Over the last 20 years, I have learnt many styles and forms of dance, from Ballroom, Argentine Tango, Modern Jive, to dabbling in Salsa, West Coast Swing and even had a go at Belly Dancing.
One form of dance I never got round to learning was Lindyhop. It originated in America as a form of jazz/swing dance. It looks like fun – bouncy, exuberant, playful – and I have had it in the back of my mind for a while to learn. Very occasionally at a dance event I see someone doing Lindy, and I thought it would be fun if I could join in, at least a little.
I love the music, and I love the “look” – kind of jazzy, think vintage 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. Guys in braces, flat caps, high waisted wide-leg trousers and two-tone shoes; women in dresses that are fitted up top and flare out when you spin. Definitely my cup of tea!
A friend of mine recommended a local class that meets on a Monday in Guildford, however I was really looking for a quick, intensive course to get a basic understanding of the dance. A bit of research and I found a workshop (full or half day) run by Swingland in London.
The day dawned and I headed on over to Balham where the class was to be held. There was no-one there! After wandering into an empty bar, I discovered that the class had been cancelled. I contacted the organisers who were really apologetic, somehow my email was rejecting their messages so I didn’t get the emails about the fact it had been rescheduled.
Apology accepted, I booked myself onto the next available course. This time when I arrived the teachers and other attendees were all there, which was a good start! One thing I loved was that the instructors requested that you shouldn’t give tips or feedback to your partner but allow the teacher to do so. This meant that people could get stuck in without fear of criticism from their partner.
Lindyhop is a partner dance, closely related to Jive and Charleston. We partnered up and swapped around so everyone got a chance to dance with everyone else.
We began by learning the rhythm and footwork, I found this bit OK but I have a tendency to use my hips and close my feet – both pretty big no-no’s in Lindyhop. The posture is also unusual – almost leaning forward with your bum out – and I kept having to correct myself! We learnt various steps and soon had a little routine to dance through.
The other people on the course were a mixed bag of abilities. Some beginners who had never danced before found it really difficult to get the hang of the rhythm, whereas others seemed pretty experienced and breezed through the morning session.
During the lunch break, I chatted to a few of the others. The general feeling was that everyone was finding the new dance style challenging, but a few people complimented me on my style and asked me if I had done it before! In the meantime I was thinking the same thing about them. It seems we truly are our own critics, something I’ve noticed before.
The second half of the day we learnt some more complex moves, including a beginner’s version of the classic “throw out”, and some charleston-style jumpy kicky stuff. Sadly it was a bit too challenging for some, who dropped out, but we were joined by some more people who were “improvers”, so the class was a little fuller (albeit mostly followers so we had several ladies standing out in between rotations).
I had a really great time and definitely enjoyed myself. I am pleased I’ve finally got a new dance under my belt, and I am sure with a little more work I could become fairly competent at it. My only (slight) criticism is that I would have liked more dancing to the music and less talking/walking through. But that might just be my impatient personality – I just wanted to get stuck in!
However for me, whilst watching advanced dancers is truly fantastic, I am afraid that with less experienced dancers it looks to me a little bit like someone’s had an underwear accident. I am sure it feels great but I do prefer dances where there is a little more elegance and grace.
It’s just my opinion though, so I would still thoroughly recommend that you give it a go. I can especially recommend Martin and Romayne from Swingland who were absolutely brilliant. The class was fun, well taught, and the right balance between challenging and achievable.
For more information:
- Swingland – London
- Swingout 123 – Guildford
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