Thoughts and news about swing dancing in Ottawa
Posted by byron on 11.09.08 10:53PM under 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.
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Posted by MissCharleston on 11.11.08 7:24 pm
“Open Heart Lindy, the dance without pretence.”
That sentence basically makes my life.
I’ve always danced with a sort of reckless abandon but once I became highly involved with Swing (mostly the competitive part), I started to care far too much about what I looked like. After reading this it brought back the memories of when I used to dance because I wanted too, not because I felt obligated to. I love being able to just hop on the dance floor and give’er.
I think that dancing with reckless abandon should stage a major come back in Swing Scenes everywhere.
Posted by byron on 11.11.08 11:18 pm
In any discipline it’s a challenge to improve your knowledge and skill without losing the spark that you started with.
It’s not bad to care about how your dancing looks or feels. You just have to make sure that worrying doesn’t dominate your dancing.
I think a big part of it is to be motivated by enthusiasm, not fear. When you dance, you shouldn’t be so much afraid of looking bad, as enthusiastic about creating cool lines, dramatic shapes and subtle textures.
Posted by MissCharleston on 11.15.08 9:24 am
I guess I just never looked at it that way.
Posted by brynzapoppin on 12.26.08 3:55 pm
And that completely hails back to what Naomi said to me… advanced dancers ask questions when they dance; truly great dancers make statements. It is so easy to fall into the trap of seeking legitimacy. Authenticity, particularly in relation to myself and what I’m feeling, has become harder for me ever since I began competing, but ultimately it is what will bring me victory. I am constantly reminding myself of that.
Great post, Byron.