Thoughts and news about swing dancing in Ottawa
Posted by brynzapoppin on 10.13.08 2:42PM under Swing Dancing
How better to begin a blog about dancing than to write about beginning to dance?
When I first started dancing, I felt completely unconnected to my peers. The only real thing that has ever unified the swing scene as a whole is the fact that we all dance (and incidentally, there’s a certain awesomeness to that; it’s amazing how diverse and yet friendly and hospitable the lindy hop world is). But nevertheless–not knowing much about dancing, nor having much of a history with it–I had very little in common with these practical strangers, and the only questions I could think to ask were, “how long have you been dancing?” and, “how did you start?”
I stopped asking those questions right around the same time I became really serious about dancing. Suddenly I was more interested in discussing the finer points of the rock step than I was in finding out about the people I was dancing with or what had brought them there. It’s funny (and sad), in retrospect, given that I’ve always been powerfully curious about the human mind. But there I was, furiously working toward becoming the best dancer and best teacher I could be, and losing sight of the forest for the trees.
The forest, of course, being composed primarily of people. The number one reason why people start swing dancing has nothing to do with wanting to master the art of triple steps and everything to do with other people. Swing dancing is a great a way to mix and mingle, build friendships, discover relationships, make real physical contact (so sorely lacking from our society today), and–for many–to develop social graces. Certainly the social aspect has been one of the most important parts of it for me, and I am grateful for the friendships and the networks I’ve developed through my dance travels, through our local dance community, and especially through our own dance company. Nearly all of the most important people in my life are fellow dancers. And yet, in many cases, I don’t even know what brought them to that fateful spot where our lives met.
Lately, I’ve gone back to asking the question of how people started dancing, and already I’ve learned a lot from it. The answer offers insight into the person they were (and are) outside of dancing; outside of the most obvious string tying us all together. It’s a starting point for digging beneath the surface and building up a friendship that is deeper than a mutual hobby. It even reminds me of the person I was (and am) outside of dancing; the person who cares intensely about other people and about what makes them tick.
As a teacher and a scene-builder, I think this return to the roots is important for bringing new people on board. Sometimes, I think too much emphasis is placed on turning beginners into expert dancers with refined musical taste. Now, I may spend my days (and nights) dissecting my posture and movement in comparison with those of my favourite pros, and I may drool at the sounds of Count Basie, Sidney Bechet, and Robert Johnson, but ultimately… I do this because I love the people, because I love the feeling of dancing with sheer abandon and sharing that with the people around me, and because nothing brings me greater joy than seeing the smiles on my students’ faces when they don’t know I’m looking.
Back around the time of its inception, swing dancing was an essential ingredient in the lives of millions during periods of war and economic depression (something to think about with the state of the world the way it is right now). A big part of that (perhaps the biggest part) is because swing dancing is a community celebration. It brings people together in a way few other things can.
But it can’t do all the work on its own. We need to talk, too. Back in the day, people mixed dancing with lounging, drinking, and socializing. It was a natural way of life for them. But today, because most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have grown up with social dancing as a regular part of our lives, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in one part of the term (dancing) and forget about the other (social).
So… let’s start talking. I want to know: Why did you start dancing?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Posted by brynzapoppin on 10.13.08 3:11 pm
To get the ball rolling (and because it’s only fair): I started dancing on May 18, 2003 (yes, I remember the exact date… how scary is that?). I was attending university in Windsor, Ontario and had decided to stay there for the summer. I had never been one for physical activity and, honestly, when I think about it from the perspective of adolescent-me, the idea that I would ever become a serious dancer was completely laughable. But 5 months prior, I’d suddenly gotten myself on this wellness kick and began spending so much time at the gym that I figured I might as well get a job there.
So there I was, selling people memberships and teaching cardio kickboxing and hanging out with personal trainers for fun. Then one day, one of my colleagues invited me and another girl to go out swing dancing.
Secretly, I had always wanted to learn how to dance. At a drama camp in my teens, we’d put together a show based in the 40s and the finale had featured some “swing dancing” (which I then showed to all my friends at parties for many years to come, completely unaware that I hadn’t the first clue). I spent ages thinking about learning to partner dance, but used the excuse that I didn’t know where to look (though surely I could have found out if I’d bothered to try).
So when this invitation fell in my lap, I jumped on it! I remember the feelings of anticipation, and then, when I got there, of anxiety, frustration, and inadequacy. I never got a real lesson, just my friend showing me triple-step-triple-step-rock-step on the sidelines and then throwing me out to the wolves. The wolves devoured me, by the way. They ate every ounce of competence I’d ever felt in my life and licked their lips when they were done. But I was determined to be good at it, so I went on pretending that I was having fun.
It took two weeks and the promise of attending my first out-of-town dance event before I actually did start having fun. And until the dance event itself (a month later) before I truly fell in love. But once I was bitten, I was head over heels, and the rest (as they say) is history.
Posted by ladybalboa on 10.13.08 10:42 pm
I started dancing in the summer of 2005. Well… that’s a lie. I had my first experience with swing dancing a couples months prior. I was in 10th grade (yes, I’m a youngin’) and as part of a weekly social gathering, it was suggested that we would all go swing dancing.
Now, like yourself I had always been curious about partner dancing. It was almost like a myth to me; I had heard of classes one could take, but none of my friends or anyone I knew was a dancer.
I accepted the invitation to go swing dancing, but was a little unclear as to what that meant; I knew it was a partner dance, but that was the extent of of my knowledge. So you know what? I googled “swing dance” and looked at the pictures. I’m not sure if you’ve ever done this, but at the time it showed many pictures of aerials. Lots of aerials. I thought, oh man, this is no good. I’m going to have strange men throwing me around the dance floor. Why did I say I’d go??? But I managed to convince myself that I wouldn’t be doing advanced stuff, so I went anyways.
That first night, I was nervous and although I had a few of my friends nearby, I didn’t have that much fun. Of course, I was relieved when we were only taught step-step-rock-step as opposed to dangerous throws, and I was happy with the fact that I easily picked up on the rhythm… but I was too worried about grasping the dance to actually enjoy it.
After that one outing, I forgot about my brief encounter with swing dancing until the summer of 2005, when a friend of mine from the original group convinced me to try it again. Ironically, we’re now both Swing Dynamite members and avid swing dancers. I attended the Boathouse dances for the rest of the summer, and then attended the OSDS dances regularly for the next year. The dance bug had bitten me, and I’ve been crazy about it ever since
.
Posted by Swing Dynamite Blog » Blog Archive » Back to the Roots, People! on 10.13.08 11:53 pm
[...] Bryn’s post about starting at the beginning brings up an important point: beyond the roots of swing dancing in Charleston, jazz movement and so [...]
Posted by brynzapoppin on 10.14.08 8:43 am
Oh my god, Gab (I hope I’ve guessed your identity correctly, ladybalboa)! I was worried about the aerials too! I know a lot of people want to try swing dancing because they WANT to do aerials, but I was the total opposite.
Posted by ladybalboa on 10.14.08 5:07 pm
You guessed correctly, Bryn
.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had that concern. Seems pretty valid to me
Posted by dblack on 10.14.08 5:12 pm
I started swing dancing back in junior high, actually. In Calgary, one of the required units in gym class is social dancing, so in addition to line dances and square dances and polka and the two-step, we learned “East-coast Swing”. It was just step step rock-step, along with some awful moves which have almost never been successfully led on me since, but it was fun and I liked the music.
Then, when I saw a swingUO poster in first year, I dragged my roommate out and I was hooked! Next thing you know, dancing 5-6 times a week. (It’s probably good for my marks that I’ve lowered that number since.)
Posted by byron on 10.14.08 5:26 pm
That’s funny, because definitely one of the things that attracted me to swing dancing in the first place was the fact that I might be able to throw girls. Throwing people was something I could relate to. Even being thrown was something I could relate to more than dancing.
Posted by MissCharleston on 10.15.08 12:17 pm
I started learning Swing Dance because of a boy.
Back in February 2006 he started teaching me the all-mighty step-step-rock-step pattern that today haunts my dreams. I mastered the ways of East Coast and off I was learning Lindy Hop.
July came around and with it brought the Waterloo Blues Junkie Exchange. Hello Happiness! That weekend changed my life. I barely even knew how to swing out and here I am dancing with some pretty skilled dancers who are sending me this way and that and I have no idea what I’m doing but holy crap am I loving it! I asked everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) to dance. I even had my first encounter with Byron.
In September I moved myself up to Ottawa for school and jumped right into Swing. Here in the Nations Capitol there were Friday dances. That wasn’t enough for me though. I immediately signed up for Swing 1 shortly after Swing Dynamite was created. I believe the rest is history.
Although I originally started dancing because of a boy and because I wanted to be good to show off for said boy, I only stay now because of the people. To quote Bryn “I do this because I love the people, because I love the feeling of dancing with sheer abandon and sharing that with the people around me. . . ”
I’ve made some of the closest relationships of my life because of Swing Dancing. I’m even living with people that I didn’t know before I started Swing Dancing.
When asked what I do for fun “Swing Dance” is the first thing out of my mouth and the last thing I’ll stop talking about. Swing is the reason why I can smile at the end of a day. And it’s all because of the people.