In short time I will be in hot, sunny Las Vegas for the “Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender“. I’m very excited to be exiting cold Toronto and spending 6 days surrounded by cool music, cool clothes, cool people and even cooler dancing, but NOT cold weather.
As a Lindy Hopper, I love to dance and I love to watch dancing and at Viva there are lots of all of that. There are Jivers, Lindy Hoppers, Boppers and Strollers and even once in a while I have seen some two steppers. Dancers from all over the world converge once a year on Las Vegas to listen and dance to some of the best artists in the Rockabilly scene past and present and I am one of them.
At Viva, Lindy Hop (my dance) is not your typical dance done, in fact it is in the small percentile of dances seen on the dance floor. The Jive, Boogie Woogie, Bop and Stroll take the lead.
Right now you might be scratching you head and asking, what exactly are these dances you speak of? Let me help you out.
The Vintage Dances You Will See At Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend
The”Rockabilly Jive”
The Rockabilly Jive dance style comes from the south of the United States and was first introduced by the military during World War II, inspired by swing and rock’n’roll. Then, in the early 50s, it adopted the rhythms of rockabilly music (mix of country and rhythm and blues).
Accessible by its simple steps (done on a one-two-turn-return, one-two-turn-return, one-two-turn-return count), this dance also allows many acrobatic moves, which makes it joyfully energetic!
Since the late 90s, Rockabilly Jive has regained popularity. Indeed, this dynamic and vibrant dance has won new fans, with people who enjoy the rebellious spirit of the 1950s (Source).
Here is a video from Viva’s Jive Contest in 2023.
The Stroll
The stroll you see at Rockabilly events is not the original Stroll (seen below) that involved holding the hand of your partner as your “strolled” down the center.
The stroll of today is a repeating dance mostly done by the ladies but I have seen guys jump into the lines on a few occasions, but 99% of the time it’s mostly ladies (but guys..join the fun!). Once you get the pattern, it’s pretty simple to do and great way to dance if you don’t have a partner.
Music tends to be bouncy RnB, slower beats and rockin’ garage tunes.
Here is yours truly and some friends doing the “stroll” at Viva many moons ago. Gosh I look lost.
Boppin’
This dance I have never heard of until I went to VIVA but apparently I have been doing a version of it almost every-time I went out dancing and did not have a partner.
According to Miss Wolff’s Jiving School:
This wild solo freestyle dance was more of a man’s dance from the ’30s to the ’50s, but in this equal opportunity millennium, gals and guys alike bop around with this fast crazy dance, popular worldwide, after remaining far underground for most of the ’60s.
This is a great workout – think rockabilly aerobics! Bopping is a passion-filled mix of tap, step and jive beats fueled by your love and feeling of the beat, the beat, the BEAT, each person feeling it in their own way.
Boogie Woogie
I honestly never heard of this dance until about 5 years ago and then I realized that I had been seeing it on the VIVA dance floor many times. Like Lindy Hop, it’s not as popular as Jiving at the event but you will still see it.
About: Although its music had its beginnings in the 1870s, and its glory period from the 1920s to the 1940s, the dance didn’t emerge until a little later. The dance known as Boogie Woogie took influence from what was danced to Rock ‘n’ Roll music in the 1950s, and has certain similarities to Lindy Hop (Source). The 6-count footwork of the dance is step step, triple-step, triple-step. It’s VERY Energetic!
Dance Classes at VIVA
IF you are going to VIVA this year you can take dances lessons from Miss Wolff’s Jiving School during the weekend and be a pro in no time.
The Lindy Hop
As stated above, the Lindy Hop is not typical at VIVA but it is done by many dancers. See my posts on the Lindy Hop HERE.
Will I be seeing you on the dance floor at VIVA? What is your favourite dance to do? Share any thoughts in the comments section below!
Further Reading:
- Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 18-Wednesday (Pre Viva day)
- Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 18-Thursday
- Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 18-Friday
- Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 18-Saturday
- Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend 18-Sunday
- Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender 16-The Friday
- The Dancing Side of the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend
- Vintage Vegas-Neon Boneyard Park
Liz 🙂
