History of the Jitterbug
During the era of Jazz, the jitterbug perhaps once referred to the jitters an alcoholic dancer would get while at parties. Over time, it gained a reputation as being only for bad swing dancers. However, in 1935, Cab Calloway, popularized the term in his movie and music hit “It’s the Call of the Jitterbug.” Shortly after, many people started dancing the Jitterbug, and it became an umbrella term to include a lot of dances in the swing family, including east coast swing, St. Louis Shag, Carolina Shag, single time swing, and Lindy Hop. Eventually, the Jitterbug separated into innumerable dances and was replaced with the term Lindy Hop. Eventually, the rise of Rock and Roll solidified the differences in the dances. However, most all of the dances in the swing family are still danced today, however, more often than not, it refers to single-time swing.
About the Dance
The Jitterbug is still commonly danced in swing dance parties and social functions such as weddings. It oftentimes has a bounce, however, this bounce was mostly retained by its swing family in the Jive and Lindy Hop. Of all the dances in the swing family, the jitterbug can be danced to the widest variety of music.
Recommended Music List for Beginners
- Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
- Besame Mama, Mongo Santa Maria
- Guajira, Yerba Buena
- Mueve El Cuerpo, Rodolfo Guerra
- De Hombre A Mujer, Donato
- Oye Como Va, Santana
- Lolita, Giants of Latin
- Wabble Cha, Joe Cuba
- El Pollo De Carlitos, Latin Music 5
- Smooth, Carlos Santana