Welcome to Rug-Cutters Lindy Hop Club 

The Origins of Lindy Hop

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Created by Black Americans in Harlem in the late 1920s, the Lindy Hop developed out of four previously popular social dances: the Charleston, the Collegiate, the Breakaway, and, according to dance historian Marshall Stearns, the Texas Tommy. Certain elements of the Lindy can be traced back to African and early African-American dance forms.

Danced in couples with the man traditionally leading, the Lindy incorporates steps danced in an unset order as well as improvisational dancing. As the Lindy became popular in the late 1930s, dance schools created a simplified six-count basic Lindy. As a performance art, the Lindy may involve choreographed routines, and acrobatic airsteps.

Most sources agree that the name Lindy Hop became attached to the dance shortly after Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo transatlantic flight on 20 May 1927. ’Shorty George’ Snowden, a much-admired dancer at the time, is credited with naming the Lindy Hop when, shortly after the momentous event, he was asked by reporters at a Manhattan Casino dance marathon what dance he was doing. Perhaps Snowden was influenced by such headlines as "Lindy Hops the Atlantic”.


The Ambassador Of Lindy Hop

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Frankie Manning created the first airstep and synchronised ensemble Lindy routines. 

Earlier he had developed his style of dancing more horizontally to the floor in order to create a wilder, abandoned effect. 

The famed Savoy Ballroom in Harlem was the centre of the universe for Lindy hoppers. Encouraged by Herbert "Whitey" White, a Savoy bouncer, Manning and a new generation of enthusiastic young black dancers continued to expand the vocabulary of floor steps as well as airsteps. This feverishly creative period was often stoked by a friendly competitiveness among the dancers for prizes awarded at weekly dance contests held at the Savoy, the Apollo theatre and at the annual Harvest Moon Ball competition in Madison Square Garden that began in 1935. Impromptu performances for appreciative, often tipping Savoy patrons also inspired the dancers.

In the mid-1930s, as the swing music of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Jimmie Lunceford, the Savoy house band of Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald and many others,was embraced by the nation, the Lindy Hop became the rage among the younger set.

From the latter half of this decade, the Lindy Hop was commonly known as the Jitterbug. Thi s enormously popular social dance, as practiced by the masses, might have lacked the acrobatic airsteps of performance Lindy but not its enthusiasm or energy.

Whiteys Lindy Hoppers

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Whitey beganorganising professional dance troupes in 1936. Appearing under various names, but most often as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. This group toured the globe until WWII; they performed in nightclubs, theatres, revues, on Broadway (Hot Mikado, 1939, Swingin' the Dream, 1939), at the 1939 Worlds Fair Hall Of Music, in a Soundie (a brief film shown in Jukeboxes to accompany the record) with Duke Ellington & his Orchestra (Hot Chocolates, 1941) and in several films, including:  A Day At The Races (1937), Hellzapoppin' (1941), Sugar Hill Masquerade (1942) and Killer Diller (1948).

These exceptionally talented dancers were knownfor their frenetic ensemble routines, uniquely expressive solos and breathtakingly daring airsteps. Frankie Manning, recruited by Whitey as a dancer, soon became his chief choreographer as the young man's choreographic and leadership talents became apparent. Among the many notable dancers in the troupe were Norma Miller, Willamae Ricker, Leon James and Al Minns.

The term swing dance became associated with the Lindy as swing music came into vogue. After the war, swing dancing slowly declined in popularity as other social dances, particularly non-touch dance types (the twist was a huge cause of the decline of partnered dancing), came into favour and big bands became too expensive to run and hire.

A revival of swing dance took place in the mid-1980s in America, Sweden and London, and the revival has continued.

Films Containing Lindy Hop

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 • After Seben – 1929 Short featuring Shorty George Snowden

 • Day at the Races – Marx Brothers

 • Hellzapoppin’ – shows Whitey’s Lindyhoppers at their best choreographed by Frankie Manning and Dean Collins & Martha Raye dancing to ’Watch the Birdie’

 • Manhattan Merry-go-Round – musical review with Cab Calloway, Louis Prima

 • Radio City Revels - 1938

 • Big Apple (Jittering Jitterbugs) – 1937 Short from Keep Punchin’

 • Hot Chocolates (Cottontail) – 1942 Soundie

 • Killer Diller – 1948 featuring the Congaroo Dancers

 • Malcolm X – 1992 [airsteps are shown in this film as being done on the dance floor but in reality they were only used in competitions and demos]

 

Of course on today's dance floors (as in the 1920s,30s & 40s), the accent is on social Lindyhop,

Aerials are saved for demo or performance and competitions.

Many dance movies and clips to show and demonstrate Lindy hop on our video page.


 About Us

Paul & Fae  first started dancing Lindyhop together in 1999 and in 2002 our teaching  began with the intermediate classes for a club near Cambridge.

 Our own classes commenced in 2006, starting from scratch in a new area where there had previously been no swing dance classes, teaching further North than formerly to encourage new people into the "swing scene".

We have been fortunate enough to also be asked to guest teach at a host of other local clubs & events in the East Anglian region, including "Swing's The Thing" for 3 years based in Leicester, working with our friend Geof Connelly of Northampton Swing Dance Society, "When Jive Met Swing" for 2 years, working with  Jiveswing.com. We have also been invited to cover some of the local teachers during their holidays.

We have also taught for "Rock The Block" in Norfolk, for "South West Lindy Hoppers", based in Devon, "DJam" festival in Durham, "Jumpin At The Woodside 2" in Gloucester, "Brighton Lindy Hop festival" & "Hullzapoppin" to name just a few.

We have also performed and taught fun classes at the Twinwood Festival at RAF Twinwood since it's debut


 We have been lucky enough to perform for the Twinwood Festival every year from its debut (now its 20th year), the last 15 years as our own venture, Rug-Cutters Lindy Hop, always choreographing our own routines. For the last 12 years we have been very fortunate to be able to run and co-ordinate the dance marquee at theTwinwood Festival (since 2008), as well as workshops in the hangar/Tin Hat for the last 8 years.

 We have previously danced for the American ambassador on his visit to Bletchley Park, won two small local dance competitions in Lindy hop as well as performing at countless dance weekends and 40's events, corporate events, birthday parties, charity events, film and TV work and more.

 We love the dance so much we want everybody to learn - hence why we started teaching!

 From teaching primary school groups right up to pensioners we are happy to help everybody find their dance feet and "swing dance" to their heart's content.

 At least 12 of our students have gone on to teach themselves!

 Our future plans are:

  • to encourage newcomers of all ages to swing dancing,

  • help boost the ability of more experienced dancers ranging from beginner to advanced levels,

  • encourage dancers of other styles to try out more dance styles,

  • boost the local swing dance scene

  • to help to improve the general UK swing dance scene as a whole.

Classes


Peterborough area:
Every Monday (except Bank Holidays)
Christie Hall, Wansford (nr Peterborough).
PE8 6JS
At this venue since 23rd June 2008.

Cost of evening: £8.00

DROP-IN Classes.

 Please note changes/updates below in the class changes/updates section

Classes can now resume without bubble pairs, rotation of partners during classes- so all welcome. Do not come along if you have tested positive for COVID. please read notes below 

EVERY TUESDAY
Hemingford Abbots village hall
High Street
Hemingford Abbots
Cambs.
PE28 9AH

DROP-IN Classes.

 Please note changes/updates below in the class changes/updates section

Cost of evening: £8.00

Classes can now resume without bubble pairs, rotation of partners during classes- so all welcome. Do not come along if you have tested positive for COVID. please read notes below in changes/updates.

Evening Details


Absolute Beginners Lindy Hop class starting at 7.30pm

Freestyle/practice for around 15-30 minutes

Improver/Intermediate (second class)

starting at 9.00pm-ish

Both evenings finish at 10.15pm


Feel free to "drop-in"

Starting with absolute beginners

Cost of evening £8.00

All are inclusive of freestyle time


FUN classes, great to keep fit too!

Friendly atmosphere

Plenty of free parking

NO PARTNER NECESSARY! (we rotate people during the class)

Please tell your friends/families

ANY changes to classes can be found below


  • Peterborough Area

    Every Monday (except Bank Holidays)

    Christie Hall, Wansford (nr Peterborough).PE8 6JS

    At this venue since 23rd June 2008.

    2024: DROP-IN Classes! 

    Please note changes/updates below in the class changes/updates section

    Evening Details

    Absolute Beginners class starting at 7.30pm

    Freestyle/practice for around 15minutes

    Improver/intermediates  9.00pm-ish

    Further practice until end of evening at 10.15pm

    Feel free to "drop-in"

    Cost of evening £8.00

    All are inclusive of freestyle time

    FUN classes, great to keep fit too!

    Friendly atmosphere

    Plenty of free parking

    NO PARTNER NECESSARY! (we rotate people during the class)

    Please tell your friends/families

    Peterborough Area
  • Huntingdon area

    EVERY TUESDAY

    Hemingford Abbots village hall

    High Street

    Hemingford Abbots

    Cambs. PE28 9AH

    2024: DROP-IN Classes!

     Please note changes/updates below in the class changes/updates section

    Evening Details

    Absolute Beginners class starting at 7.30pm

    Freestyle/practice for around 15minutes

    Improver/intermediates

    starting at 9.00pm-ish

    Further practice until end of evening at 10.15pm

    Feel free to "drop-in"

    We deliberately don't run our classes as a course, but are working hard to run as a "drop in" class so anyone can join in at any point.

    Starting with absolute beginners

    Cost of evening £8.00

    Huntingdon area

Class changes/updates


 Any changes to classes will be added here:


Urgent- No class at Hemingford Abbots tonight 6-2-2024 due to ill health.




Drop-in classes /back to normal- no booking required (currently).



ANY QUESTION? please do contact us. Thanks!



Normal classes still resuming on a Monday and Tuesday evening.

Please support these nights and tell your friends, family and anyone you bump into in the street. Thank you.



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