The things I learnt from Swing
It was Perth's largest lindy exchange and it was awesome for a variety of reasons. I'm not going to talk about the amazing parties (both organised and spontaneous), the live music (both paid and unpaid), or how, after one of year hanging around, I began to know the dancers of Australia to a satisfying extent.
I'm going to document how i think that i have improved in my dancing and what i now desire in Swing.
1) You get what you give
This applies both to dancing and being a local in an international swing event. Last year, we were living Perth but did the minimal for the Hullabaloo festival. We attended all the classes and the balls, but skipped the after parties, the socialising and the hosting. As a result we had a very run of the mill experience. It was understandable. Barely a few months in country, we were grappling with a multitude of other issues. This time, i went all out. I hosted 3 amazing girls, followed them around and attended EVERYTHING. I gave so much and i got a lot more in return.
It is easy to lapse into a boring routine and only doing the minimal, but Sinclair said something that stuck with me: "You never see a jazz musician play the same solo twice, why do you want to to dance in the same style again and again?". Whenever i find myself in a dance, I try to create. I try to vary and i try to challenge. I can tap my feet to to another rhythm and i can add in different footwork in every spare second i've got. I can "play with myself" (another Sinclair quote) and i can give as much as i want that will satisfy me (no matter who the lead is). Which leads me to...
2) A prefer a light lead
I've been telling people this philosophy over the weekend. I do not want to be caged into my lead's desires. Every spare second does not need to spent physically preparing for another violent, fancy move. Sometimes, doing nothing for a while allows you to connect emotionally with your partner and also the scope to tap. I like to tap. I danced with a beginner and he was desperate, holding on to me- with thumbs! - for dear life, like he would fall over if he let go. I also danced with a beginner who, in a similar vein, didn't know what the hell he was doing but i loved it because he was light enough for me to do my own thing while he tried hard not to fall over his own feet. And when he wasn't off balance, we played. I like to play. which leads us to...
4) Hey fella, i don't care who you are. I want to dance with YOU.
If i ask you to dance (and let's face it, no-one asks me to dance because of the lead/follow ratio), i want to know you. And that means i don't care what your skill level is. If you give me a light lead then it's better. I don't need a Michelin star meal every day. Sometimes i like Marmite on toast and i love all my meals. I hope you want to dance with me too, instead of a robotic dance machine who executes moves.
5) I've learnt to be a lighter follow
This is a work in progress. I've been a heavy follow since forever. Steven yelled at me for most classes in the last 12 months telling me to relax and to stop tensing up. I didn't understand what he meant. And then at this event, i learnt how to relax. I cannot explain it, except that since it took me 3 years to find where my hips were, i guess i am a slow learner. Being a light follow meant that i could dance faster, and i have never been able to dance fast. In addition, i didn't need to rely on my own cardio or physical prowess to dance fast. I think it was all about technique and relaxation.
6) Bouncing is paramount
Sophie had been telling me to bounce more since day one, and so have all the teachers in the hundreds of classes that i had attended. BOUNCE!!!
I didn't know how to bounce consistently until this camp. Well. i guess i had flashes of brilliance on and off over the years. This time, i bounced more than ever before. It was awesome. I danced with the bass player who was a beginner, and he could bounce extremely well. He kept the time - of course he did - and he gave me a light lead. It was as good as any dance that i've had, or even better.
Somehow, all these 6 point mashed up together in some magic soup and i had the best swing camp ever. In Herrang, I had great dance nights and miserable dance nights. At this camp, it was all good. I think it's because of my own personal journey and improvement in my dance self esteem that helped.
Give of yourself, employ a light lead, bounce when you can, and enjoy all your connections.
Oh yes, i forgot:
7) Painkillers work. They really do! Ibuprofen was my saviour in this camp. I used it for skiing to make the pain stop and it was only this year<\b> that i learnt that they work for painful feet. I guess the girls in Scotland were correct when they wore painful heels and just popped a few tablets of painkillers to dull the aches.
I'm going to document how i think that i have improved in my dancing and what i now desire in Swing.
1) You get what you give
This applies both to dancing and being a local in an international swing event. Last year, we were living Perth but did the minimal for the Hullabaloo festival. We attended all the classes and the balls, but skipped the after parties, the socialising and the hosting. As a result we had a very run of the mill experience. It was understandable. Barely a few months in country, we were grappling with a multitude of other issues. This time, i went all out. I hosted 3 amazing girls, followed them around and attended EVERYTHING. I gave so much and i got a lot more in return.
It is easy to lapse into a boring routine and only doing the minimal, but Sinclair said something that stuck with me: "You never see a jazz musician play the same solo twice, why do you want to to dance in the same style again and again?". Whenever i find myself in a dance, I try to create. I try to vary and i try to challenge. I can tap my feet to to another rhythm and i can add in different footwork in every spare second i've got. I can "play with myself" (another Sinclair quote) and i can give as much as i want that will satisfy me (no matter who the lead is). Which leads me to...
2) A prefer a light lead
I've been telling people this philosophy over the weekend. I do not want to be caged into my lead's desires. Every spare second does not need to spent physically preparing for another violent, fancy move. Sometimes, doing nothing for a while allows you to connect emotionally with your partner and also the scope to tap. I like to tap. I danced with a beginner and he was desperate, holding on to me- with thumbs! - for dear life, like he would fall over if he let go. I also danced with a beginner who, in a similar vein, didn't know what the hell he was doing but i loved it because he was light enough for me to do my own thing while he tried hard not to fall over his own feet. And when he wasn't off balance, we played. I like to play. which leads us to...
4) Hey fella, i don't care who you are. I want to dance with YOU.
If i ask you to dance (and let's face it, no-one asks me to dance because of the lead/follow ratio), i want to know you. And that means i don't care what your skill level is. If you give me a light lead then it's better. I don't need a Michelin star meal every day. Sometimes i like Marmite on toast and i love all my meals. I hope you want to dance with me too, instead of a robotic dance machine who executes moves.
5) I've learnt to be a lighter follow
This is a work in progress. I've been a heavy follow since forever. Steven yelled at me for most classes in the last 12 months telling me to relax and to stop tensing up. I didn't understand what he meant. And then at this event, i learnt how to relax. I cannot explain it, except that since it took me 3 years to find where my hips were, i guess i am a slow learner. Being a light follow meant that i could dance faster, and i have never been able to dance fast. In addition, i didn't need to rely on my own cardio or physical prowess to dance fast. I think it was all about technique and relaxation.
6) Bouncing is paramount
Sophie had been telling me to bounce more since day one, and so have all the teachers in the hundreds of classes that i had attended. BOUNCE!!!
I didn't know how to bounce consistently until this camp. Well. i guess i had flashes of brilliance on and off over the years. This time, i bounced more than ever before. It was awesome. I danced with the bass player who was a beginner, and he could bounce extremely well. He kept the time - of course he did - and he gave me a light lead. It was as good as any dance that i've had, or even better.
Somehow, all these 6 point mashed up together in some magic soup and i had the best swing camp ever. In Herrang, I had great dance nights and miserable dance nights. At this camp, it was all good. I think it's because of my own personal journey and improvement in my dance self esteem that helped.
Give of yourself, employ a light lead, bounce when you can, and enjoy all your connections.
Oh yes, i forgot:
7) Painkillers work. They really do! Ibuprofen was my saviour in this camp. I used it for skiing to make the pain stop and it was only this year<\b> that i learnt that they work for painful feet. I guess the girls in Scotland were correct when they wore painful heels and just popped a few tablets of painkillers to dull the aches.