The Swing Shift

It don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that . . . hop . . . as in lindy hop, the dance generally accepted as the original form of swing dancing.

Named after Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 solo flight from New York to Paris, the dance craze is still alive and packing ‘em in at the Derby at 4500 Los Feliz Blvd.

Angelenos come from all over to the hiphood to jump and jive with others eager to relive a bygone era, kicking up their saddle-shoe heels, spinning in vintage dresses, boogieing in baggy suits and getting down--in lindy fashion, of course--in rolled-up jeans and bowling shirts. Hair is slicked back on guys; upswept and held together with big bows on women.

After all, it don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that . . . look.

*

Lindy hop lessons begin at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. For information on lindy hop and other swing lessons, call the Derby at (213) 663-8979.