Boogie woogie dance

Boogie-woogie is a swing partner dance closely associated with images of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and characters from 50’s movies. Sleek hair, spotted dresses and the spirit of eternal youth - it’s all about boogie-woogie.

The dance originated at the end of the 40’s from Lindy hop brought to Europe by American soldiers. Local youngsters adopted boogie-woogie moves and combined them with elements of other popular styles. It was first performed to boogie-woogie music and then rock’n’roll.

With the emergence of the snappy rhythms of the 50’s, boogie-woogie entered cinema and TV screens conquering the hearts of thousands of rock’n’roll lovers. That played a vital part in shaping the classic Hollywood-inspired image of a rock’n’roller.

At the peak of rock’n’roll popularity, dancers started holding competitions. Choreography and acrobatics were getting more and more complex every year, as well as the judgement criteria. Being mostly decorative at first, stunts were getting ever bigger attention. That’s how acrobatic rock’n’roll arose while boogie-woogie branched off into what’s today known as club rock’n’roll. In the 80’s, it gained the status of an individual dance at WRRC (World Rock’n’Roll confederation) competitions.

Despite a popular belief, boogie-woogie can also be slow. Usually female dancers perform it wearing low heels and evening dresses making it look a bit more like tango, west coast or blues.

Nowadays boogie-woogie is danced all over the world. Almost any big city hosts numerous party venues and disco floors where boogie-woogie fans improvise and communicate in the language of dance.