Did You Know??? Fun Facts About Swing Dancing

The Jitterbug is a fun, playful, fast-paced swing style dance that everyone can fall in love with! But there’s more to it than meets the eye. Did you ever wonder where the name came from? Or why it’s one of the more upbeat social dances? The Jitterbug is full of fascinating history and facts:

* Jitterbug is a broad term that can cover a multitude of dances, including the Lindy Hop, Jive, West Coast Swing or East Coast Swing.

* The jitterbug is a partner dance that is usually performed to big band or jazz music. It consists of a variety of steps, kicks, jumps and turns that are based on set basic movements. It is more lively than salsa, country two step, or other popular social dances.

* The Jitterbug name came from witnesses of the dance style describing the dancer’s movement. The upbeat, bouncy movements from the swing dance appeared to be slightly frantic. The original word came from a description of alcoholics who suffered from the “jitters” or the shakes.

“Jittersauce” was once used as a slang word for alcohol.

* During World War 2, Europeans were warned not to involve themselves in Swing dancing because it was a “rude” American dance. However, in preparation for D-Day, thousands of people came out to learn the dance, which assisted in boosting Jitterbug dance popularity.

* The word Jitterbug was coined by trombonist and drummer Harry Alexander White for first using it in the 1900’s. However, Cab Calloway is often incorrectly given credit for the term because of his 1934 song titled “The Jitterbug”. The song is what made the swing style a household name.

* In the 1950’s, Jitterbug overtook the Lindy Hop as the more popular or “in” dance form. The Jitterbug is said to be a slightly less aerobatic version of its predecessor.