4 beats/measure; 26 – 46 meas/min

The term “swing” music, referring to the driving beat of the rhythm section of a jazz band, is thought to have been coined by Jelly Roll Morton in his 1906 composition, Georgia Swing. In 1932, Duke Ellington wrote It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing). By 1936, clarinetist Benny Goodman was being called the “King of Swing.”

In the 1920s, swing dancing became big as young people moved to the jazzy, bluesy, big band music of the time, maybe most famously at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom. This athletic style of dancing came to be called the Lindy Hop, to commemorate Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight or “hop” across the Atlantic in 1927. The Lindy of the ’30s gave rise to Jitterbug in the ’40s, to Rock and Roll in the ’50s, and to East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Jive, Shag, and others.

In round dancing, the dominant swing rhythm is East Coast or triple swing. However, the figures that we use have mostly come from International-style, competition Jive, and most of our cue sheets identify these dances as “jives.” Many figures are written to span a measure and a half with a rock, recover, and two triples. Another group of figures span two measures with a one, two, and a triple, one, two, and a second triple.

Both swing and jive make use of the Latin hip at the end of the triple: step/step, side/hip. Eight steps over six beats of music or ten steps over eight beats always puts you back with your lead foot free, so it’s easy to move from figure to figure. Almost any figure can follow almost any other.

In round dancing, Jive is denoted using 4/4 timing.  The basic figures utilize six beats of music and are written in 1 1/2 measures.  Timing is usually 1,2,3a,4; 1a,2,.  In basic figures the eight steps are completed in six beats of music. Figures will usually begin with a rock and recover, and steps 3a,4 and 1a,2 are usually Jive Chasses.  Figures are done with soft knees. Rock and recover steps are taken with a forward poise and on the ball of the foot.

Credits: http://haroldsears.com, www.roundalab.org

ROUND-A-LAB PHASE III Figures

  • BASIC ROCK
  • CHANGE HANDS BEHIND BACK
  • CHANGE PLACES LEFT TO RIGHT
  • CHANGE LEFT TO RIGHT
  • CHANGE PLACES RIGHT TO LEFT
  • CHANGE RIGHT TO LEFT
  • CHASSE
  • FALLAWAY LEFT FACE TURNING
  • LEFT TURNING FALLAWAY
  • FALLAWAY RIGHT FACE TURNING
  • RIGHT TURNING FALLAWAY
  • FALLAWAY ROCK
  • FALLAWAY THROWAWAY
  • JIVE WALKS
  • KICK BALL CHANGE
  • LINK
  • LINK ROCK
  • POINT STEP
  • PROGRESSIVE ROCK
  • ROCK THE BOAT
  • SHAG STEP
  • SWIVEL WALKS 
  • THROWAWAY
  • TRIPLE
  • TRIPLE RIGHT FACE TURNING
  • RIGHT TURNING TRIPLE

ROUND-A-LAB PHASE IV Figures

  • AMERICAN SPIN
  • CHICKEN WALKS
  • CONTINUOUS CHASSE
  • GLIDE TO THE SIDE
  • LINDY CATCH
  • MARCHESSI
  • MIAMI SPECIAL
  • PRETZEL TURN
  • RIVERBOAT SHUFFLE
  • SAILOR SHUFFLE
  • SHOULDER SHOVE
  • SIDE BREAKS
  • SOLE TAP
  • SPANISH ARMS
  • TRAVELING
  • SAND STEPS
  • TRIPLE WHEEL
  • WINDMILL

ROUND-A-LAB PHASE V Figures

  • CATAPULT
  • CHASSE ROLL
  • FLICKS INTO BREAKS
  • MOOCH
  • NECK SLIDE
  • SHE GO, HE GO
  • STOP AND GO
  • WHIP THROWAWAY
  • WHIP TURN

ROUND-A-LAB PHASE VI Figures

  • CHOPPER
  • COCA ROLA
  • CURLY WHIP
  • FLEA HOPS
  • ROLLING OFF THE ARM
  • SHOULDER ROLL
  • SIMPLE SPIN
  • TURNSTILE
  • WHIP SPIN