The jitterbug is usually performed in pairs with one partner leading. It involves a lot of footwork and partners must keep with each other's energy and have plenty of stamina to perform the upbeat steps. The female partner must mirror the steps of the male partner while doing the basic slow-slow-quick-quick footwork pattern. Dancers may also do the back-step or the rockstep, which, according to DanceTutor.com feels a lot like walking backwards and then taking a quick step forward.
Some steps to the jitterbug include the leading partner lifting, flipping, swinging or spinning his partner by the waist. One dancer may also slide down, between the legs of her partner as part of the routine. Dancers traditionally dance jitterbug to a fast beat known as the jive, but any lively jazz music also works. The jitterbug makes use of the six-beat figure, completing four steps over six beats of music, notes Washington Post writer and historian Pat McNees.
Over time, as swing dancing and jazz music changed, so did the jitterbug's dance styles. Eventually, dance studios teaching ballroom dancing to young adults stripped the jitterbug into simpler steps in an attempt to teach ballroom dancing to those less able to handle the fancy footwork. Variations of these steps became known by other names, such as the east coast swing, the shag, and the jive, depending on which state the dancer comes from. In fact, local dance communities each have their own culture and dance when it comes to the jitterbug form and its variations.