Learn Swing Dance! Lindy Hop for Beginners: Charleston Rhythm (Class 1 of 6)

Welcome to our Lindy Hop for Beginners video lesson. This is a “home edition“ class - our goal is to give you as much of our regular Lindy Hop class experience as possible. *** Is there a difference between “Swing” and “Lindy Hop”? Our answer is: no! Well, sort of ;) Lindy hop is part of a family of swing dances such as Charleston, Shag, Balboa, Blues and others. In this video, introduce you to Charleston rhythms that fit beautifully on faster Jazz music. If you’re interested in other rhythms, check out our other video: “Lindy Hop for Beginners: Triple Step Rhythm“ In this video, we jump straight into warming up and practicing dance steps. If you’re new to Lindy Hop, we also want you to know that Lindy Hop is a dance that comes from Black American culture; knowing more about its history will help you appreciate what you’re learning so much more. For that, we’ve prepared a series of short videos that give you an introduction into important topics in the history of Lindy Hop.: *** This is Class 1 of 6 in our online Swing 1 course. If you want to keep learning swing dance with us, you can continue your Lindy Hop for Beginners course with an Online Pass. You’ll have access to our full Swing 1 course, and much more! * full access to our Lindy Hop for Beginners courses, as well as all our other online courses! That’s 90 hours of instruction videos, including both partnered Lindy Hop and solo classes. * 100% money-back guarantee on your first 30 days; pause or cancel your subscription any time. We have more than 90 hours of online classes for all levels of dancers: Lindy Hop, Solo Jazz, Musicality Training, even Skills and Drills that leaders and followers can practice on their own without a partner :) Check out and get started right away! 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 01:26 Slows 05:15 Quicks 05:47 Mixing Slows & Quicks 07:45 A word on dance roles 08:39 Footwork structure: 2 Slows 2 Quicks 10:14 Footwork structure: 4 Slows 2 Quicks 11:09 Both versions to music 12:40 Visual clues to follow along 15:24 Tip for Follows: clear weight shifts 19:08 Closed position: V-shape 21: 54 Different patterns to music 24:05 Mix it up! 26:38 Hopper’s Dictionary: Jockeys 27:35 Hopper’s Dictionary: 6-count basic 28:03 Hopper’s Dictionary: Rock Step 30:47 Watch and Try: Rotation 32:48 Tip for Leads 34:54 Tip for Follows 36:25 Kicks 38:15 Tip: Keep the pulse on every beat 39:48 Kicks in basic footwork - solo 42:19 Kicks in basic footwork - partnered 43:43 Tip for relaxed kicks 46:54 How to communicate different movements 52:45 The Freeze 01:00:08 Let’s play: Heel-Toes 01:03:45 Practice sequence *** Check out our amazing library of free content! *** You’ll find new moves, techniques, insights and ideas for all levels, virtually delivered right to your living room! Or, deepen your pedagogy skills and improve your fitness with dancing in mind. There’s lots to discover, so start exploring now! Click here to find out more: *** SwingStep also offers: *** - Online Lindy Hop Training from Beginner to Advanced - Online Teachers Training Program for Dancers - Local Lindy Hop lessons in Heidelberg - Festivals and Events: *** Find us on Social Media ***: - Instagram: - Facebook: #swingstep #lindyhop #swingdance #charleston #jazz #danceteaching #teachingdance *** Lindy Hop is a Black American artform; knowing more about its cultural heritage will help you appreciate what you’re learning so much more. Here are a few resources to get you started. The History and Culture page on our website includes a series of short videos that give you an introduction into important topics in the history of Lindy Hop: The Lindy Hop and Anti-Racism page is about where we are now as a global Lindy Hop community and what you can do to honour the culture of the dance, plus links to other organisations actively working on these issues so you can find out more and support them: ***