Swing was to the youth of the twenties and thirties what rock was to the hippie generation and rap is to the current generation; the misunderstood music of rebellion. The day of swing was historical culturally. Women were shortening their skirts, cutting their hair, and even taking the wheel of cars. Flappers were the leaders of this revolution for women. The twenties and thirties was the time of the original counterculture, and swing fit the culture of the day perfectly. Swing grew from the instrumental jazz music of the previous decade, incorporating a horn section with dance rhythms. Big Band followed swing, a very similar genre that played in a larger group. In the early days of swing, the culture was becoming more materialistic and fun-loving. Women were finding a voice outside of the kitchen, and all people were learning to enjoy life, money and entertainment. All materialistic values came to a screeching halt in 1929, when the Great Depression hit Americans in an attempt to strip the country wholly of its good-natured zeal. Swing music kept the spirits of Americans high, providing a vice from the daily hardships. The music was fundamentally dance music. The swing dance was salacious for the time, incorporating swinging hips, close physical contact, and moves that involved a soft caress. Swing dance lessons are popular to this day, offered at nearly every dance studio, and are popular with World War II war veterans and college students alike. A flurry of skirts twirling to the smooth melody of saxaphone revives the vibrant days of the twenties, and there is nothing more endearing than watching an elderly couple dancing the night away.