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Writer's pictureHanna Yanello
Apr 263 min read

The Best Shoes for Lindy Hop & Swing Dance, with Hanna Yanello

It's Thursday and I feel like talking about my favorite dance shoes. While there are plenty of cheap options out there, the following guide is for dancers that are ready to take their next step into fancy footwork, slick slides, and more. Enjoy (or don't enjoy) this non-exhaustive list.


photo by @broadsizevisuals

My current favorite brands, made by dancers for dancers:


✨ Swivells , based out of France.

Swing Shoes (swivells.com)

Use discount code HANNASWIVELLS15 for 15% off your order!



"The Swivells adventure began in a small apartment in the heart of Paris's Batignolles district. This is where materials are studied, technical specifications drawn up and shoes designed. The rest takes place in Spain, in a small family workshop run by Maria and her three brothers. And because quality knows no boundaries our models are worn, and loved, in over 40 countries around the world!"


I own several pairs of Swivells boots currently and they are a go-to for a classy look. I love these for performance especially. Amelie is incredibly responsive and helpful and my experience with their team is that they go above and beyond to make sure quality shoes are received. It's been a joy dancing in Swivells for the last 5 years. They offer a variety of solid color options in their boots, have a sandal option, and recently have started offering a sneaker that looks pretty sweet. They wear in well and are comfortable from the moment you put them on, which isn't always the case with new shoes 😉

Fun facts: Swivells donates on a monthly basis to the Frankie Manning Association, is family run, offers leather & vegan shoes, and carries mens' & womens' shoe options.


✅Support: 8/10 designed w a soft insole but this wears down w excessive use

✅Toe Box: 7/10 the leather expands and molds to fit your foot in a very comfortable manner

✅Durability: 9/10 I have worn my most recent pair (gold vegan) 2-3 times a week typically for the last 2 years and they are only now nearing the point of being retired from the dance floor

✅Spin: 9/10 leather soles make for great movement; extremely slick on fast floors

✅ European/US Sizing: I am a Size 9 US. I wear size 40 European for this company. Note: I have noticed the sizing varies model to model just a bit. If ordering, don't be afraid to email Amelie and verify sizing before making your purchase.


🔥 Fuegos , based in the U.S.

Use discount code HANYAN10 for 10% off your order!

Fuegos are an all-in-one dance sneaker engineered for dancing on any surface. They are one of the comfiest sneakers I've worn. Fuegos are the pair of shoes in my closet that I nearly always opt to wear due to their flexibility, comfortability, and wearability on and off the dance floor. They're easy to spot with the two low-traction circles on the sole. Get yourself a pair!


photo by @broadsizevisuals

✅Support: 8/10 designed without much built in support for high arches; will need an insole for high arches

✅Toe Box: 8/10 wide toe box, tapers a bit towards the toe but is flexible and flexes with use

✅Durability: 7/10

✅Spin: 10/10 moves well on pretty much every surface


✨ Saint Savoy , based out of Austria.

Beautiful leather shoes/heels with an incredible variety of styles. I own a pair of heels and they are one of the comfiest pairs of heels I wear (and if you know me, you know I prefer dancing in flats!). If you are in search of that perfect pair of either heels or a solid dressy dance shoe, this is the place for you. They're the yellow ones in the picture below. Have fun browsing!


photo by @broadsizevisuals

✅Support: 9/10 fantastic support for high arches

✅Toe Box: 10/10 comfortable immediately; leather molds to shape of foot

✅Durability: 7/10 *haven't had long yet nor do I use heels as often as I do my other shoes

✅Spin: 10/10

✅ European/US Sizing: I am a Size 9 US. I wear size 40 in heels with this company


These are the shoes I wear and imperfect ratings based off of my experience ❤ Feel free to share your favs below.


Other great brands out there to check out as well:


Big thanks to Hanna for this guest article! You can check out some of her work at https://www.jazzcollectivelanc.com/ and follow her on Instagram @thrivingthroughjazz


If this blog has you ready to swing out, be sure to check out the rest of our site for upcoming Lindy Hop dances & swing dance events here in Philadelphia.

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Writer's pictureJazz Attack
Jan 302 min read

Jazz Greats: Lester Young

Updated: Feb 8

Lester Young was born on August 27, 1909 in Woodville, Mississippi to a pair of musicians. His father was a music professor and his mother was a piano teacher. Young began performing at the age of 10 when his father was leading carnival-minstrel bands. He taught Lester and his siblings to dance, play drums, and eventually, taught Lester to play the saxophone.



In the 1930s, Young’s jazz band journey began with a move to Minneapolis. He played in small local bands and toured with groups such as the Oklahoma City Blue Devils. In 1930, he married his first wife, Beatrice Tolliver. In 1934, Young moved to New York and began playing with Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra; unfortunately, his sound was so hated by the other musicians, specifically the other saxophonists, that they refused to help him learn Henderson’s arrangements and Young was forced to move back to Minneapolis. He eventually made his way to Kansas City, where things began to look up.


In 1936, Young joined the Count Basie Orchestra and toured with them across the country. He played with renowned musicians such as Buck Clayton, Herschel Evans, and singer Billie Holiday, who would become a lifelong friend. Musicians from his era and today credit his sound for influencing and inspiring them. His sound is also attributed with starting the “cool school” in jazz which refers to an understated or subdued feeling in the music. Billie Holiday gave him his nickname, Prez, short for “President of Tenor Saxophonists.” Today, Young is best known for his songs Taxi War Dance, D.B. Blues, and Lester Leaps In. In 1937, he married his second wife, Mary Dale; they were together until 1946. In 1941, Lester began fronting his own band and played several clubs in New York. He returned to Basie’s band in 1943 but would continue to lead his own groups as well. 





During World War II, Young was drafted into the Army. He was sent to basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. He refused to cut his hair, wear army boots, or fire a gun. He was caught smoking marijuana and was court-martialed and put in a detention barracks for a year. This experience is what inspired his song D.B. Blues. He was eventually dishonorably discharged in 1945. In 1948, Young married his third wife, Mary Berkeley and they had two children, Lester, Jr. and Yvette. Sadly,Young’s army experience would traumatize him for the rest of his life. He began drinking heavily, performing with a much darker tone, suffering from panic attacks, and eventually had a nervous breakdown in 1955. He continued to perform and even went on a European tour in 1959, but after returning to the states he suffered from internal bleeding due to the effects of alcoholism and passed away on March 14. 


Prior to his passing, Young took part in the legendary TV-show The Sound of Jazz. For this performance, he was reunited with Billie Holiday. She sang Fine and Mellow and Lester’s saxophone solo for that performance is sometimes credited as being the most moving music ever captured on television.



Sources/Further Reading:


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Writer's pictureJazz Attack
Jan 302 min read

Jazz Greats: Johnny Hodges

John Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges was born July 25, 1907 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to John H. Hodges and Katie Swan Hodges. While known as a saxophone player, Hodges began as a self-taught pianist and drummer. His professional career began when he was a teen, playing piano at dances in private homes for $8 an evening. At the age of 14, his sister introduced him to Sidney Bechet, revered American saxophonist and clarinetist, who began giving Hodges private lessons. Hodges honed his skills and became well-known in Boston before moving to New York City in 1924.



In New York, Hodges began playing with many of the greats. He was in bands led by legends such as Lloyd Scott, Chick Webb, Bobby Sawyer, and Luckey Roberts. The band he is most closely associated with though, he joined in 1928: Duke Ellington’s Orchestra. Hodges was a pivotal part of Duke’s band, not only as an alto sax soloist but as a co-writer on several of Ellington’s records. He toured with Ellington’s band in Europe in the 1930s. In the late 30s and early 40s, he recorded many well-known songs with the group such as In a Sentimental Mood, Things Ain’t What They Used to Be and The Jeep Is Jumpin’  (Jeep was one of Hodge’s nicknames). In New York, Hodges also met his first wife Bertha Pettiford and had his son, John C. Hodges II. In 1944, Hodges was re-married to Edith Cue, a dancer in the Cotton Club chorus. They had a daughter, Lorna Lee.


In 1951, Hodges left Duke Ellington’s Orchestra to create his own small group: Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra. Many greats played in his band such as Lawrence Brown, Sonny Greer, and John Coltrane. One of the group’s most well-received records was Castle Rock, the title track was a hit song. In 1955, Hodges rejoined Ellington’s group but continued to record and perform under his own name as well. He recorded several joint albums with Ellington such as Duke Ellington And Johnny Hodges Play The Blues – Back To Back and Duke Ellington And Johnny Hodges Side by Side. He continued to work with greats such as Frank Sinatra, Wild Bill Davis, and Ben Webster. 



In 1970, Johnny Hodges performed at the Imperial Room in Toronto. Less than a week later, on May 11, 1970, he died of a heart attack while visiting the office of a dental surgeon. At Hodges’ funeral, Duke Ellington was quoted saying "Never the world's most highly animated showman or greatest stage personality, but a tone so beautiful it sometimes brought tears to the eyes—this was Johnny Hodges. This is Johnny Hodges." Hodge’s melodies were distinct and integral to the sound he brought to Ellington’s band and his own groups. His technique and harmonic sense were unmatched and kept his solos sounding contemporary, no matter where or when he was playing.



Sources/Further Reading:


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