Banks and studio instructor Jennifer Taylor now offer several teen sessions, for kids aged 13 to 18, as well as 16 to 22. Eastern Swing, the form taught by Banks' studio, originated in the South in the 1920 and '30s and has its roots in the Charleston, Black Bottom, Shag and the Lindy Hop. In the early 1940s, those forms merged into the Lindy. Most of the steps popular today evolved in Harlem back in the Big Band era. A triple step is used for slower rhythms, and a single step for fast.
Footwork is accompanied by hip swaying, arm swinging and finger-snapping.
More accomplished swing dancers throw in lifts and other acrobatic moves. All this is done to the driving rhythm of drums and some heavy brass improvisation. The acrobatics have proven to be the lure for teens. But they have to learn the basics first. According to Banks, that means first mastering the triple step, which some students find a challenge.