Ooooh at last, a piece danced to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's rendition of "Jump, Jive & Wail"! Absolutely one of my favourite versions, but waaay too fast-paced for social dancing.
The performers made up for the speed by using mostly the Charleston footwork in this routine. One thing about Lindy is that because of her complex roots, there is no right or wrong way to dance it, and also no one kind of footwork. Contrast this to, for example, the Salsa's 1-2-3-rest, 5-6-7-rest tempo (over 8 counts), or Rock & Roll's 1-2-3-4-5-6 (over 6 counts) tempo.
Lindy happens to have BOTH 8-count and 6-count versions. =D And what's even more confusing is that both can be danced to in a single piece. In addition, there are various different footwork. I know the basic 8-count footwork as the Jockey, which goes 1-2-triple step, 5-6-triple step, somewhat like a very fast Cha-Cha where the triple step is spread over 2 counts in a syncopated rhythm. The 6 count version of Jockey goes 1-2-triple step-triple step.
The Charleston footwork is altogether different, and is danced to 8 counts and usually for fast songs like this - how to do 1-2-triple step, 5-6-triple step so quickly without tripping over your feet?? The Charleston is somewhat a "kicking" sort of step, where each of the 4 "kicks" take up 2 counts each. Much more manageable. OK, it's not really a kick per se, more like a pumping action instead of flicking the foot out.
One last confusing area when (ballroom people especially) try to analyse our footwork is the incorporation of solo jazz steps. These are usually danced solo, and almost always start on the 8th count of the previous bar, so it goes 8-1-2-3-4-5-6-7 per step. These are very handy for filling in awkward odd bits of beats, and add a lot of groove to the dance.
Notable stuff in this beautiful routine:
Before 00:28 - look at the couples when they're kinda of going round each other in the front part (the Lindy Turn); they're doing the Jockey footwork.
00:28 - Switched to the Charleston footwork
00:46 - Solo jazz steps
00:52 - Lindy Roulette, where they switch partners in a circle.
