This blog post is largely inspired from the recent win of Seguin and Frida at Lonestar/LindyFest…Everyone exploded at this dance/video, which was riddled with ‘mistakes’, BUT was unbelievably genuine and in the moment. You can tell those two had not danced often but combined with their technique and experience they made their seemingly lack of connection early on to turn into a beautiful creation by the time it faded out. However, that moment helped highlight why I believe Lindy Hop is Flattening out…not so much them, of course, and what they did, but the response afterwards, us the blogosphere/lindy lovers/lindy watchers….
What I feel makes this Seguin/Frida dance a viral hit is that you never know where it will go next when you watch it the first time. Seguin is completely unpredictable but ‘somehow’ Frida manages to follow it. This is why they both train so hard, for the “oh shit” moments, I personally love the video and think it is the best example of the genuine Lindy Hop dance. With that being said, I am dissatisfied, with so much of what I see at social dances…(the other day I saw a couple do what I know deem the Frida/Seguin Jump, to a point in the song that didnt fit it, and they continued doing that weird lift Micheal did on Frida, again not to the music. smh) People are trying hard to do the moves and stylings of others, therefore creating a stale scene…boring to watch…followers can pretend to follow but we all watch the same videos more or less, they see that Skye move coming a mile away…guys….
Throughout the past few years, I have spent a considerable amount of time watching other Lindy Hop Videos and going dancing…I have competed, one some, lost MANY. I have watched almost all the competition footage from all levels in the past 3 years. It’s how I spent my free-time (I did not own a TV until recently…) I did not stick to just the videos of Skye or Max, although they often produce quality movements and awesome ideas. I love watching the novice/amatuer/beginner contests just as much. Joe Schmoe dancer from Russia, will also have an equally awesome idea, probably not implemented as well but I can see it and it is just as awesome of a move or pattern. Just as inspiring as well… I drown myself in social dance clips from everywhere and everyone as well. Social dance is the meat of Lindy Hop and it’s where LindyHop is at its most honest and beautiful. Not the showcases, not the jack-jills/promos between instructors. .. not the Strictys…(although the recent footage jack/jill mixing ‘rock stars’ with average dancers is a GREAT contest and a brilliant idea. More of this please) Those are nice to watch but viewing Lindy Hop social dances is where the true creative juices start flowing between people…Before I get to the root of my point, I just want to showcase some social dances from people you may know. I will showcase a few social dance clips from instructors you know (ONLY because you people watch nothing else other then what they do…) then i will get deeper into my issue.
If you want you can scroll down to the *****section and I will continue my rant/plea.
The time spent between you and your partner, stranger or no, on the dance floor is your time to explore what you both can do. The professional dancer jack and jills are nice too but they all dance with each other all the time! They know each other to varying degrees…seeing them dance isn’t as interesting to me. UNLESS they are social dancing without being judged. This video below of Nick Williams and Erin Douglass is an example of social dancing, obviously the follow is not a professional but Nick does an awesome job of leading and making it work…this is a moment where I find Lindy Hop to be the best dance ever….Nick is aware of the ‘limitations’ of his follow, he works around it, and explores cool creative moments with her. She obviously liked the dance or she would not have posted it. I like the dance too! She does well! Ill share a few others examples before I get to why I think Lindy Hop is flattening out…
In this next video i came across awhile ago we have Thomas Blacharz and Crystal Lee, both are professional swing dancers in their own right, but at the time Crystal Lee was not as well-known,(at least I hadn’t heard of her, yet) here is a VERY Fun all improv dance. Thomas is one of my favorite social dancers to watch, he also has the most videos online showcasing his social dance skills with other follows…EVERY DANCE IS UNIQUE, and he makes it fun, not just for the way it feels but also for the audience, it’s simply fun to watch other follows and him rock out to a song. In this video it isn’t just Thomas doing anything he pleases, Crystal seems to be right alongside him adding a lot of personality, humor and texture to the dance. Lindy Hop unadulterated and great.
Fuckin Love it!
As mentioned earlier the Jack and Jills are nice but most of the instructors aren’t going at it like we have seen them in a dance venue in person just dancing with random people. Anyone who has seen the rockstars, they dance with each other all the time. It’s almost always done to music they have heard a MILLION times before….They cannot be totally relaxed because those clips are their promos. Watching them when they are free of judgement is where the fun is. Find the videos of them social dancing….if you want to watch a video…chances are the video you are watching is being watched by someone else and that move you saw, is already being coped by someone else. With each ‘view’ the scene gets blander…
*********Youtube has made the Lindy Hop community Lazy, Boring, Stale, and Idle. The Frida/Seguin experience reminded folks why Lindy Hop is awesome, embracing fuck-ups and rolling with it together…and then playing it off like nothing has happened….(the Pontus and Breck dance at ILHC had major fuck-ups and they salvaged terribly IMO but it still took home an award? what? smh)
At the end of the day my beef is not with our wonderful instructors but the social scene in general. Everyone is sitting on pins and needles waiting for the next posting to pop on the internet. “What cool thing can I copy and put into my dance.” What is Skye going to do next?.” As instructors, their job is to not only know their shit but ALWAYS come up with something new. They battle youtube just as much as we watch it…Because of their hardwork there will always be something new to be want to see but, you know what, YOU CAN MAKE SOMETHING NEW TOO!! you can do it, and the scene will be better for it. More experimentation, more creativity. Lead and Follow dynamics will be better. We non-rockstars are destroying what Lindy Hop is about. Lindy Hop is not about copying. Its about taking and making something new. The rock-stars are not the gospel. The old footage is not the gospel. WE ARE! We can create also! We can take this dance to places our beloved instructors can’t go, not because they are not skilled enough, it’s because they are not us… Our very own creative path and experience through this dance.
Our instructors understand this dance, they get it. Most of what we learn from them is something that they either copied or created themselves. (It’s beautiful)Many of them do other dances or watch footage of OTHER styles of dance seeking fresh moves to incorporate into Lindy Hop. Their movements are inspired by other dances, copying them is pretty much useless …but regardless, we try. We eat it all up. Spit it out and ask for more.
But no more.
Fuck that, GO LEARN HOW TO FISH!!!(isn’t that the crux of that ol’ cliche) Master the technique that makes all that amazing shit happen. That’s the secret. Master the technique, study the music, then warp the rules of the dance to make it fit you and what you like. Get involved with solo dances/other dances. Social Dance to have fun and let fun be making something new. Lindy Hop came from jazz, it needs creativity and improv to sustain it. If this continues to die out…then Lindy Hop will not be Lindy Hop anymore. I do not like that people can be happy doing only moves they learn in class and doing the same things with everyone. I wish to see your own movements expressed in this dance. Your own ideas.
Each dance should be tailored to fit the music and your partners. This dance is built so that it changes with each partner and each song. Doing the same thing to every song, with every partner…is not what Lindy is about. Go do another dance, maybe some ballroomy shit, perhaps….
swingnlindy 
Recent Comments