Traditional Swing and Jazz Routines :
Shim Sham, Big Apple, Madison, Trankey Doo

Swing dancing could be defined as "dancing to swing music." Primarily we think of couples dancing, but there are also quite a few individual and group routines that are very popular among swing dancers today. These dances played an important role in jazz dance history and can be seen on many of our historic videos on DVD.

The Big Apple was an enormously popular dance craze in 1937. More and more of today's swing dancers are learning why it won so many hearts.

Click on the Shim Sham icon below to see the impressive collection of Shim Sham options we offer, both tap and non-tap versions.

Joel and Alison Plys have created the very user-friendly Swingbrain CD-ROMs that provide demonstration and instruction of these traditional routines at a very reasonable cost. These include:
Jazz Movement A has Shim Sham, Dean Collins Shim Sham, Al & Leon Shim Sham
Jazz Movement B has Frankie's Trankey Doo, Spirit Moves Trankey Doo, Madison / Couples Madison
Jazz Movement C has Big Apple from Keep Punchin', Lindy Chorus, Jitterbug Stroll


Paola Lanna's Madison DVD is a gem. It provides both instruction and wonderful historic coverage.