We Love Ballroom

Tap Charleston: Leonard Reed was said to have invented Tap Charleston after he learned tap in 1925. Tap Charleston was the Charleston with breaks into open position to do tap steps. The connection between Breakaway and Tap Charleston is murky therefore it could be the same thing attributed to Leonard Reed or something else.

The characteristic Charleston beat, which Johnson said he first heard from Charleston dockworkers, incorporates the clave rhythm and was considered by composer and critic Gunther Schuller to be synonymous with the Habanera, and the Spanish Tinge. Johnson actually recorded several “Charlestons,” and in later years derided most of them as being of “that same damn beat.” Several of these were ...

While cutting shapes as a dance probably came from the “star” or challenge dances that were all part of the African-American dance called Juba, the particular sequence of steps which appeared in Runnin’ Wild were probably newly devised for popular appeal.”At first, the step started off with a simple twisting of the feet, to rhythm in a lazy sort of ...

The Charleston is a dance named for the harbor city of Charleston, South Carolina. The rhythm was popularized in mainstream dance music in the United States by a 1923 tune called “The Charleston” by composer/pianist James P. Johnson which originated in the Broadway show Runnin’ Wild and became one of the most popular hits of the decade. Runnin’ Wild ran ...

Swangology is the fusion of West Coast Swing and Argentine Tango Nuevo as a dance style. There can be different percentages of each depending on dancer preference and context, such as the style of music, but there should be a smooth blend between the styles. One should flow into the other without a noticeable shift in technique. There are moves ...

Lindy Hop Inside and Outside Turns