The Texas Tommy is said by many to be the first swing dance. The main reason being that during this period (1909), all the dances were done in "closed" position, this was supposedly the first modern dance of the time to include the "break-away" step (dancing in open position) while using the basic 8 count rhythm of swing dance. Swing is a group of related street dances that evolved from Lindy Hop. ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco is written to have given birth to the Texas Tommy along with the Bunny hug, Turkey Trot and Grizzly Bear. The hotel had a house band that regularly played the Texas Tommy song and was a major place to be for dancing. Who originated the Texas Tommy is obscure, most likely it was being done and someone capitalized upon it. Some say Johnny Peters, an African-American, developed the Texas Tommy in the Pre-1910's in San Francisco. Peters and Ethel Williams were masters of the dance and danced it regularly at the Fairmont. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (TSX: FHR) (NYSE: FHR) is a Toronto, Ontario based owner/operator of luxury hotels and resorts in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, Barbados, United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. ... This article is about the city in California. ... The Bunny hug (or the Rabbit Dance in Germany) was a dancing style performed by young people, especially flappers, in the early 20th century. ... The turkey trot was a dance made popular in the early 1900’s. ...