The National Hand Dance Association (NHDA) is coming into a new era just as the country is coming into a new era of change.  There is excitement in the air as we begin to work to expose the art form of Hand Dance to a global community, while continuing to celebrate Hand Dance as the Official Dance of The District of Columbia (Washington, DC).

Hand Dance is a contemporary swing style partner dance with roots in swing and Lindy Hop. This dance was created in the African American community and has been part of the fabric of the nation’s capitol for over 5 generations.

The National Hand Dance Association is a 501(c)(3) non profit membership organization formed in 1994.  NHDA promotes the art form of Hand Dance through sponsorship of social dance events; facilitates public programs to invoke discussion and dialogue on the history of Hand Dance and its place in American popular culture; supports and promotes other Hand Dance organizations in and around the Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Virginia areas, and welcomes growth for the creation of other Hand Dance organizations around the country; supports Hand Dance classes both locally and nationally; and disseminates information about the dance and public events.  NHDA recognizes and supports other swing style partner dances indigenous to those areas of the country, and reaches out to form partnerships with their organizations.

Hand Dance began in the 1950s when the dance was called “Jitterbug”, when big band and early Rhythm & Blues music fueled the dance.  In the 1960s, the dance was called “fast dancing”, when the sound of Motown, Chicago Soul, Atlantic Records and the gritty soul of Stax transitioned the dance into a “cool block boy” style of partner dancing.  In the 90s, Hand Dance experienced tremendous resurgence in popularity as Hand Dance was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution in 1994 and in 2001 as a national treasure and a traditional art form. Since the early 1990s, Hand Dance classes and Hand Dance night clubs have become a vehicle which spawns continued interest in the dance.

Today, thousands of people have flocked to Hand Dance classes throughout the Washington metropolitan area and in locations across the country. The movement of Hand Dance has slightly changed from the previous era, and the current generation of Hand Dancers moves to the sounds of contemporary R&B, jazz and pop, and promote the dance through dance competition nationwide.  The classic generation of Hand Dancers continues to passionately preserve the style of Hand Dance they created in the 50s and 60s. 

NHDA celebrates its past, today and the future.  An explosion of youth from the hip hop generation has taken interest in the dance, and has turned to Hand Dance as its dance of choice.  We welcome and embrace this new generation. They have taken the best of the traditional style and added their own hip hop flavor to the dance.  These young people bring the energy of youth to Hand Dance.   They are the future of Hand Dance and critical to its preservation.

NHDA and its members represent a melting pot of Hand Dance styles, from the “old school” to the “new school.”

The National Hand Dance Association is recognized by The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, The Humanities Council of Washington, DC and The Smithsonian Institution Division of Folklife.

We hope you will continue to visit our website at http://www.nationalhanddanceassociation.org. Our website offers information on classes, social and public events, spotlight features on NHDA members and popular members of the Hand Dance community, and more. We invite you to become a member of NHDA.  Membership information is included on the website.   Feel free to email me and other NHDA Executive members with comments, questions, or suggestions.