Q&A
When did the Lindy Hop become popular?
• SHORT ANSWER
Around the same time that the aviator Lindy did his own hop
• LONG ANSWER
During the late 1920s, a new dance emerged in the African-American community of Harlem, New York: a mix of Charleston, tap, jazz and others, while open to a healthy dose of improvisation. From its premiere at the Savoy Ballroom, the energetic and joyous form became a quick-stepping hit in the world of swing dance, and while there’s not much hopping involved, the timing of its inception does explain the name.
On 21 May 1927, pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh became a national hero for completing the first non-stop flight over the Atlantic Ocean. For hopping from the US to France in 33-and-a-half hours, ‘Lindy’ was instantly honoured in song titles – including one recorded just a few days later – and, of course, this new dance. The Lindy Hop really got moving, or took off (whichever you’d prefer), in the golden age of jazz during the 1930s and 40s.