Dean Collins Archives - Shuffle Projects

Every Friday for thirty weeks, I will write about a topic from the list of the
“30 Week Lindy Hop Challenge“.

As promised, I'm back on track. It's Friday again and the topic is

Week #6: Your favorite group dance
(Shim Sham, Tranky Doo, Big Apple, etc)

I'm really a bad group dancer because I never really learned any of them properly, unless the Shim Sham and the Jitterbug Stroll at the beginning of my Lindy Hop career.

Dean Collins' Shim Sham

There are various Shim Sham versions out there and many of the original dancers created their own.

Right now, the Dean Collins Shim Sham is my favorite one and I started to learn it. I like the different energy levels, sometimes it's very smooth, only to become more energetic in the next moment.

Especially the second part is packed with Dean Collins' typical jazz steps such as “Tabby The Cat” or the “Savoy Kicks“. These movements are fairly distinctive and I totally love them.

Clips

This clip is featuring Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra. In the first part they are performing “Hep And Happy” and you can see a few excerpts of the Shim Sham.