Invented by Black dancers in Harlem in the late 1920’s, Lindy Hop grew organically out of existing dances when partners began to “break away” from each other while dancing to fast paced swing music.
Lindy Hop was immensely popular and was danced to big band swing music across the United States through the 1930’s and 40's. The “break-away” eventually became known as the Swing Out, Lindy Hop’s signature move.

Charleston was all the rage in the roaring 20’s. 1920’s Charleston was either danced solo or danced in structured form between partners.
After Lindy Hop was invented, certain Charleston steps and moves were adapted seamlessly into the less formal structure of Lindy Hop. You will often see dancers switching quickly between Lindy Hop and Charleston styles when the music hits a certain speed.

By the 1930's, swing music and swing dancing had become so popular that some dance floors were too crowded to dance. To adapt to these conditions, dancers in the Balboa Peninsula near Los Angeles developed a compact close-embrace style with shuffling footwork that made easy work of higher tempos. Later, the dance grew to incorporate breakaway steps.

Solo Jazz is a collection of vernacular jazz steps and movements danced without a partner. Elements of different dances such as Charleston and tap dance are incorporated and stylized.
You may see folks dancing solo at social dances, or participating in routines or line dances like the Shim Sham or the Tranky Doo. Solo jazz movements are also used as styling in the partnered dances.

Collegiate Shag, often simply referred to as Shag, is believed to have been invented by African American youth in the Carolina’s in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Shag is an energetic dance with a basic step that appears to hop from the ground, but is really more of a controlled shuffle (which uses a lot less energy than actually hopping).

“East Coast Swing” refers to a handful of simplified lindy hop moves that are accessible for beginners. It’s also sometimes used to distinguish from West Coast Swing. The term was adopted by dance studios teaching vintage swing in the midcentury. The movements still belong to Lindy hop, so you’ll hear us refer to beginning movements as “6 count” rather than ECS.
West Coast Swing was adapted from the smooth Lindy hop style of California and is now danced primarily to modern R&B and pop music. You can find out more about West Coast Swing at https://www.portlandswing.org/.