Charleston (side by side)
Step, kick, step, touch, danced side by side: both partners face the same direction, close together, and kick in sync. The playful, kicky rhythm that is the second heartbeat of Lindy Hop.
Step, kick, step, touch (1 2 3 4)
Swing Hall
The Charleston is named after the 1923 song “The Charleston” by James P. Johnson, from the show Runnin’ Wild, and became a craze of the 1920s. Lindy Hop absorbed it, and it remains one of the dance’s key rhythms. Dancing it side by side, close and in sync, is a common way to teach and show it; the exact origin of the partnered variations is not well documented.
Used as an alternative to the rock-step-and-triple rhythm, for travelling, for shows and as a warm-up for connection. The side-by-side version teaches you to match your partner’s timing and kick height.
- Learn it alone first: step, kick, back, touch, over and over.
- Stand side by side, both facing the same direction, and count out loud together to lock the rhythm.
- Match your partner’s kick height and timing.
- Keep the kick low and loose, the hips relaxed.