be far more pleasurable to watch than a couple that’s just going through the motions, however elaborate those may be.
The Way That You Do It: Individual Styling
Whether you do Savoy Lindy Hop or one of the more smooth styles, you’ll still want to put your own distinct stamp on the dance. “Everybody should do the Lindy in their own style,” says New York instructor Margaret Batiuchok. “Each person who does it dances differently and has their own way of moving.”
The shape of your body will help determine how you dance. Shorty George Snowden created moves that played up his small stature. By contrast, says Ryan Francois, “I’m a long-limbed, tall athletic guy. I like to use my legs and stretch out.” The Flyin’ Lindy Hoppers gravitated toward more athletic moves, according to Tammy Finocchiaro, “because we’re short, stocky people. We adjusted the image to fit our bodies.”
Beyond that, the most important consideration is bringing your own personality to the dance. “Some people are more comical, some have a little more hip-hop style,” says Overton. “There are people who do a little more upright style. Different personalities start to emerge. More bouncy or less bouncy. You change your style all the time.” You may bring humor to it. Or grace and beauty. Or simply whatever feelings you happen to be having that night. The Lindy is your own way of expressing yourself.
Getting Out on the Dance Floor
When you first start learning the Lindy, you want to take what you know from the classroom into a real social dance situation as soon as you can. Getting yourself out on a club’s dance floor, however, can be an intimidating experience. Everyone is hopping and flying around with abandon and looking as good, to you at least, as world-class champions. But don’t let it get to you. To work up the nerve to head out there, you can start out by attending the practice dances that most studios sponsor at least once a week. When you go to a real nightclub, it helps to show up with another beginner. It can also be more inspiring to go see a real band, instead of attending a DJ’d swing night. “When you dance to live music, you tend to dance better,” says Manning. Finally, don’t feel the need to show off on the dance floor. Swing dancing isn’t about performing. Nor does it require attitude. Go in with the spirit that it’s OK to mess up, have two left feet, and make a fool of yourself. Give yourself the space to be a beginner and don’t be hard on yourself. “What we teach people is that every mistake is just a new move,” says the Arizona Lindy Hop Society’s Steve Conrad. “That’s the freedom of the dance.”
ADVANCED MOVES
Once you know the basics, you can then start adding variation after variation after variation. The improvisational nature of the dance means that there are endless new moves you can introduce all the time. “Social dancing is about having all these little pieces of a puzzle and you create new pictures every time you’re out on the dance floor. It looks different, it feels different, it is different. You put it together your own way,” says Elena Iannucci. In class, of course, you’ll learn lots of moves in particular sequences. Certainly, many moves work naturally in sequence, like an underarm turn followed by a turn in which both partners go under the raised arms. But don’t get too hung up on set patterns. Listen to the music and do what feels right at the time. “You shouldn’t learn a move and throw it in on any swingout,” says Sylvia Skylar. “People should do the styling based on what they are hearing.”
Be aware, the information on different moves provided here is meant merely as a look at the options you’ll have, not as a set of directives of what you should do. It is by no means exhaustive. Also, some teachers may have other names for these moves. “There’s no set-in-stone definition for a lot of this stuff,” says Sternberg. Gladly, you can depend
The Way That You Do It: Individual Styling
Whether you do Savoy Lindy Hop or one of the more smooth styles, you’ll still want to put your own distinct stamp on the dance. “Everybody should do the Lindy in their own style,” says New York instructor Margaret Batiuchok. “Each person who does it dances differently and has their own way of moving.”
The shape of your body will help determine how you dance. Shorty George Snowden created moves that played up his small stature. By contrast, says Ryan Francois, “I’m a long-limbed, tall athletic guy. I like to use my legs and stretch out.” The Flyin’ Lindy Hoppers gravitated toward more athletic moves, according to Tammy Finocchiaro, “because we’re short, stocky people. We adjusted the image to fit our bodies.”
Beyond that, the most important consideration is bringing your own personality to the dance. “Some people are more comical, some have a little more hip-hop style,” says Overton. “There are people who do a little more upright style. Different personalities start to emerge. More bouncy or less bouncy. You change your style all the time.” You may bring humor to it. Or grace and beauty. Or simply whatever feelings you happen to be having that night. The Lindy is your own way of expressing yourself.
Getting Out on the Dance Floor
When you first start learning the Lindy, you want to take what you know from the classroom into a real social dance situation as soon as you can. Getting yourself out on a club’s dance floor, however, can be an intimidating experience. Everyone is hopping and flying around with abandon and looking as good, to you at least, as world-class champions. But don’t let it get to you. To work up the nerve to head out there, you can start out by attending the practice dances that most studios sponsor at least once a week. When you go to a real nightclub, it helps to show up with another beginner. It can also be more inspiring to go see a real band, instead of attending a DJ’d swing night. “When you dance to live music, you tend to dance better,” says Manning. Finally, don’t feel the need to show off on the dance floor. Swing dancing isn’t about performing. Nor does it require attitude. Go in with the spirit that it’s OK to mess up, have two left feet, and make a fool of yourself. Give yourself the space to be a beginner and don’t be hard on yourself. “What we teach people is that every mistake is just a new move,” says the Arizona Lindy Hop Society’s Steve Conrad. “That’s the freedom of the dance.”
ADVANCED MOVES
Once you know the basics, you can then start adding variation after variation after variation. The improvisational nature of the dance means that there are endless new moves you can introduce all the time. “Social dancing is about having all these little pieces of a puzzle and you create new pictures every time you’re out on the dance floor. It looks different, it feels different, it is different. You put it together your own way,” says Elena Iannucci. In class, of course, you’ll learn lots of moves in particular sequences. Certainly, many moves work naturally in sequence, like an underarm turn followed by a turn in which both partners go under the raised arms. But don’t get too hung up on set patterns. Listen to the music and do what feels right at the time. “You shouldn’t learn a move and throw it in on any swingout,” says Sylvia Skylar. “People should do the styling based on what they are hearing.”
Be aware, the information on different moves provided here is meant merely as a look at the options you’ll have, not as a set of directives of what you should do. It is by no means exhaustive. Also, some teachers may have other names for these moves. “There’s no set-in-stone definition for a lot of this stuff,” says Sternberg. Gladly, you can depend
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