Established in August 2008, American Swing Music and Dance Association is an educational and charitable organization dedicated to keeping this uniquely American form of musical and dance expression alive and thriving.Swing music and dance begins in the late 1920s and continues to today. The music covers jazz, big band, jump blues, boogie woogie, rock and roll, net-swing, as well as electro swing! The dance has grown and changed and had many incarnations as the dancers adapted to contemporary music. It has been called Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Bop, Hand Dance, Balboa, Shag, East Coast Swing, Bal-Swing, West Coast Swing, and many others.

Inseparable from each other, swing music and dance have been an integral part of American popular culture for over 80 years.

American Swing Music and Dance Association’s mission is to educate the public on the history and evolution of this art form by providing both instructional dance courses and live music events.

The benefits of swing dancing are numerous. Too often, modern education emphasizes book learning without providing necessary social skills; the rise of the internet means people have less human and face-to-face social interaction. Students who engage in social dance develop valuable social skills at the same time they are engaging in a healthy physical activity. By providing educational and instructional programs, AmericanSwing.org helps foster an appreciation for the historical importance of the art form while creating a new generation of dancers.

Classes

Teaching Jitterbug and Lindy Hop since 1994, Gottaswing’s eight-week beginner and intermediate classes have set the gold standard in swing dance instruction. Classes are open to dancers of all ages, no partner required (we rotate partners in class). In addition to our regular classes, we also offer specialty classes: aerials, team performance, Balboa, and advanced styling, to name but a few. To find out more, visit Gottaswing.com.

What is Swing?

“Swing” is the music, and “swing dancing” is the family of dances that developed to the new musical style that began with the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. Taking elements of jazz, tap, the Breakaway, the Charleston and the new syncopated rhythms of the era, a new dance style emerged—Lindy Hop. Almost 90 years later, swing dancing with its many variations is still going strong.