History:
The jitterbug is a dance that got its name from those who were alcoholics, and had
the “jitters”. The jitterbug originally was from the United States but as it became more
popular it spread throughout all of the United states and into Europe. This dance became
popular in the 1930s and 1940s. It was around the time of World War 2. This dance was a
very fast dance that required rhythm and good timing. Without these skills it would be
very hard to dance the jitterbug. The jitterbug is the type of dance that requires lots of
energy because it had a lot of acrobatics in it. The jitterbug got some of the moves from
the lindy hop and the Charleston. These dances were inspired from African dance
movements. The jitterbug influenced many other dances such as push and jive. As jazz
music was evolving many dances started to change and one of them was the jitterbug. In
the 1940s the jitterbug finally became acceptable as a ballroom dance. This dance was
changing and being enhanced so much, many teenagers and young adults were becoming
more and more active in dancing this style of dance.
(http://www.idance.net/en/dance_genres/17-jitterbug)
Costume:
The costumes for the jitterbug consisted of dresses and loose skirts for the girls,
and suits or collared shirts for the men. Women usually wore their hair in a high ponytail
and having some curls to it. With men they usually wore comfy shoes so that it would be
easier for move around. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/jitterbug-dance-steps.html)
Music:
The music that was used to dance to the jitterbug was usually some form of rock
and roll, or upbeat contemporary music. The music must be upbeat, so it can accompany
the very energetic dance properly. The music that was almost always had trumpets,
saxophones, and drums in the background. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitterbug)
How the Dance Became Popular:
The jitterbug was