Hoppin' like it's 1939~
I WENT A-LINDY HOPPIN' AGAIN~! I also managed to make the mistake of (a) eating four plates of chips and salsa, calamari, an entire pizza, and dessert before going, and (b) wearing the GRIPPIEST SHOES I OWN. I felt like I had to apologize to everyone I danced with, woe. I was also thwapped in the head by this one guy's arm like three times every times we did any sort of under-move, each of which was followed by an amused/mortified "I'm sorry! You're just TALL!"
Something amusing: Every time a Michael Buble song comes up, the dance floor is immediately full of the bumping-and-grinding sort of swing. EVEN IF IT'S REALLY FAST, YOU'RE BUMPING. Seriously, the man's voice is sex.
Also, I am proud to say that I can do all of the things in the below video. Without thinking, and with flair. Intermediate lesson next Friday for $5, woo! \o/
I have also discovered that I've become elitist when it comes to swingdance. If it ain't Lindy, it's a spin-off and therefore less cool. East Coast/Jitterbug's missing two steps/counts and was made by white people who thought Lindy was too FIERCE. And don't even get me started on West Coast "Swing," since it's 3/4 ballroom and started up in the sixties, wtf. Only thing I don't frown at is Balboa, mostly because it's Lindy made to accomodate tight spaces, which were caused by too many people doing the Lindy on the same dance floor! :D
To make this post even LONGER, I really wanna swingdance to Lady Gaga's Poker Face. Or any modern dance music, really; Poker Face is just stuck in my head. It has the same tempo as all of our standard stuff (and we all get pretty excited when we dance to Black Velvet and Shania Twain and Elvis and stuff), but the pseudo-time paradox makes me giddy. That and the fact I could probably do jumps to it. And trying to watch that bastard (he just stands there and acts like you're doing it wrong when he actually is, and when you tell him to stop he can't do anything other than SHUFFLE) figure out how to compensate with a lack of brass section.
Now that it's nearly 2:30 and I've been wandering around YouTube, I figure it'd be a good idea to point out that the So You Think You Can Dance lindy-hop dance is saddening. Yay flips and all, but it's an improv dance. Obvious choreography in anything but West Coast when we're talking swingdancing makes me sad. Also, the guy isn't genuinely leading, aka isn't doing his job, and that's just funny. (FYI: the lead's job is to tell the follow what to do and the follow's job is to make it look awesome. Kinda like they're the steering wheel and you're the engine, if that makes any sense)
AND YES, THE POINT OF TRICKS IN LINDY HOP REALLY IS TO PUT YOUR PARTNER IN MORTAL PERIL! \o/
Something amusing: Every time a Michael Buble song comes up, the dance floor is immediately full of the bumping-and-grinding sort of swing. EVEN IF IT'S REALLY FAST, YOU'RE BUMPING. Seriously, the man's voice is sex.
Also, I am proud to say that I can do all of the things in the below video. Without thinking, and with flair. Intermediate lesson next Friday for $5, woo! \o/
Click to viewI have also discovered that I've become elitist when it comes to swingdance. If it ain't Lindy, it's a spin-off and therefore less cool. East Coast/Jitterbug's missing two steps/counts and was made by white people who thought Lindy was too FIERCE. And don't even get me started on West Coast "Swing," since it's 3/4 ballroom and started up in the sixties, wtf. Only thing I don't frown at is Balboa, mostly because it's Lindy made to accomodate tight spaces, which were caused by too many people doing the Lindy on the same dance floor! :D
To make this post even LONGER, I really wanna swingdance to Lady Gaga's Poker Face. Or any modern dance music, really; Poker Face is just stuck in my head. It has the same tempo as all of our standard stuff (and we all get pretty excited when we dance to Black Velvet and Shania Twain and Elvis and stuff), but the pseudo-time paradox makes me giddy. That and the fact I could probably do jumps to it. And trying to watch that bastard (he just stands there and acts like you're doing it wrong when he actually is, and when you tell him to stop he can't do anything other than SHUFFLE) figure out how to compensate with a lack of brass section.
Now that it's nearly 2:30 and I've been wandering around YouTube, I figure it'd be a good idea to point out that the So You Think You Can Dance lindy-hop dance is saddening. Yay flips and all, but it's an improv dance. Obvious choreography in anything but West Coast when we're talking swingdancing makes me sad. Also, the guy isn't genuinely leading, aka isn't doing his job, and that's just funny. (FYI: the lead's job is to tell the follow what to do and the follow's job is to make it look awesome. Kinda like they're the steering wheel and you're the engine, if that makes any sense)
AND YES, THE POINT OF TRICKS IN LINDY HOP REALLY IS TO PUT YOUR PARTNER IN MORTAL PERIL! \o/