Swing music is a style of jazz that was dominant in the 1930s, and performed by jazz big bands primarily for dancing audiences. It reached broad audiences over the radio, on records, and in dance halls around the nation.
Swing music is characterized by a syncopated rhythm where all the beats are not evenly spaced in time. Familiar songs with this swing rhythm are Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing” and Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing”.
The syncopated swing rhythm made the music sound more lively, and also had the psychological effect of causing listeners to want to move with the music. The Charleston was a dance that was quite popular during the 1920s, and as jazz music took on stronger syncopations, the music began influencing how the dancers danced their dance, which in turn began affecting how the music was played. This feedback loop helped evolve new forms of music and dance: swing jazz (also called "swing music" or "big band jazz"), and Lindy Hop.
Lindy Hop is a partner dance and one of the original forms of Swing dancing created largely by Black American dancers in the 20's and 30's in Harlem, New York. Like hip-hop is today, Lindy Hop was a street dance made up by youth responding to the popular music of the day, which was swing-era jazz.
This unique American art form became popular around the world in the 30's and 40's largely due to movies such as Keep Punchin’, A Day At the Races, and Hellzapoppin, as well as performers like Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
Lindy hop can be danced fast or slow, and it's for ages 3 to 103. Check out the video for a great example of what Lindy Hop looks like, and feel free to use this playlist to dance or practice at home!
We are dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable dance experience for everyone, therefore all attendees, instructors, staff, and volunteers at Salt City Swing and Salt City Special are required to comply with the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code at every dance. We are expecting cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everybody.
Email info@saltcityswing.org at any time or find an organizer in person via the front desk while at the dance.
Salt City Swing and Salt City Special are dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable event experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion (or lack thereof). We do not tolerate harassment of our venue participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any venue, including dances, workshops, competitions, Twitter, Facebook, and other online media. Venue participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from our events without a refund at the discretion of the event organizers.
Salt City Swing and Salt City Special (hereafter known as "SCS") is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable dance and class experience for everyone, regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion (or lack thereof).
If you are noticeably intoxicated or under the influence of any substance, or are found carrying firearms or other weapons, you will be asked to leave.
Participants are expected to respect the physical safety of those they dance with and those around them. Air steps are prohibited at SCS unless done in a Jam (i.e. dancing with a trusted partner in the middle of a circle) or during performances. Please practice good floor craft. Being aware of your surroundings and how much space you have to dance in is a necessary social dancing skill. If you or your partner collide with another couple in any way, please apologize even if it wasn’t your fault. Reckless dancing or otherwise aggressive behavior will result in a warning, and may lead to temporary or permanent expulsion.
We do not tolerate harassment of event participants in any form, in person, or online. Any form of harassment is unacceptable. Harassment includes but is not limited to offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, microaggressions, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of workshops or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. SCS is not a pick-up venue – although meaningful relationships may form over time, unsolicited advances that are sexual or romantic in nature are not permitted.
Participants of SCS are expected to respect the word “No.” For instance, if you ask someone to dance and they say no, even if they don’t give any explanation (because an explanation is not guaranteed or required by anyone regarding who they do or do not dance with), please find someone else to dance with.
If someone says “no” to you, and you’re unsure why, check out our “What to Know” section on dancing.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or otherwise witness something that is destructive or demeaning, we strongly encourage you to contact anyone on the safety committee, instructors, or another staff member of SCS. No matter the severity of the issue, if you feel uncomfortable, we want to hear from you about it. Talk to a staff member in person, send us an email at info@saltcityswing.org, or even fill out our website contact form anonymously. In addition to taking actions against the perpetrators of harassment, organizers and staff will be happy to discuss your options and to support you through whichever course of action you choose to take in order to feel safe at our events. Options may include facilitating conversations with harassers, providing you with escorts, contacting local law enforcement, or other types of assistance. We will also protect your identity if you so choose.
If you are engaging in harassing behavior, the event organizers or course instructors may take any action that they deem appropriate. These are some of the things that may happen to you:
Finally, note that although we are not able to arbitrate all social interactions or conflicts that occur outside of our events, we will take action if we believe that a person's presence will create an unwelcoming or unsafe environment, or if it will negatively impact the wellbeing of our other patrons.
While our dances and classes are typically casual events (jeans are normal), you will be dancing with many different people and likely want to make a good impression, so we encourage you to dress nicely. Wear clothes you can move around in and without worrying about anything falling off. For your feet, find some flat-bottomed, comfortable shoes (with hard rubber, leather, suede soles, or anything that's not too sticky) that are well secured.
Sweat a lot? Tend to get that freshly-exercised smell quickly? Be sure to wear deodorant as needed, and bring extra shirts or towels to stay dry. No one likes touching a sweaty back! We also typically have breath mints at the front, but be mindful of what you just ate as well!
We welcome all dancers and lovers of music regardless of age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, and religion. We expect you to be respectful of yourself, your partner, and everyone around you while at our events.
Please be aware of your surroundings when moving your or your partner's body into blind spots (i.e. rock steps) so you don't step on other dancers. If you do, apologize. Please no aerials/air steps/flips/etc. during social dancing, except in jams, with partners you've practiced this with before.
Don't instruct or give feedback to your partner unless specifically asked (and it's not common to ask for feedback during dances with people you aren't familiar with, as this can change the vibe of the dance). If something hurts, please do tell your partner.
We're all here to have fun. Enjoy yourself and do what you can to make it enjoyable for others :)
We are no longer requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccinations. However, as these are social dances and classes, we strongly encourage up-to-date vaccinations and mask-wearing. We will continue to monitor this on a month-to-month basis.