Our favourite dance styles - The Jive

The Jive probably has its roots in the dances such as the  “Lindy hop” and the “Jitterbug” which were danced to the swing music in the 1930s and 1940s in the United States.  Much of its popularity in Europe can be traced to the influence of the GI’s who were stationed here and in the rest of Europe during  and after the war. Several  versions of the jive are danced today, including the “Ballroom Jive” , CEROC and LEROC (often referred to as modern jive) and of course the original styles such as the Lindy hop, the Jitterbug and Balboa jive and its also a favourite for "rock n rollers". The jive is danced four beats to the bar.  

 

The Ballroom Jive, emerged in the 1950’s as an elegant style of jiving suitable for ballroom venues and ballroom dance competitions.  Like its predecessors it is danced to a four beats to bar count,  but (like the quickstep and some of the other earlier jive styles) its patterns are build around a count of six beats and it can be danced reasonable comfortably  even when the pace of the music hots up to over 180 beats per minute. This sort of tempo is hard to sustain for the other more modern styles of jiving such as Leroc and Ceroc which are more suited to more moderate tempos.

 

 

The West  Coast Swing is very popular with people who like  slower more moody styles of music although it can also be danced to faster tempos. Its smooth form allows both partners to express themselves on the dance floor using tight turns and smooth footwork. As its name suggests, it has become very popular on the West Coast of the United States particularly in and around California. It is also becomming increasing popular here in the UK.