The Big Apple routine finds its origin in a dance game, where the dancers stand in a circle and perform solo jazz steps. As Catrine Ljunggren taught us, for the game, the specific steps don’t matter: anyone can invent their own Big Apple routine! Today Big Apple routine is mostly known as a choreographed routine which was originally performed by Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers in the movie Keep Punching (see video).
The routine is danced to fast music – in the video, “Big Apple Contest” by the Solomon Douglas Swingtet, though it can be (and is) danced to other quick songs. The routine covers a lot of different jazz steps. As such, it’s a challenging routine to learn. Then again, once you know the routine, you’ve got a good grip on a lot of jazz steps.
Steps
- Shouts – Half Break, lock Turn
- Stomps – Slap bottom – left kick, right kick, left cross into
- Hallelujah’s – Boogie Forwards (starting with left)
- Boogie Back’s – Apple Jacks (facing in) – Apple Jacks (facing out)
- Travelling kick-ball-change into Gaze-a-far
- Susie Q – Rusty Dusty (out and partner) – Fall of the Log
- Spank the Baby – Jump Charleston
- Jump Charleston – transition step
- Fish Tails – Boogie Front – Breeze Knees – Boogie Back – Ride the Pony
- Knee Slap’s – Fall of the Log – Run Around – London Bridge
- Clap Sequence – Break Step
- Transition step – Kick forward Charleston
- Trucking – Fall of the log – Hallelujha
- Boogie Back – Shorty George
- Flying Charleston – Knee Slap
- Susie Q – Jump Charleston – Pecking
- Boogie Back – Break Step – Break a Leg