Learn the Shim Sham with Lindy Hop on the Rock

With the public health emergency still in effect for Newfoundland and Labrador, we wanted to take a moment to check in with members of our Swing dance community – how's everyone doing?

Self-isolation can be pretty…well, isolating. So, we encourage you to stay in touch with your classmates, instructors, and other members of the community as we support each other during Covid-19. One way to do that is by joining in discussion with our online community on Facebook.

Over the past few weeks, our activity feed has been hopping with posts from the community, whether its posting clips of yourself dancing in your living room, sharing Lindy Hop factoids, or linking the community to cool Swing dance clips. It's encouraging to see members of our community finding ways to stay positive and connected during these challenging times.

We look forward to the day when we can all dance together again, but just because we have to practice physical distancing, for now, it doesn't mean that we have to stop dancing!

It's the Shim Sham!

Today, Lindy Hop on the Rock would like to invite you to learn the Shim Sham routine with us. Whether you're doing it for the first time, or for the one hundred and first, we hope you'll take a moment to get up, stretch those legs and join us in doing this classic dance routine : )

History of the Routine

You may have seen some of the members doing this routine during our Tuesday evening social dances and wondered “what are they doing?” Well, in short, it's Lindy Hop's favourite line dance. Credited to Leonard Reed and Willie Bryant, the Shim Sham (originally the Shim Sham Shimmy) was originally an African American tap dance routine from the 1930s. It was performed at dance halls like the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York at the end of other main performances. Waitstaff, dancers, and musicians would get on stage and shuffle along to the dance which was seen as 'exotic' at the time.

During the 1980s Swing revival, one of the founding fathers of Lindy Hop, Frankie Manning, reintroduced a version of the dance, this time without tap shoes played to the song "'Tain't What You Do (It's The Way That Cha Do It)" by Jimmie Lunceford and His Orchestra."

Best of all, you can easily do the Shim Sham with only one dance partner – you!

The Shim Sham Shimmy is Fun to Do!

To help you get acquainted with the dance routine, Lindy Hop on the Rock Swing dance instructor, Caitlyn Hill, has put together a short video demonstration. Watch the video then practice till perfect alongside Caitlyn. In the weeks to come we'll provide you with a step-by-step tutorial to help you get the swing of the tricky sections as well as details on an opportunity to share your progress with the community.

Enjoy,
Lindy Hop on the Rock