How to Do the Swingout

By Lindy Hopper, Editor

Every Lindy Hopper remembers the night their swingout finally clicked. This is the move the whole dance is built around – eight counts of stretch, swing and release.

What the swingout is

The swingout is an eight-count move where the follow travels in towards the lead, the couple rotates together, and the follow swings back out to where the move started. It's the dance's home base: most Lindy Hop moves are variations on it, and most of a social dance is spent coming back to it. It is often described as the step that defines Lindy Hop – a blend of improvised African-American jazz dance with the eight-count structure of older partner dances.

Where it came from

The swingout grew out of the breakaway – the moment in late-1920s Harlem partner dancing when couples let go of closed hold and spun apart to improvise. That was the era of George "Shorty" Snowden, the Savoy Ballroom dancer usually credited with naming the Lindy Hop at a 1928 dance marathon. Earlier dances fed in too: the Texas Tommy, a 1910s partner dance with a very similar swing-out-and-back shape, and the kicks and energy of the Charleston. Read the longer story in our Lindy Hop history.

It starts and ends in open position – partners facing each other, an arm's length apart, joined by one hand (usually the lead's left and the follow's right).

Before you start

The swingout is built from pieces you'll already know from your first few weeks:

• The rock step – a small step back and a replace forward.
• The triple step – three quick weight changes in two beats ("tri-ple-step").
• A relaxed pulse on every beat.
• An understanding of 8-count rhythm.

Most teachers also build up to it through the Lindy circle, which has the same rhythm but keeps the couple in closed position. If the circle feels comfortable, you're ready.

The counts

Step by step for leads

1. Counts 1–2. Rock back with your left foot and let the connection stretch. Your arm stays relaxed but present – think of a spring, not a rope. As you replace forward, you invite the follow towards you by moving your body, not by pulling.
2. Counts 3–4. Step forward and begin turning a quarter to your right, which opens a doorway for the follow to walk through. Your right hand meets the follow's back as they arrive, roughly at the shoulder blade.
3. Counts 5&6. Triple step as the two of you rotate together. This is the "swing" – you're travelling round a shared centre, both leaning slightly back against each other.
4. Counts 7&8. Triple step as you send the follow back out along the line they came in on. Let your right hand release them; your left hand keeps the connection so you can feel when they've arrived and the stretch is back.

Step by step for follows

1. Counts 1–2. Rock step back and feel the stretch build. Don't step forward until the lead's invitation reaches you – the rock step is where you listen.
2. Counts 3–4. Walk in, two steps, and pass the lead on their right-hand side – this is where the follow travels past. Keep your arm toned so you don't fold into them.
3. Counts 5&6. Triple step as you pivot round the lead. Your weight sits slightly back into their right arm; trust it.
4. Counts 7&8. Triple step back out, travelling away until the arm extends and you feel the stretch that starts the next move. Many follows add swivels here or on 3–4 once the basic is solid.

Feel it, don't count it

A swingout works because of connection: the stretch at the end of one move becomes the energy that starts the next. If you're pushing or pulling with your arm, the move feels heavy. Keep your arm relaxed but not floppy, and move the whole body – the arm only passes the message on. The best swingouts feel almost lazy, because the momentum is doing the work.

The four mistakes to fix first

• Rushing the rock step. Count 1–2 is where the stretch builds. Rush it and there's nothing to swing with.
• Leads pulling the follow in. Invite, then get out of the way. The follow's own momentum does the work.
• Follows anticipating. Walk in on 3–4 only when the connection asks you to, not because you know what's coming.
• Stopping on 8. The end of a swingout is the start of the next one. Keep moving through the music.

More things that go wrong

Savoy and Hollywood swingouts

Most UK classes teach a Savoy-style swingout: circular, with a noticeable downward bounce, the couple rotating around the floor. The Hollywood (or Smooth) style, associated with Dean Collins and Jewel McGowan, has a more slotted shape and a distinctive posture with a straight back and a slight forward tilt. Neither is "right" – they're different flavours, and many dancers learn both eventually. Start with whatever your school teaches.

Practice tips

• Slow it down. Practise to songs well under 140 BPM until the shape is in your body.
• Do the footwork solo. Rock step, step-step, triple, triple, on your own in the kitchen. The home practice guide has a routine.
• Swingout ten times in a row with a practice partner without stopping. Repetition is how it gets easy.
• Learn the other role's footwork. Understanding what your partner is doing fixes half your own timing problems.
• Check your shoes. If the rotation on 5&6 feels sticky, it may be your soles – see swing dance shoes.

How long it takes

Most people meet the swingout in their first few weeks and spend months making it comfortable. That's normal – it's a move you keep refining for as long as you dance. Learn the 8-count rhythm first, then the swingout gets much easier. See the levels guide for where it fits in the bigger picture.

Learn it with a teacher

The swingout is far easier to learn in a room with a teacher and plenty of partners than from any page. Find Lindy Hop classes near you or look for an improvers' course on our classes listings.

Understand it better: Lindy Hop Instruction: Every Style, Every Level · 6-Count and 8-Count: Lindy Hop Rhythm Explained · Bounce and Pulse: How Lindy Hop Feels

Read next

• How to Do the Lindy Circle
• How to Do a Tuck Turn
• The Charleston: Kicks, Swivels and a Very Big Grin

Sources

1. Wikipedia – Lindy Hop

Last reviewed 2026-10-23.