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Lindy Hop variations for followers

“A lindy hop blog with a focus on followers”

January 23, 2012 New Hyun Jung Choi – Flexible following

I am being hopelessly behind the times by posting something about the Tri-Swing Tournament but I am still impressed by this clip. The part of this video that really caught my eye was the follow in the red dress with the flowers on it (update: Hyun Jung Choi) at 1.28.

I love the freedom of expression and the way she kicks her legs up but I am also impressed by her flexibility. I watched this clip and thought hey that’s cool and in a quiet solitary moment had a little go myself and thought, wow, that’s actually really hard to do, my legs don’t go anywhere near that high. I felt rather old and forlorn about my lack of flexibility until I went back to my beginner’s yoga class. The class was full of New Year’s resolution people many of whom were at least ten years younger than me and who couldn’t touch their toes (I know, I know, you’re not supposed to compare yourself to others) but it made me feel inspired. Bugger getting old, one day I will be able to do that!

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January 23, 2012 Negativity – trying to stuff the genie back into its bottle

Most of the time I am reasonably accepting of where I am with my dancing and I don’t usually compare myself to the person next to me in class or worry about what I can do now compared to what I think I should be able to do.  However, when I register for a workshop or camp and I have to pick a level suddenly there’s a voice in my head saying,

Why aren’t I better than I am?  How come X who has only been dancing two years can confidently place themselves in the super advanced level whilst I am 3 levels below them? Why am I still stuck in the lower levels with my fast tempo and connection issues? Why I am in the same workshop level I did 3 years ago? Why does my dancing look so bad? Why can’t I pick things up more quickly?

I get lost in the negative and start beating myself up and forget the reasons why I dance… The ego is a difficult genie to stuff back into its bottle!

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January 6, 2012 Age of Elegance late view, 24 Feb, Guildhall Art Gallery

This sounds like it might be fun:

Age of Elegance: 1890 – 1930

Late View, Friday 24 February, 6pm – 10pm

Inspired by the exhibition Age of Elegance: 1890 – 1930, join us for a Late View celebrating the Jazz Age in all its decadent splendour.

We will be kicking up our heels to the music of the Roaring Twenties and enjoying the whimsical, witty literature and entertainment of the Bright Young Things. You can also try a specially-designed decadent cocktail from our prohibition-style pop-up juice joint…

The exhibition and events are FREE. No need to book.

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January 3, 2012 1934 Blues Are Lively

Unfortunately the 7 Feb 1930 edition of the Nottingham Evening Post is missing from the archives so we’ll probably never know what the blues steps mentioned in the 31 Jan 1930 edition were without making a trip to the library (sorry Sara). However, there is a description of ballroom blues steps from 1934 which I’ve pasted below. I’m not sure the steps themselves are that interesting but I like this article because you can see how dances changed and evolved as fashion and music changed.

—————-

ON WITH THE DANCE

1934 Blues Are Lively… Some Basic Steps… You Dance Them When You Can’t Dance Foxtrot

By VICTOR SILVESTER

BLUES steps are still much the same as they have been for years, but a subtle difference has come into the character of the dance.

Under its own name it features very little in dance programmes. Few tunes are labelled “Blues”. Nearly everything in four four time is called foxtrot. But Blues steps are used freely all over the country.

They are not specially associated now with those wailing tunes that used to be their characteristic music. Blues steps are danced to any slow foxtrot and there is a strong tendency to make a merry dance of them. Charleston steps are highly popular. “Pep” and vigour is the fashion.

Some weeks ago I described a new dance called the Charleston Blues for you. Of course you can use only Charleston Blues steps to a number if you like, but I think you will get the maximum of enjoyment out of the dance if you combine Charleston Blues steps in about equal proportions.

You will have plenty of opportunity to work out your own favourite combinations, for slow tunes are very popular this season. If you are in a small crowded room you must dance Blues to all slow foxtrots. Slow foxtrot is difficult in a small room. It is impossible in a crowded room.

There are fanatics who insist on trying slow foxtrot steps whatever the conditions. In a crowd they merely make themselves a nuisance – I had almost said a danger – to other dancers, and probably ruin their own tempers into the bargain. Equally irritating are the couples often seen on West End floors who indulge in a kind of heel tapping. It may be fun, but it is very bad dancing.

Real Blues steps are very easy to learn and very pleasant to perform. They can be done in quite a small space, but the slow tempo quickly shows up an uncertainty in your balance.

The dance is built up of chasses, twinkles and closed or chasse turns, in contrast to the three-steps and open turns of slow foxtrot.

A chasse consists of three steps generally counted quick quick slow, with the feet closed on the second step. It may be taken in any direction, forward. backward or to the side.

A twinkle is a particular kind of chasse taken forward, together, back, or back, together, forward, beginning with either foot.

The characteristic Blues walk has a slight lilt to it. This is achieved by relaxing the  left knee very slightly as the right foot moves forward and the right knee very slightly as the left foot moves forward.

The basic steps are the side chasses to right and left, the natural turn and the reverse turn.

Side Chasse to Right

  1. Forward on LF (S).
  2. To the side on RF (Q).
  3. Close LF up to RF (Q).
  4. To the side again on RF (S).
  5. Brush LF up close past RF and forward (S).

Side Chasse to Left

  1. Forward on RF (S).
  2. To the side on LF (Q).
  3. Close RF up to LF (Q).
  4. To side again on LF (S).
  5. Forward and slightly across to R on LF (S).

The Natural Turn

  1. Forward on RF, turning R (S).
  2. To the side on LF still turning (Q).
  3. Close RF up to LF (Q).
  4. Back on LF, turning R (S)
  5. To the side on RF (Q).
  6. Close LF up to RF (Q).
  7. To the side on RF (S).
  8. Brush LF close past RF and forward (S).

The Reverse

  1. Forward on LF, turning L (S).
  2. To the side on RF, still turning (Q).
  3. Close LF up to RF (Q).
  4. Back on RF, turning L (S).
  5. To the side of LF (Q).
  6. Close RF up to LF (S).
  7. Forward on the LF (S).

The Cross Chasse

  1. Forward on the LF (S).
  2. To the side on RF (Q).
  3. Close LF up to RF (Q).
  4. Forward on RF outside your partner (S).

The Rock.

  1. Forward on LF rising on toes and keeping RF behind (S).
  2. Back on to the RF, rising and keeping LF in front (S). If you repeat this, turn slightly to the left on each step and maintain a contrary body movement position on each step.

Next Week: The Croon, A New Dance.

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January 3, 2012 Dancing highlight of 2011 and dancing aims for 2012

Like pretty much everyone else I wrote an end of year review but it was so negative (2011 was a difficult dancing year for me) that I decided to ditch the post and start the year with something more positive.

Highlight of 2011

My highlight of 2011 was attending Bobby and Kate’s Balboa dance at Glen Echo Park. It was such a great experience, the dancers were friendly and happy to dance with a stranger and Bobby went out of his way to make me feel welcome. I wish I could say my dances with Bobby were heavenly but I was so nervous I hardly remember them! Sharing a cab back into town with some random chap who stopped his taxi to see if I was ok trying whilst trying to find a bus stop in the dark reminded me how friendly and different Americans can be from the English. It’s a memory I will cherish.
 

2012 aims

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions and my working life is so full of targets, project plans and SMART objectives that I shy away from them in my non-work life but I do have some dancing related aims for 2012:

  1. Take more classes or a workshop as a beginner lead and start socially dancing as a leader because I am fed up of not being able to lead
  2. Go to some more Feldenkrais group sessions to explore movement in my injured, but now mostly healed, but very inflexible right shoulder
  3. Take a tap dancing taster lesson because I fancy having a go at tap dancing just the once
  4. Continue with my Alexander Technique lessons because until I can feel balance and poise in my own body I am going to dislike how my dancing feels and how my poor posture makes me look
  5. Try dancing at some new venues because my usual dancing spots are feeling a little bit stale and I think a change will do me good
  6. Continue with my yoga classes because I love the freedom of movement I feel dancing after I have been to a yoga class
  7. Learn more about the history of jazz dancing in the UK because I want a better understanding of the people who danced, the music they listened to and where their inspiration came from. I’m interested in the ballroom dancing that was done to jazz music in the 20s and 30s, the swing dancing that American soldiers brought over, the 50s Trad Jazz scene, the original rock and roll dancers and so on
  8. Find a way to make Lindy Hop dancing fun for me again!

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January 2, 2012 How to acquire the blues balance

More from the Nottingham Evening post, this time is a description of how to dance blues in an English ballroom in 1930. This NoW advert with these fantastic shoes appears on the same page.

“ON WITH THE DANCE”

How to acquire the blues balance.

Points to remember

[By Victor Silvester]

The term Blues refers more to a kind of music than to any arrangement of steps. It is the slow, plaintive music of the negro people, perhaps a legacy from slavery. There should be a “sob” in it, but few ballroom bands can play it as well as that.

We have danced to Blues music, on and off, ever since the war. It has flared up to front-rank  popularity several times. Black Bottom was essentially a form of Blues. The Yale, which was the rage two seasons ago, was another.

The Yale. Despite its American name, and the fact that it was done to music of negro origin, was thoroughly British. It was thought at the time that a name with an American association would add to its chances of success, such was the domination of American ideas ! Luckily, we are escaping from that.

The Yale is now dead and gone. It contained a strong tango flavour which has been entirely eliminated from this season’s Blues. The dance now consists of combinations of slow walks and chasses. A few Black Bottom steps may still be introduced, mainly on the side steps, but I should not advise any but expert dancers to attempt them.

I said last week that balance is the rock on which most Blues dancers strike. Balance is of course, the foundation of all ballroom dancing, but it is possible to get into a ballroom and enjoy yourself without being able to balance yourself. Thousands do it, and get away with it – until they come to the Blues. Then they make fools of themselves, and know it. They can’t balance at this speed. They don’t have to pretend to in the Quickstep. They can prance round and feel quite proud of themselves. The lively music takes their minds off dancing. How then can a dance improve his or her balance so as to enjoy the Blues?

The essential fact to remember is this: In the slow steps – that is, those taking two beats or half a bar – keep the support of the back foot (in moving forwards; the front one of course in moving backwards) until the last possible moment. You must dance strictly on time, but do not let either foot leave its position on the floor until the actual second of the beat. If you fail to observe this you will find yourself taking a run at the steps and you will be immediately thrown off your balance. Do not forget – hold every step till the last possible moment, then move so that you step exactly on the beat.

Let me describe how this works out in practice as applied to the walk forward and backward.

In walking forward take a long step straight from the hips going first on to the heel and then immediately on to the flat of the foot. As soon as your heel meets the floor your weight should be transferred to your front foot, but do not move your back foot forward until the exact second of the appropriate beat. Then, as it comes forward, the opposite knee should be relaxed very slightly and gradually to make than slight lilt which is peculiar to the Blues. Do not exaggerate this movement.

In the backwards walk swing your leg back from the hips, first going on to the ball of the foot, but keeping your weight on the front foot. The weight should now be transferred gradually on to the ball of the back foot while the toe of the front foot is raised from the ground and all the pressure is on the front heel. At this point the weight of the body is evenly distributed between the feet, and does not pass entirely to the back foot until the front one actually begins to move back. The back heel should never be allowed to touch the floor until the other foot passes it.

Another important point to remember is not to make your strides too long. Many people impressed with the slowness of the Blues, try to stride forward so far that they cannot possibly transfer the weight smoothly.

Always keep your feet close together in passing each other and do not let your toes turn out; keep the feet perfectly straight.

Let all your muscles be relaxed, but at the same time prevent your arms from moving about, and make no muscular movement which is unnecessary. This control of the muscles without effort is a matter of practice, and is one of the chief aids to a good balance.

(NEXT WEEK: BLUES STEPS)

From the Nottingham Evening Post, Friday, January 31, 1930

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December 30, 2011 Link love – frame, cartwheels, Leading ladies, Lindy blogger’s dozen

Frame
An end of year Bug’s Question of the Day is: “What is frame? From where on your body does it originate? What are good tactics for teaching frame?” Some great comments especially from Damon Stone. Whenever I hear frame used within a dance context I immediately think of Dirty Dancing and the spaghetti arms bit:

I’m with Sam, I think frame is a tricky concept to convey and as soon as frame is mentioned people turn into rigid door frames.


Leading ladies
“Welcome to a little film that sets out to kick ball change the world one step at a time.” Ok, so it’s not the greatest film ever, but it is an enjoyable bit of nonsense. It’s got a bit of swing dancing in it, plenty of ballroom dancing but the film is about one leading lady which makes it special.

Jack’ing in the J&J
Staying on the topic of leading ladies, this is a great post by Sarah about competing as a lead in a Jack and Jill contest and the differences between leading and following in a competition.

Dancing for the joy of it
(via Dancer Confessions blog)

Rik doing cartwheels
All I can say is cool! One of my best moments of 2011 was when my hip hop teacher complimented me on my bent leg  cartwheels. When I first tried I really had no idea what I was doing and it was a disaster but I kept trying and a year later I have more or less got them nailed (on the right hand side at least). Here’s Rik cartwheeling.

The Lindy Blogger’s Dozen
Another highlight of my year was being branded one of The Lindy Blogger’s Dozen by Jerry Almonte! Who would have thought that what started as a scrapbook of places to record variations would end up being listed in the same company as Swungover and Yehoodi!

 

 

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December 30, 2011 Link love – not giving up, teaching, tango, Pilates, Postcard To Fere, relationships and boldness

Here’s a bunch of things I pulled together a while ago but have only just got round to tidying up into a proper post.

Don’t give up
Ever Been Discouraged at Dance Class? This is a lovely post by Don Baarns about not giving up with the reminder that “You go to classes BECAUSE you don’t know the material, not to show off what you already know.” I can totally emphasize with his hip hop experience! Dancing choreography by yourself is very different to social dancing with a partner but it’s a fantastic challenge.

On being dumped in tango
I can’t remember where I came across this video but it makes me laugh “you are in the pre-embarrassed stage of blissful ignorance otherwise you wouldn’t be asking the best dancer in the room for a dance”.


Lori Savory’s thoughts about being a belly dance teacher
Lori Savory has written a fantastic post about the things that make a great belly dance teacher but her thoughts apply to all dance forms:

“[Being a good teacher] means giving students appropriate time to learn the movements or concepts, being able and willing to explain things more than one way and repeating things if necessary, and understanding that different people learn at different paces.  It is also appreciating that students have different goals than the teacher does for herself or the teacher perceives her students should have.  A student who is taking the class to get more exercise, to gain confidence, or even just for plain old fun, is worthy of just as much time, effort and consideration as someone who wants to make dance her career.  There is nothing wrong with having standards and expecting the students to work hard, but the student should never feel degraded because she can’t keep up….”

Pilates
I came across this video on the Advanced Style blog. If I live to be 100 I hope I can still be as active as this lady!


Postcard To Fere
DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week back in October was Postcard To Fere by Erich Nussbaum. It’s a Balboa song that I have totally fallen in love with.

Can dancing together improve your relationship?
Yes it can (via Barking up the wrong tree):

The significance that romantic partners ascribe to joint activities and the impact these activities have on relationship quality were examined in the context of self-determination theory. Individuals who practice ballroom dancing with a romantic partner were invited to complete measures of motivation and perception of dyadic adjustment for their relationship and when dancing. Results from path analyses suggested direct and indirect effects of relationship motivation on satisfaction when dancing with a partner. Additionally, direct and indirect effects of motivation for dancing with a partner on relationship satisfaction were also found. Overall, this study suggests that couple functioning plays a role in joint activity functioning and satisfaction. Satisfaction in joint activities can also contribute to the overall quality of the relationship.


Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
I really like this quote which I came across via a Feldenkrais blog. If only I could commit my weight to one foot and kill the hesitancy in my dancing who knows what might happen?

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back– Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

J. W. von Goethe

 

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December 30, 2011 Mia Goldsmith’s left arm at ILHC 2011

Mia Goldsmith’s got some unusual styling going on with her left arm in this ILHC 2011 Jack and Jill clip (one of Jerry’s Favorite Performances of 2011)

Not entirely sure I like this styling but she can carry it off – if I tried this I think it would end up looking more like the actions to the I’m a little teapot song:

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December 22, 2011 Americans Can Teach Us Rhythm

More from the archives of the Nottingham Evening Post, this time it’s an article about the Big Apple. I wonder if Victor Silvester had ever seen the Big Apple danced in Harlem or was just passing on someone else’s description? There’s a fantastic quote at the end:

“I do not think, therefore, that we have a great deal to learn from the Big Apple except in the matter of rhythm. It is worth studying from this point of view, for the Americans can still teach us a lot about rhythm, though we beat them every time as regards style.”

 

The Big Apple – Americans Can Teach Us Rhythm – Some New English Variations

(by Victor Silvester)

Many people have asked me about the Big Apple dance.

It is the latest craze from Harlem and, through you may have heard a good deal of it from the wireless and gramophone records, I doubt whether you will ever see it in English ballrooms. For one thing, it demands a solo performance from each couple taking part, and English dancers are as a rule shy of performing solo.

The routine of Big Apple is this:

A “caller” is chosen, and as the couples dance round the room, one behind the other, he shouts out the figures they are to do.

This part roughly resembles our own old-fashioned sequence dancing – except that the Big Apple sequences are all of the swing variety. Truckin’, Susie Q. Lindy Hop, &c, &c. The sort of steps, in fact, that we have already incorporated into Swing Step.

Then the “caller” gives the sign to one couple who come into the centre and dance their individual interpretation of the music whilst the rest either dance round or move rhythmically at the side of the room.

When they have finished. the sequence dancing is taken up again and then another couple is called out.

So, you see, the individual dancers do not have the independence that our dancers like. Most of the time they are doing what they are told, and when they are dancing for themselves they are in the limelight.

The Englishman likes evolving his own combinations and variations, but he does not like turning them into an exhibition.

I do not think, therefore, that we have a great deal to learn from the Big Apple except in the matter of rhythm. It is worth studying from this point of view, for the Americans can still teach us a lot about rhythm, though we beat them every time as regards style.

From the Nottingham Evening Post, Friday, December 17, 1937

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