The atmosphere is electric and a buzz of anticipation runs through the crowd as spectators squeeze around the edge of the dance floor. Meanwhile, the dancers are preparing themselves on the side like prize fighters ready to enter the ring, stretching their bodies or restlessly shuffling from foot to foot, mentally running through choreographies and pre-prepared combinations of old and new tricks they know they will have to pull out of the bag when the time is right if they are going to make an impression. This is not any ordinary Lindy Hop contest, this is 1935, it’s Saturday night and we are at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Both audience and dancers know what’s coming, this is more than just another weekly Saturday night contest at the Savoy, where great dancers compete for $40 in prizes, this is not just about the money, this is a battle about being able to hold your head up high, of personal prestige amongst your peers. On this night, two teams of three couples will go head to head to find out who is going to be crowned the best of the best. This is the end of the Jazz age and the beginning of a new swing era, these six couples are all pioneers in their own right. It’s their hard work, skills and creativity alongside a desire to be the best that created a new dance form that today, over 80 years on, dancers from all across the world, from all walks of life, from America and Europe to China and Russia, young and old alike are still discovering afresh today: the Lindy Hop.
