But during 1912 the closed couple dancing team of Vernon and Irene Castle performed them. Amongst their students was the great Arthur Murray, whom in 1920 marked dance lessons thought the mail making them affordable and standardizing the dance steps. But it wasn't until the late 20's that Swing really took off, literally!.
1928 - George "Shorty" Snowden founded the Lindy Hop.
1929 - The Depression hits full force. .
1935 - Whitey's Lindy Hoppers are formed.
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1936 - Frankie Manning invented the very first Ariel step.
1936 - Also in this year the term "Jitter Bug" was coined in the US.
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LATE 1930's - Benny Goodman is named "King of Swing.".
With the depression in full Swing, no pun intended, people would flock to the Savoy Ballroom, the only ballroom at that time without segregation restrictions, to watch the young black children invent new moves. Soon the Savoy's dance floors were packed with different races, religions, and ages, some as young as 7 years old would dawn the floor. With no job's available and no steady income most swingers found themselves out on the dance floors at dance marathons. The last couple left dancing won a cash prize. Some of these contests lasted for days. The Savoy also employed a good bit of young attractive women who were great dancers. The women would charge a quarter to teach a gentleman a dance move and dance one song with her.
With the Savoy's new popularity came a new form of Swing. The Lindy Hop, named for Charles Lindberg's flight across the Atlantic, was named the most popular form of Swing dance in the 30's. Some say the dance came to be at a marathon at NYC's Manhattan Casino Ballroom on July 4th, 1928. George "Shorty" Snowden was asked by Fox Movie Tone News what his new dance step was and he replied, "The Lindy!" Legend also has it that one young black man at the Savoy was so overcome with the thrill of flight that when asked what he was doing on the dance floor he replied, "I"m flying just like Lindy!" (South Florida Swing Dance Society).
