dances – the slow, sexy timing and basic walking action allow for a lot of creativity. The basic WCS step is often incorporated into the jive, so it’s yet another example of overlap between the swing dances. Lacey’s dad, Buddy Schwimmer, is often credited with popularizing the West Coast Swing style – he’s still referred to as the “King of Swing” in the ballroom community.
So now that you all have a Ph.D in the history of swing dance, let’s review the similarities & differences:
Charleston: silly, carefree dance from the 1920’s with wacky arms & legs
Lindy Hop: high-energy, fast swing dance with more open work and crazy lifts
Jitterbug: bouncy, fun dance with wacky arms & legs (and a few lifts) that’s open to interpretation
Jive: fast, compact, bouncy dance with high knees and sharp, precise leg flicks & kicks
East Coast Swing: slower, earthier cousin of the jive with less bounce and a more relaxed feel
West Coast Swing: even slower, sexier, slinkier cousin of the Lindy Hop that is very open to interpretation
Hopefully you guys have a bit better understanding of the various swing-type dances on the show now…so maybe you can educate the judges, pros, and powers that be 😉
Excellent once again and FASCINATING!!! It definitely makes more sense now for all the differences between these dances.
Thank you for all that research and hard work, Courtney!! *applauds* I don’t know that I could educate anyone after reading it, but I do have a better idea of what’s what and, hell, it’s just darned interesting to see where the dances were born and how they evolved. 🙂 Thank you again!!!
I see the differences now. TY so much!!!
Great job, Courtney!!
Impressive research, description and exemplifications!! love the post, Courtney!! thank you for explaining all that to us! as Evaine said, at least now we know what to expect from a dance and what the judges and the pros are arguing about! loved the history of the dances too!! i enjoyed this article immensely! Thank you again!
WOW!! That deserves an A+++! The dance descriptions were excellent but adding the videos was pure genius. That deserves to be in the syllabus of a college class on the history of dance. I was in a total muddle about the differences between those dances and now I at least have a clue. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your hard work and wonderful writing from a grateful PDWTS fan. Love it!!
We certainly can educate eh judgs, because they so need it 😉 Thanks so much Courtney!! 🙂
Awesome job, Courtney!! I wasn’t very familiar with any of these dances except the Jive, so it was great to hear more about them (without having to do the research myself LOL)! You really laid out all the facts in a way that was interesting and fun.
DW #6 said it so well, I totally agree with all DW’ s remarks, and am especially grateful for the videos which must have taken some time to find and select, even for someone with a near photographic memory
If ABC tv had any sense they’re hire you to write for the DWTS portion of their website – get your copyright on, this stuff is way too good!!!
Great job, Courtney! Maybe you could educate Len!! LOL
FANTASTIC post, Courtney! I loved all the great information and the clips to compare. Standing ovation to you from this reader!!! As I’m sure you remember, Lacey & Lance did an WCS which I always thought was really good. The judges criticized it saying Lacey did all the work but as I’ve always understood it (and learned it), the female does do all the work on WCS, so I loved it! Thanks for the great information and hard work, well done you!
Are they ever bringing back Charlseton on the show? I remeber Mark and Melissa’s charleston and it was a showstopper. Would love to see Derek and Maks try it.
Courtney, thank you so much for your awesome research and clear/precise explanation! I really enjoyed reading this, since the jive is my favorite dance in the show.
I remember liking Melissa/Mark’s Charleston a lot and pressing the repeat button so many times. I’m glad to know you think that that specific one is the best representation of the Charleston.
Anyone who knows me knows that Nicole Scherzinger is my favorite contestant of all time (and the one who ended my voting curse) and YES! I flippin’ LOVED her jive both times. The last one is my favorite performance from the show…period.
Thanks again Courtney!
# vin – i hope so!!i love Charleston!! and i think Derek would be great …. he would definitely create a memorable routine !!
@Elara: Even if its jsut for this upcoming season only just to see the two best pros do that would be worth it. I can’t see any other male pro do it (Tony would have that smile on his face and it would seem cartoony, Thristan would probably be good at it, Val would still find a way to do it his way i guess but I like his ballrooom better).
Also, is it jsut me or is Thistan not the best when it comes to jives? I watched both of Nancy’s jives again and they were pretty bad and I think it was more the choreography than her. When I watched the devil goes to georgia one (is that the song’s name?) I thought of len’s gypsy comment to marie osmond lol.
All of these dances resemble each other. But please don’t forget the “New Yorker”.
Thanks Courtney. I enjoyed my dance lessons… Just without having to do any steps myself… Thank Goodness!
I enjoyed the links to some of the dances, I clicked on Melissa and Marks Charleston and ended up in DWTS heaven on You Tube. Its like the gift that keeps on giving…. Thought it was Christmas again! 🙂
Amazingly informative post, Courtney! Thank you… I feel like I am ready to do a swing dance right now.. lol! I guess it was frustrating for some when Len said that JR and Karina’s first jive had more Lindy Hop in it and it wasn’t a jive… I bet that confused a lot of the audience as well. Since the Jive was born from the Lindy Hop and Charleston, why did Len feel a need to call them out? I love how you included the examples in the text so it was quick and easy to see a visual after the description. I’d like to see the Lindy Hop return, perhaps in place of a Jive?? Or maybe the couples can choose to do a LH or Jive… I like all those lifts. =)
Thanks everyone for all the kind words 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it! Was definitely a fun one to research & write.
@Joan – I think the mistake Lacey made with she & Lance’s WCS was going for a very modern, contemporary WCS, as opposed to a more traditional one. A lot of ballroom judges are pretty limited in their knowledge – they know the ballroom & Latin dances like the back of their hand, but when it comes to less traditional dances like the WCS, hustle, salsa, etc., they tend to be pretty limited in their knowledge, unless they’ve taught or competed in that style themselves. They may know the basics of a dance, but throw in anything extraneous and they can be pretty clueless. I think that was the case with Lance & Lacey’s WCS – lots of really good, high-level variations & open work, but it was simply out of the realm of the judges’ understanding of the dance. I’m guessing the 3 Stooges were only looking for some sugar pushes, whips, and sailor shuffles (some WCS basics), but Lacey gave them something far more advanced. Toni & Alec’s WCS, by contrast, was visually somewhat bland, but did include a lot of easily recognizable figures – and was likely better received by the judges because of it. I have also always wondered if their underscoring of Lacey was deliberate, given her obvious edge in the WCS style. Maybe an attempt to negate the fact that the daughter of the “king of swing”, a national swing dance champion herself, just happened to get that style in a week with 3 other styles. Food for thought 🙂
@vin & Elara – While the Charleston is great fun to watch, my big problem with it on this show is that it’s just too open-ended & vague for the pros to really handle well. Like I mentioned, there is no set syllabus or list of steps; the pros are left to create a routine in the character of that dance, and just take a guess to what a proper Charleston looks like. It’s also kind of limiting in terms of theme – with the music & timing, the only theme that really fits is a 1920’s one. It’s not like jive, where you can do a more old-fashioned one (like JR & Karina’s) or a more modern one (like Nicole & Derek’s). And I don’t know about anyone else, but after about 2 or 3 flapper routines – I’m bored & ready to move on. I like Melissa & Mark’s Charleston, but I don’t really have a desire to see more of the same.
@Vaughn – I’m unfamiliar with this “New Yorker” you mention. Do you mean the step in the cha-cha, or is this another variety of swing dance? If it’s the latter, I don’t really see the point in including it here, since it’s not a style that has been done on the show. In reality, there are literally dozens of swing variants that could be considered their own independent styles – balboa, shag, shim-shim-shammy, Texas Tommy, etc. If I tried to write an article that included every single regional variant or offshoot, I’d have a doctorate thesis-length publication on my hands. And it still would likely not be a complete list of all the swing styles! So within the context of DWTS – I don’t think I am “forgetting” anything. I just don’t see the point in mentioning a style that has not (and likely will not) be done on the show.
@Elmari – Thanks for the love 🙂 As far as JR & Karina’s first jive, I am kinda on the fence – I agree that it’s kinda silly to write a dance off as “too much Lindy” when the dance itself evolved from Lindy, but I also think it’s important for a pro to stay true to the core ballroom dances (the ones with specific syllabi of steps). In this case, I think Karina just got the proportions wrong – it wasn’t so much “too much Lindy” as it was “not enough true jive”, if that makes any sense. Having some Lindy in it is ok, as long as the bulk of it is meat-and-potatoes jive steps. Remember: the jive was created because the ballroom community didn’t like Lindy – so while a judge like Len can acknowledge the connection, he’s probably going to bitch & moan more about having too much Lindy. The big giveaways in the dance itself? The big, wacky leg movements & the use of a lot of floor space – jive is compact and in-place, and the knees are supposed to go up, not out. Those big, flaily movements they did that were so cute & fun to watch were unfortunately more characteristic of Lindy than jive. Had Karina reigned in the choreo a bit more and thrown in a few more jive basics, I think the judges would have been ok. As for getting rid of the jive & subbing in something like Lindy – I don’t see them ever dropping any of the 10 “core” dances (cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, jive, waltz, tango, foxtrot, quickstep, & Viennese waltz), as that’s what’s danced competitively in the “rea ballroom world and they seem to be trying to mirror it. But I wouldn’t be opposed to adding Lindy as one of the “extraneous” dances – maybe do like they did in season 7 where one week, each couple did one of 4 of these kinds of dances. I’d say Lindy, hustle, salsa, & west coast swing would be a good variety to chose from.
*LIGHT BULB TURNS ON* IT makes sense now. Well more sense since I thought they were the same dances with different names. Thank you Courtney for doing this for us(I love the “review” list at the end makes it easy to see what really does seperate those dances.
Thanks Courtney! I agree with all above and really appreciated the video’s to get the visuals. What a ton of work! And very much appreciated!!
(As I was watching them I couldn’t help but think how much I miss the old Mark.)
Wow, what an incredible write up! Your description of the dances and examples certainly give me a different perspective when it comes to the performances and routines on DWTS!
Great job Courtney!!! A++ indeed!!