Harlem Dance:
From the Cakewalk to the Lindy Hop

Many of the members of the Jenkins Orphanage band went on to play in big bands in New York City at places like the Savoy. Here dance was a major part of the music. Big band tunes were specifically designed to get people up and moving to its swinging beat. Success was determined by the bands ability to get people to dance. This leads to other dance crazes such as the Lindy Hop and the Charleston.

The Lindy Hop as seen at the Savoy involved both a male and a female dancing together in fast moving acrobatic movements. The dance allows the female dancer to be lifted by her partner into a second position scissor and then then come down to a seated position on her partners lap. The female can also be helped into the air by her male partner by bumping her buttocks with his knees (the leg of the gesturing knee may be either bent or straight). They along, with many other couples appearing at the Savoy, continue like this for hours at a time.

During the midthirties Manning and his partner Freida Washington introduced the first aerial step into the Lindy Hop. Once performed in a dance contest, it brought about the creation of many more aerial steps and the popularity of the dance increased. This gave Manning the inspiration to develop ensemble routines and, therefore, made it possible for the Lindy Hop to be performed as a stage presentation.

At any moment there could be anywhere from two to three thousand people on the dance floor at the Savoy. It was known as the place to go and dance. The goal of everyone was to have fun dancing in ways to make onlookers think that you made up the steps yourself.