What is the Lindy Hop? Strictly Come Dancing's Lindy-hop-athon explained
Week 10 of Strictly Come Dancing 2018 will include a special Lindy Hop round
We've had waltz-athons and quickstep-athons and paso-doble-athons, and now for the first time in Strictly Come Dancing history, the seven remaining contestants will be competing in a lindy-hop-athon.
How will the lindy-hop-athon work?
The remaining celebrities and their pro partners will all gather on the dance floor at the same time and begin dancing the Lindy Hop as soon as the music begins. All couples must remain on the floor and dance the duration of the song.
The judges will then rank the couples. The lowest ranked couple will only get one point, while the winner will get seven points. Those points will be added to the usual scores (out of 40) for the routines danced earlier in the evening. These points will then be combined with the viewer vote to decide who ends up in the dance-off.
Judges will penalise contestants for crashing into each other, and will be looking closely at footwork and technique.
What is the Lindy Hop?
A really, really fast and frenetic dance!
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This American dance was born in Harlem, New York City as an Afro-Euro-American dance style, and was extremely popular during the Swing era and the Jazz Age. In recent years it's had a bit of a renaissance across the world.
The Lindy Hop is a fusion of many dances, but Strictly fans will notice elements of jazz, tap, and Charleston. Contrary to its name, it actually contains no hopping whatsoever, but it does contain lifts and tricks.
It relies heavily on improvisation, and throughout the dance each partner is generally connected hand-to-hand, or holding hands on one side and embracing on the other.
