Swing Dynamite Blog
Thoughts and news about swing dancing in Ottawa
Open Heart Lindy
[ 4 Comments ] Posted by byron on Nov 09, 2008 in General
Something a lot of dancers look for in swing is authenticity. As opposed to legitimacy.
Authenticity is the quality of being real, originating from the right place. Legitimacy is endorsement by others.
Lindy Hop didn’t evolve by prescription. It wasn’t created by committee. Millions of young white kids were drawn to this African-American dance in the 30′s and 40′s for that very reason. It allowed them to escape the rigid norms of European dances for something more free-form and liberating, yet structured enough to create a common ground between dance partners.
In the modern revival of swing dances, the culture has changed, mostly because the dance is nurtured in professional dance studios and university multipurpose rooms instead of the streets and ballrooms of Harlem. It makes it so much easier to fall in the trap of seeking legitimacy–doing it the “right” way, seeking to be certifiably “good.” Which goes against the whole reason we fell in love with swing dancing in the first place.
The holy grail of Lindy is authentic expression, movement that comes from inside, from baring open the heart to share with others. Open heart Lindy, the dance without pretence.