All Jazzed Up are indebted to Dan Guest who has kindly allowed us to reproduce here, in their entirety, the comprehensive histories of Lindy Hop and Balboa which appear on the Lindy Circle website.
Origins of Balboa
It's hard to get a consensus view concerning the origins of Balboa. Many
dance historians state that the dance was a derivation of Foxtrot, others
believe it evolved from the Charleston or Collegiate Shag. Willie Desatoff
an original Balboa dancer of great distinction believed it evolved from the
Rhumba. There were many different pre-existing dances around at the time
and several of the old Balboa masters also knew many of these other dances.
Balboa is an 8 count dance so a connection with other 8 count dances would be
consistent. However, this should not rule out a connection to the 6 count
dances, as evolution is a powerful thing! Although we can't be sure as to
the precise origins, it does seem likely that early Balboa dancers were probably
influenced by their knowledge of other dances around at that time.
What is Balboa?
There are 2 different forms of Balboa:
Balboa, in its original pure form, is danced completely in closed position. Pure
Balboa evolved in conservative dance halls where space was limited. Some of
these dance halls had strict rules or codes of conduct that prohibited the wild
kicks of the Charleston and other exuberant dances. Pure Balboa is characterised
by a fairly upright posture with both partners standing 'chest to chest' in
close intimate contact. You never break away from your partner, there are
no spins or turns, and you remain completely in contact through the chest at all
times. This does not leave much scope for variations so pure Balboa is an
intrinsically very simple dance. The only variations possible were changes
in direction and a few step variations. These step variations generally play
with the rhythm or change the look and feel (style) from below the knee
downwards. If you part at the chest then you're not doing pure Balboa!
The dance's simplicity and economy of movement make it very well suited to fast
tempo music. This fact has meant that Balboa is often mistakenly thought
of as just a fast dance. Indeed many of the original dancers could dance
at amazing speeds. However, they also liked to dance to slower music and
the dance has always been done to music of all tempos including some improbably
slow tunes. It's been said that pure Balboa was done by older dancers who
just wanted to meet and dance with women!
Bal Swing
After a while some of the original Balboa dancers tired of doing just pure
Balboa and started to introduce fancier variations which forced the 'chest to
chest' connection to be broken. In this form anything goes; spins, turns,
dips, tricks, and even air steps! All these things are allowed provided
the overall style, feeling, and framework remain true in spirit to the original
dance. In explicit terms it might be said that these open patterns should
be combined with recognizable Balboa footwork.
There's some dispute over exactly when this form got its 'Bal Swing' name. It is
clear though that for some time many people referred to it as just 'Swing'
dancing. Other forms of swing dancing also existed around that time in
different areas and these were clearly not derived from Balboa. So only
swing dancers in the immediate LA region might really have been doing what we
now know as Bal Swing.
When and Where were the Balboa dances created?
The "Balboa" got its name from the Balboa Peninsula at Newport Beach, situated
on the coast about 40 miles south of Los Angeles in California. The dance was
first done at the beach Pavilion and then latterly at the famous Rendezvous
Ballroom. The dance developed in the 1920's. By the early 1930's it
had become sufficiently well known to be given its name. People from the LA area
who'd seen it started referring to it as 'The Balboa' or the dance being done in
Balboa. The dance spread up the coast through the beach resorts of
Huntington, Long Beach, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, Venice Beach, and finally into
the greater LA basin area.
Willie Desatoff said; "Pure Balboa was done strictly in Orange County" (includes
Newport Beach) whereas Bal Swing was done mainly in Los Angeles County.
Very few people travelled and therefore did both dances".
The Rendezvous Ballroom
The Balboa Pavilion was built on the bay side of the sandy Balboa Peninsula as a
Victorian bath house in 1905. It was the first significant building on the
Peninsula and has survived to this day. It paved the way for the
subsequent development of Balboa as a fashionable beach resort for day trippers
from the Greater Los Angeles area. In 1923 the Pavilion underwent
remodelling making it more suitable for dancing. The popularity of dancing
at the Pavilion lead to the building of the much larger Rendezvous Ballroom a
few blocks away.
The Rendezvous Ballroom was built in 1928 on a grand scale. It was a two
story dance hall covering half a block with a capacity probably in excess of
4000 at its peak. It’s hard to imagine so many people at a dance but the
fact that it had a parking lot with 1000 spaces helps to give an idea of the
sheer size of the place! The dance floor was 12,000 square feet and could
easily accommodate over 1,500 couples. There was a 64 foot soda fountain
on the ground floor along with dozens of couches. The upper mezzanine and
balcony surrounding the dance floor had 50 more couches and another smaller soda
fountain. A fire destroyed the building in 1935 but incredibly, they
managed to re-build the Ballroom in less than 3 months.
Most of the famous big bands of the time played the Ballroom including Bob
Crosby, Harry James, Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Woody Herman,
Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, Les Brown, Guy Lombardo, Ted
Lewis, Artie Shaw, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters and many
others. By 1938 the ballroom was dubbed the "Queen of Swing" by Look
Magazine. Later in the 40s, more progressive jazz took over and Stan
Kenton even owned the Ballroom for a short time. The venue then faded from
glory a little before a brief 'Surf Sound' inspired resurgence in the late 50's
and early 60's. Sadly the Rendezvous was completely destroyed by fire in 1966.
Dancing at the Rendezvous Ballroom
The Balboa Peninsula was a popular destination for party goers during the early
30's. The area became such a Mecca for thousands of teenagers during their
Easter vacation that the holiday period became known as 'Bal Week'. The
local holiday homes and rental apartments were full to the brim with holiday
makers spending their days at the beach and evenings dancing at the Rendezvous
Ballroom.
The Ray Rand Swingers
Ray Rand was the manager of the Dianna Ballroom in Culver City (close to Los
Angeles). He was a keen dancer himself and his ballroom was one of the
favourite haunts for the better dancers of the time. He got to know many
of the best dancers and in 1935 decided to put together a dance troupe. The
troupe was named 'The Ray Rand Swingers' although Ray's real name was actually
Ray Randazzle. Special dance events, competitions, marathons, and such
like were very popular at the time and he hired out his troupe for these events.
The troupe became well known throughout the Greater LA area and were nicknamed
'The Big Four' by their local admirers. The four couples were:
Maxie Dorf & Mary McCaslin
Hal Takier & Betty Takier
Lawrence Wise & Lillian Arnold
Gil Fernandez & Venna Cascon
These were the most flamboyant dancers of the time and made an impact with their
high energy performances. They had a busy schedule of performances all
over southern California and were the west coast's undisputed premiere dance
troupe. Many high profile gigs followed including the 1936 California
State Fair in Pomona and the 1939 Worlds Fair in New York. These trips
around the country brought them into contact with other great dancers such as
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. They danced in the dedicated 'Dance Pavilion' at the
Worlds Fair, which also featured daily performances from Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
This particular Worlds Fair is still acclaimed as one of the best ever so they
were definitely getting some top notch gigs.
Unfortunately, the war brought an end to Ray's enterprises. Presumably,
the work began to dry up and Ray stopped taking bookings around late 1939 or
early 1940. Some of the dancers continued to work though, making
occasional film appearances throughout the war years. Maxie Dorf joined
the US Navy and served in the war. However, it doesn't appear that many of
the other big names were directly involved in the war effort.
Balboa Today
For a long time the world of dance was largely oblivious of Balboa and very
little was documented anywhere. Fortunately, the dance never actually died
out with an isolated pocket refusing to let it die. Many of the original
dancers continued with their passion and were subsequently discovered by Sylvia
Sykes and Jonathan Bixby in the early 1980's. They persuaded some of the
old timers to teach them the dance to preserve it into the future. They worked
very closely with Maxie Dorf, who was widely acclaimed as the 'King of Balboa'
amongst those who knew him or saw him dance. Maxie continued to dance and teach
to the newer brigade of Balboa fans that blossomed in the late 90's before
passing away in 2000.
Sylvia and Jonathan have subsequently passed on their knowledge to the rest of
the dance community by teaching Balboa workshops all over the world. The
current Balboa scene owes them an enormous debt of gratitude for preserving the
dance and bringing it to the attention of the masses. Sylvia rightly deserves
her nickname as the 'Queen of Balboa'.
Despite Maxie's death and the recent loss of Willie Desatoff, there are still
many of the original great dancers alive today. Hal Takier, Ann & John
Mills, Dean Raftery, Bart Bartolo and many other are all still around and very
much kicking! It's fitting that they can take pleasure in seeing and helping the
new generation of fanatics on today's Balboa scene. Most of the Balboa
done on today's scene is actually 'Bal Swing' although more and more dancers are
becoming interested in the subtleties of pure Balboa.
Footnote from the author:
I don't claim to be an expert on the history of Balboa. I first started
Balboa in 1995 and this page has been pulled together from my knowledge and
experiences of the dance built up since then. I've made every effort to be
as historically accurate as possible. However, there is very little
published information on Balboa to draw from. Even on the web, the
information is patchy and often contradictory. I've tried to collect as much
information together as possible and publish it here as a good starting place
for anyone wanting to learn about the history of Balboa.
If you disagree with any of the information published here then please let me
know and I will make any necessary corrections.
Additional Footnote (17/10/2005):
I have revised the text of this article to take into account the recent passing
of Willie Desatoff. Willie was without doubt one of the greatest Balboa
dancers of all time and will be sadly missed by many people.
Dan Guest
All Jazzed Up are indebted to Shona van Beers who has kindly allowed us to reproduce here, in its entirety, the comprehensive history of Lindy Hop which appear on the Lindy Circle website.
Introduction
Frankie Manning and Ann Johnson (1941)
The Lindy Hop (or Lindy) is a partner dance that originated in 1920's and 30's
Harlem, New York. The Dance itself consists of both 8 and 6 count steps
and it includes footwork borrowed from the Charleston and Tap.
The dance can be wild and spontaneous, with frenzied kicks and body movements,
or it can be cool and sophisticated. The most important aspects of it are
that it is danced with your partner, to the music, and that you enjoy it!
The Lindy Hop is considered a cultural phenomenon that broke through the race
barrier when segregation was still the norm. Modern dancers, interested in
cultural history are piecing together the roots of Lindy through the tales and
film footage of the original dancers, now in their 70s and 80s. Although the
lineage and history of Lindy may be muddled, it is certain that it was born from
the blending of African rhythms and movements with European structured dance.
The Lindy Hop has enjoyed a revival since the mid 1980's, when Swing Legend
Frankie "musclehead" Manning, an influential choreographer and performer of the
era, was rediscovered. Now the Lindy Hop and other Swing dances and
variations are part of a world wide trend to get back on the dance floor.
The Forerunners of Lindy Hop
Looking back on where the Lindy Hop came from is an amazing study of American
history and of the global cultural shift facilitated by the American GI's that
travelled in World War II.
The influences of the Charleston and Tap dance are evident still in the Lindy we
do today and the dance is also sited to have come from an early version of the
Foxtrot. Remnants of older dancers such as the Cakewalk, Texas Tommy,
Black bottom and popular "animal" dances such as the Turkey Trot and the Buzzard
Lope are also expressed. What is interesting is that these came from
African social dance culture, and some, like the Cakewalk were created when
blacks imitated and mocked the formal dance structure of the whites, which they
would then use in their entertainment routines. Ironically, the white
spectators would then copy the entertainers, and a social dance that bridged the
divide emerged.
The two cultures found a common ground, called the Savoy Ballroom in New York.
It was here that Lindy was fine tuned and grounded, and where the "Savoy style"
that was to influence the world grew up.
The Savoy Ballroom
In New York City, ballrooms dominated Harlem, but one, The Savoy was to become
the king of Swing. The Savoy was huge, taking up the whole block at 141st
Street and Lenox Ave. Lindy flourished there, partly because it was one of the
few racially integrated ballrooms where White and Black could dance, be inspired
and share moves like no other place.
The Coat check could serve up to 5,000 patrons, and it needed to, with 70,000
patrons a year dancing at the "home of happy feet". The sprung floor was
replaced every 3 years and came to be known as "the Track" due to its elongated
shape. The bandstand at each end accommodated two live bands every night,
7 nights a week.
Jazz was in its heyday, since a night out dancing was cheap, and recorded music
was not yet readily assessable. Names such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington
and Count Basie made music history in the battle of the bands held there.
The players would feed off the dancer's improvisation as much as the dancers fed
off the music. The atmosphere of the Ballroom must have been electric as
the top dancers would meet in "Kats Corner" and take turns to show off and play
with the rhythms. Weekly competitions promoted friendly rivalry between
dance troupes and dancers were inspired to create new, more exciting moves to
wow the crowd and win over the judges. Audiences were amazed to sight the
first Aerial move (or airstep) created by Frankie Manning and his partner Freda
Washington for these competitions.
Shorty 'George' Snowden
Dance Marathons were also popular, and it is during one of these that the Lindy
apparently got its name. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made the first ever
solo flight from New York to Paris, and people were absorbed with his "Hop"
across the Atlantic. A great dancer by the name of George "Shorty" Snowden
was at the end of a long marathon when a reporter watching asked what this crazy
dance was called. The quick witted answer was that it was the "Lindy Hop"
and the name stuck.
The atmosphere at the Savoy permitted a situation that was ripe for dancers to
perfect their craft, and for something spectacular to come from The Savoy…
Whiteys Lindy Hoppers
The Spectacular something were the "Whitey's Lindy Hoppers". Herbert White or
"Whitey", the head bouncer at the Savoy, was skilled at drawing together the
best dancers from the Savoy to join his dance troupe. He arranged
performances and competitions all over the country, and got his group into many
films, such as "A day at the Races" and "Hellzapoppin".
The Lindy then had an audience across the Nation, by which it inspired and
influenced other dance styles. And it is this film footage that still
amazes and inspires the dancers of today.
The Granddaddy of Swing
"Lindy Hop" refers to the particular dance and Swing was the music they would
dance too. The term "Swing" is now commonly used to include many styles of
dance: Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Balboa, Shag, East and West coast swing, Boogie
Woogie, and has also inspired Jive, Rock and Roll, Ceroc, Le-Roc with regional
differences in each dance family.
Many may say that Lindy Hop was the granddaddy of them all, but that does not
imply that no one was dancing any form of Swing before Lindy swept the country.
People were already creating dances to their local bands. The variations
in the music and the conditions they were dancing in impacted on the dance that
was created in that region. The performances that came out of the Savoy
Ballroom however, must have rocked their world when they saw them on stage or at
the flicks! They only had one chance to see a move before reinventing it
for themselves, so the moves would evolve and become something new, and the
dances would blend to accommodate the new fashion.
The Jitterbug
One such blending is the Jitterbug, which is so close to the Lindy hop that one
might call it the same dance. The Jitterbug though, referred to a
different styling, and may also refer to the way the white kids danced the Lindy
Hop - as if they had been drinking an illegal moonshine called "Jitter juice".
Nowadays, the term Jitterbug can be used to mean different dances in different
places, but Lindy Hop still refers to the Savoy Style of dance.
Hollywood Style
Dean Collins and Martha Raye from the movie Hellzapoppin (1941)
Dean Collins inspired what we now know as "Hollywood" and "Smooth" style Lindy.
Dean had learnt Lindy in New York in the early 30's before moving to LA and
taking the Savoy Style Lindy Hop with him.
Once in LA, Dean smoothed out the dance and put his own emphasis on it. This
lead him to choreograph and perform in many films including "Lets make Music", "Chool
Song" and "Buck privates". Dean also broke the dance into teachable
components, Arthur Murray being one of his students.
In more recent swing history, Sylvia Sykes and Jonathan Bixby rediscovered Dean
Collins, and perfected the art of "smooth style" directly from its master.
The swing revival has also prompted Erik and Sylvia Robison to coin the term
"Hollywood Style", to refer to the style of dancing seen in movies of the era,
including those starring Dean Collins.
The Neo-Swing revival
The original Lindy Hop died off as the music changed to Be-Bop and Rock and
Roll. An entertainment tax made live big bands expensive and as recorded
music became affordable, dance halls became smaller and more crowded, and the
style of dancing had to change to accommodate this.
In the mid 1980's some of the original members were rediscovered by new dancers
inspired by their film footage. Steven Mitchell & Erin Stevens found
Frankie Manning. The Rhythm Hot Shots found Al Minns, and The Jiving Lindy
Hoppers found Mama Lu Parks.
Since then, Frankie Manning has come back on the dance scene, teaching new Swing
dancers around the globe. The retro dance returned, along with neo-swing
bands and vintage fashion. Lindy hit the movies yet again with "Malcolm
X", "Swing Kids", "A League of Their Own", "The Mask" and "Swingers". The
TV also favoured the new Lindy dancers, with appearances on Ally McBeal, the GAP
advert and most recently, of course, Strictly Come Dancing.
The Lindy Hop is arguably bigger now than it was in its heyday. Whitey's
Lindy Hoppers never would have thought that their dance would be spread across
the world via the internet, videos, workshops and classes. Today knowledge
moves fast, but some things stay the same - Swing music still inspires the
freedom of improvisation, a romantic style remains in the dance culture and,
most importantly, dancers still love dancing with a partner.
Footnote about the author:
This article was contributed by Shona Smith who is a UK based Lindy Hopper.
Shona originally comes from Wellington, New Zealand where she founded the
'Studio Red' dance studio specializing in Lindy Hop. She moved to the UK
in 2002 and now lives in West London.
Every attempt has been made to ensure as much historical accuracy as possible of
the facts published in this article. If you have any comments concerning
the accuracy of any information published here then we would be glad to hear
from you.
Shona Smith