Foxtrot (Swing Walk) at the Savoy Ballroom

Example of Foxtrot danced at the Savoy Ballroom in the 1930s. Using clip from the documentary "Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging" (PBS, 2009).

It is documented that the dance most dancers where dancing at the Savoy when Lindy Hop was introduced was "Swing Walk" (aka, Foxtrot). Foxtrot was also the most popular fast dance of the 1940s.

I asked Sugar Sullivan and Norma Miller what other dances where danced at the Savoy during the period. Both confirmed "Foxtrot".

This is the first video evidence I have ever been able to find.

Produced and edited by Ron Parker.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• swing
• walk
• foxtrot
• savoy
• ballroom
• slow
• dance
• African
• black
• history
• ron
• parker

[HaoleTrio]

Given the scarcity of video - How would this so-called "Swing Walk" compare to the earlier dance "The Peabody"?

[SwingingInTheHood]

From SwingStreet . com: "The Peabody was named after William Frank Peabody, a N.Y. Police Lieutenant (or Fireman) who loved to dance around 1915, shortly after the invention of the Fox-Trot. The Peabody was basically a jaunty type fast fox-trot, done to ragtime music . It is based more around a dance position (called the "English") . The One Step and Peabody went on to become the (modern) Quick-step."

Both Frankie Manning and Norma Miller say they did "Peabody" at the Savoy.

[DancerPassion]

@Crowmangegus Quickstep ; )

[Haydare]

@Crowmangegus The jive maybe?

[Crowmangegus]

OK. I am after the dance the others are dancing. what is that dance called where you use your legs kinda like riverdance but it is not riverdance it is a kind of a foxtrot I think. ??? Anybody?