What is Lindy Hop?

For as long as I can remember I have been in love with Big Band music and the dancing that goes with it, but growing up in a blue collar town did not allow me to take any swing dancing (line dancing yes, swing..no). It was not till I moved to Toronto that I found out that there is tons of dancing to be had not only IN Toronto but all over the world! So after that, the rest is history I started with West coast (my other love) and moved onto Lindy Hop.

For those who don't know what Lindy is or have seen it before, I am going to attempt to give you a brief overview.

According to Wikipedia:

Lindy Hop is an African American dance that evolved in New York City in 1927. It is a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based on jazz, tap, breakaway and charleston. Lindy Hop co-evolved with jazz music and is a member of the swing dance family. It is frequently described as a jazz or street dance.
In its development, Lindy Hop combined elements of both solo and partner dancing by using the movements and improvisation of African dances along with the formal eight-count structure of European partner dances. This is most clearly illustrated in Lindy's basic step, the swingout. In this step's open position each dancer improvises alone; in its closed position men and women dance together — a practice usually forbidden in African dances.
Revived in the 1980s by American, Swedish, and British dancers, Lindy Hop dancers and organizations can now be found in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

Here are some links to some great Lindy Hop. From the original Lindy Hoppers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTg5V2oA_hY

To some Lindy today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg2yd-xD5RA

Enjoy :)