About Swing Dancing

To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the upcoming VE Day, The Guardian’s Sarah Marsh attended the Swing Patrol Waterloo class last week. ‘What better way to celebrate upcoming VE Day celebrations than with a collegiate shag? Everyone seems to be doing it, but perhaps swinging with your friends is more your thing? Or how about […]

Norma Miller – also known as the “Queen of Swing” – was one of the greats of Lindy hop and also the last surviving member of legendary performance troupe Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers. She was also an author, choreographer, comedian and actor who has worked in show business for over seven decades. Born in Harlem, New […]

KL Swing have produced an amazing resource documenting key dancers and musicians in Lindy hop history including Dawn Hampton, Shorty George, Count Basie and more!  To take a look at the project ‘Swing Era Heroes Poster Series’, click here!   Research by: Chin Lijin, Patience Chen & Jordan Saw Editing & Design by: Ming Pang About the project: […]

Swing dancer extraordinaire Frankie Manning was a leading dancer at Harlem’s legendary Savoy Ballroom where in the mid-1930s, he revolutionised the course of the lindy hop with his innovations, including the air step. As a featured dancer and chief choreographer for the spectacular Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, he performed in numerous films (including Hellzapoppin’ (1941)), and […]

SWING TIME! ‘Evoke the light-hearted fun of the forties with the season’s swishing skirts and dresses – made for dancing!’ Our dancers recently took part in an awesome 40s fashion photoshoot for Elle.  Check out this photoshoot to see a fun, contemporary take on 40s Fashion.  See if you can spot some familiar faces in […]

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Jean Veloz (born Jeannette Phelps) is an icon of the Hollywood style of Lindy Hop. After learning to dance with her brothers in the family living room, Jean’s career took off when she won a Screen Actor’s Guild membership card and a dance cameo in the film Swing Fever (1943) in a Hollywood dance contest. […]

THE LIFE OF FRANKIE MANNING 1914 Frankie Manning was born on the 26th of May, 1914, in Jacksonville, Florida. According to Frankie, his mother, a party lady, told him that even before he was born he used to kick in time to the music when she went out dancing. At the age of three, Frankie […]

WONDERING WHAT TO WEAR TO TO MEET THE SCENE BALL?  For the men, a note from David: Since the revival of interest in swing dancing in the 1980s, men’s fashion has gone through a number of shifts. Many early adopters saw swing dancing as something of a sport and wore shorts and T-shirts accordingly. But […]

Getting started with something completely new can seem daunting – here’s everything you need to know about starting swing dancing!