A new lesson is up in the Follower’s Technique section! Here’s how you can add some fun to your Swing Outs with the iconic Suzie Q step.  Watch Evita’s lesson to learn the basics of a Suzie Q and how to incorporate it into your dance. Evita will walk you through the footwork and the rhythm of the step, then at the end, she will demonstrate the variation dancing to some music with Michael.

Also, here’s some information about the Suzie Q step that we posted on Instagram a few weeks ago:

Some of you may be familiar with a jazz step called the “Suzie Q”, but have you ever wondered how it got its name?🤔⁠⠀
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“The Suzie Q step is thought to have originated from a novelty dance in the 1930s with the same name used in the 1936 song ‘Doin’ the Suzie-Q’ by Lil Hardin Armstrong. Lillian Hardin Armstrong (February 3, 1898 – August 27, 1971) was a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer, and bandleader. She was the second wife of Louis Armstrong, with whom she collaborated on many recordings in the 1920s.” ⁠⠀
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We highly suggest you read more about her background and education on Wikipedia which shows her extensive work alongside several famous musicians of the time (link in our bio!). We should remember and honor all of her many accomplishments. Also, according to Wikipedia, another possibility for the origin of the name “Suzie Q” comes from a December 12, 1936 news story claiming that the Suzie Q dance was introduced by two dancers from Georgia. The dancers had previously performed and introduced the dance in Syracuse, New York, but the audience misheard “Syracuse” as “Susie-Q.⁠

 

Syncopated City Members can find the lesson here: https://syncopatedcity.com/courses/followers-technique/lessons/suzie-q/