Introduction

This portion of the Swing Dance Guide is designed to give you a taste of the feeling that surrounded the birth of Swing dance. It is a brief cultural journey through American history. I am no expert and am pulling from memory so some of my details may be foggy. But this is a good start in familiarizing yourself with the times, including hair styles, fashion, celebrities, and the like.

Swing Dance - Part II - Culture

It has been said that 1920s, 30s, and 40s were a time of great flux in America. Historians seem to agree that there is one thing that stands out as being the precursor to all this change. The precursor was Prohibition, the time period during which the manufacturing, selling, and consuming of alcohol was illegal.

Prohibition began in 1920 and lasted until 1933. That 13 year period was the catalyst for much unrest, lawlessness, and change in America. Although this "experiment" was launched to cure America, it did the exact opposite. The idea was to reduce the amount of drinking that was going on. Although, initially, this is what happened, the results quickly took a turn for the worst.

"Bootlegging," the illegal manufacturing of alcohol, skyrocketed. People wanted alcohol. The demand was high. Most people know the effects of supply and demand. They applied here. There was big money to be made and everyone wanted a piece of it. And some people would stop at nothing to capitalize on the growing demand. It is believed that Prohibition is largely responsible for the birth of organized crime.

Law Officers Destroy Barrels Of Alcohol

As organized crime grew into a powerful money making machine, law enforcement agencies found it more and more difficult to deal with the rise in crimes being committed... particularly crimes of a violent nature. Often, Law enforcement officers were the targets. Many began to subscribe to the idea "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." This prompted a greater distrust in and lack of respect for the law.

At the same time, minorities, specifically young women and African Americans, began searching for a voice. People couldn't help but notice. The growing unrest was becoming more and more obvious. People were breaking free of their social chains. They were making their own rules. During this time we saw a surge of new African American musicians and free-spirited young people who loved to dance. People needed a release. They needed new ways to express themselves.

America's social decline, if you choose to see it that way, did not stop here. Before the end of Prohibition, America was hit hard by the stock market crash in 1929, also known as Black Tuesday. The Great Depression followed. Business owners, bank owners, and families were hit hard. Joblessness was on the rise. Unemployment soared to nearly 25% in 1933. Many honest, hard working citizens had to try to recoup.  More people turned in one way or another to illegal alcohol activity to sustain their families. The great depression lasted for a decade.

Unemployment Line

Just when America was beginning to bounce back and recover from The Great Depression, Pearl harbor was attacked. In 1941, we were catapulted into a war that we had only been watching from the side lines previously. Now we were in it full force. While our men were being sent to fight, our women found themselves with new roles. They were working class citizens now. They worked in ammo factories and the like to support the war effort. Besides these roles, many more opened up for women. Many citizens, not just women, found that they had to redefine themselves yet again.

Shot of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

In light of the climate of drastic change, that lasted for 30 years, it shouldn't be surprising that people's ideals changed. To some extent, people's belief structures were challenged. They were forced to look at the world with different eyes again and again in a very short period of time. The culture was in upheaval. Although this was a turbulent time in American history, some wonderful talent was spawned. And it is because of all the turbulence that it happened. Without it who knows where we would be now.

Everything was affected by the turmoil. Fashion was dictated based on affordability. Advertising was riddled with propaganda. Self expression was on the rise. People who had been kept silent suddenly had voices... and they used them.

And out of all this came some of the most exciting music, dance, and celebration of life that America has seen to date.

A Walk Through The Time

The 1920s

The 1930s

     
The 1940s

The Music

Henry Red Allen    Ray Anthony    Louis Armstrong    Georgie Auld   Count Basie   Claude Bolling    Johnny Bothwell
Buddy Bregman    Will Bradley    Les Brown  Billy Butterfield   Cab Calloway    Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra    Tommy Dorsey   Jimmy Dorsey   Duke Ellington    Bill Elliott    Ziggy Elman    Shep Fields    Ralph Flanagan

Dizzy Gillespie    Benny Goodman   Coleman Hawkins    Erskine Hawkins
Ted Heath   Fletcher Henderson    Horace Henderson     Elliot Lawrence   Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra

Billy May   Hal McIntyre   Glenn Miller   Eddie Reed   Buddy Rich    Nelson Riddle
Shorty Rogers   Artie Shaw    Bobby Sherwood   Charlie Spivak   Savoy Sultans    Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks

Chick Webb   Cootie Williams    Ernie Wilkins    Gerald Wilson   Teddy Wilson

I hope this part of Swing Dance has helped to familiarize you with the Swing Dance era. If you missed Part I, click the link below. Sorry there aren't more pictures, which was my original intention, but there is a limit of 10 per guide.

Until Next time...

Swing Dance - Part I - History

Swing Dance - Part III - Lesson I - The Basic Step

I reserve the right to be human and err. Nothing here was written to intentionally misinform or otherwise mislead.
© 2006 Trina Hoaks