history

Birth Of An Era
Jazz music was born out of the marching bands and the blues tradition in New Orleans, LA, in the earliest part of the 20th century. As the sound became more popular during the 1920's and 30's it moved north to St. Louis, Chicago, then finally to the entertainment capital, New York City. In the Big Apple, big bands began to develop their "hot" swing in places like Savoy and Renaissance Ballrooms in Harlem, where exuberant young dancers began to express jazz music through swing or, specifically, the Lindy Hop. The swing era had begun.

Swing Is King: 1935-1945
Dancers gathered nightly in the ballrooms to escape the gloomy realities of the Great Depression. In these vast walls, a special rapport developed between the dancers and the musicians. According to jazz dance historian Ernie Smith, it was the first time in American history that a type of dance music was also the most popular music in the country - musicians needed dancers as much as dancers needed bands. From this period emerged some of the greatest leaders ever known, such as Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Bennie Goodman, Fletcher Henderson, Glen Miller, and the "Little King" Chick Webb who ruled one of the bandstands at the Savoy. All vied to be dancer's favorite band.
"Jazz music was a dance music from the beginning," notes Mr. Smith. "So the rapport between the dancers and the musicians was, and is, all important." Eighty year old Frankie Manning, featured in Ken Burn's PBS television documentary "Jazz" recalls how the bands and the dancers used to play off of one another. In those days, Frankie notes, "The bands were playing for dancers, to please the dancers." For example, if a soloist played a particular riff, the dancers would try to do a movement that corresponds to that riff. Or, sometimes a dancers would catch a musician's eye and he would play a riff corresponding to what he saw the dancer do." Musicians and dancers often found energy and inspiration in one another.

There's a little bit of history for you ~ check back later for some more knowledge.