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Not Just a Bunch of Moves

October 31, 2020 by Joo-Lee

What makes a great dancer?

I’ll give you a hint: it’s not just about knowing a lot of moves.

Learning to dance with Lindy Jazz, and dance well, is about having a balanced set of skills. Unlike other dance styles, Lindy Hop has no defined syllabus, curriculum, national or international standardisation, medals, or exams. It’s very free and easy, and the emphasis is on enjoying the social side of dancing and going with the flow. But to get the best out of your Lindy Hop experience, it pays to learn the skills you’ll need. Lindy Hop is not just a bunch of moves.

Having lots of moves, steps, and patterns to draw from is important, but they are just some of the tools you need in your toolkit. Just having moves still might mean that you do them stiffly or you may be doing a bunch of moves that have nothing to do with the music. Or you could be doing a bunch of moves clumsily or you’re having to sit out for faster songs.

The skills you need to be a great dancer

Have a look at the worksheet I’ve put together. These are the skills that I think great dancers have, from my experience.

If you don’t know what to look out for when you watch clips of amazing dancers on YouTube, it’s easy to think ‘Oh my God, they know thousands of moves!’ but Lindy Hop is not just a bunch of moves; to dance well, we need to add another set of ingredients into the mix like:

Creativity: Those amazing dancers you see might really only have a small range of moves but they are able to change things up with variations and options, and when they trip up or make a mistake, they can fiddle their feet and it becomes a whole new move.

That’s the beauty of Lindy Hop, it’s not a set of patterns to be repeated and regurgitated so you can improvise and interpret things in your own unique way.

Great motor skills: Really good dancers have worked hard to develop excellent motor skills. They coordinate their arms, legs, head, everything. And of course, they can dance to a huge range of music, they don’t sit out because the music is too fast.

Good cardiovascular (CV) fitness and flexibility: Great CV fitness helps dancers cope with faster music and good flexibility means they can dance with ease and grace, and avoid injury.

Plenty of muscular endurance: Some dancers can dance all night at an event. They don’t seem to tire and they don’t get aches and pains. That is because they have developed good muscular endurance, either through dance or something else.

Musicality: This means being able to listen to the music, understand what’s going on, and make our moves connect with it.

In some dance styles, music is just in the background to create an atmosphere, but with Lindy Hop, music is a key component. Understanding the music is very important if you want to be an amazing dancer and get the most out of your dancing.

Social skills: Some people may know a lot of moves but nobody seems to want to dance with them. This might be because they are unresponsive to their dancing partners or just find it hard to connect to people in general. Social skills help you become a great partner who responds to, and connects with others easily.

Mindset skills: This involves training our brains so we can be fully present when we are dancing. This means not worrying about the mistakes you made last week, the moves you’re going to do next, or which song is going to come on. It’s also about being patient with yourself when you are learning and coping with new people, new technology, and new techniques.

Understanding the cultural and historical context of the dance style: If you think that Lindy Hop is just a bunch of moves, what will happen is that you might dance Lindy Hop moves to different styles of music like rock or pop. Not that there are any laws against that, it just won’t really be Lindy Hop. Remember that the music affects the way you move, so having a good understanding of where the music comes from and of the origins of the dance will make you an even more amazing dancer.

Celebrate your skillset

On the worksheet, I’d like you to rate your level of satisfaction with each area out of 10. This is not about beating yourself up!

Have a look at your skillset, think about the areas you are good at, and celebrate. Know that different people in our group have different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s all about social learning; we are learning together.

Some of us might have great flexibility but don’t know so many moves. Some of us may have a good understanding of music but we may be a little uncoordinated. But together, we have all of these 10 skills and together we make a great community, because we are dancing in harmony. We don’t have to copy or be like each other.

We have different backgrounds, different interests and preferences, and different bodies, but together we dance as a happy community. We dance to deepen our friendship and to experience our love and passion for dance together.

Happy Dancing!

Joo-Lee

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No longer new? What can you expect?

February 23, 2020 by Joo-Lee

So you’ve decided to continue your swing dance journey with us, and you probably have a few questions. Some of you may be excited about learning a few more moves, some of you want to improve your skills and some of you want to know how ‘levels’ work at Lindy Jazz. In this blog post, I want to answer some of those questions for you, and give you some of my top tips on how to get the best from your swing dance class.

No longer new? What can I expect?

You can expect this course to be packed with great moves for you to try. Lessons will combine new material with helpful reminders of techniques that you need to practise to keep your swing dance foundation skills strong.

What moves will I learn?

The seven courses we teach at Lindy Jazz will help you learn everything you need to know so you can have fun and enjoy dancing to swing music. You will be taught the skills and moves that will enable you to dance at social events with confidence and ease, including how to dance to different rhythms, such as the Charleston and Triple Step rhythms.

Welcome new beginners

Many of the new beginners who join this course will be more nervous than you, so give them a smile and say something encouraging. We ask that you do not give them any feedback, even though it is well-intended, as it can feel overwhelming for new beginners to take in too much information at once. So just offer them smiles and lovely words, please. ☺

When can I join the Intermediate course?

If you have completed six (out of the seven) beginner’s courses, then it’s time to book on the Intermediate course. If you have completed fewer than six beginner’s courses, then book the next beginner’s course, which will consist of different material.

Are all the courses the same?

There are seven courses on offer throughout the year. Each course covers a different topic and equips you with a different set of dancing skills to add to your tool kit.

What if I am no longer a beginner?

After one course, some people may feel that they are no longer a beginner and they may want to skip the basics. We recommend that you focus on the basics, as they will provide you with the strong foundations needed to learn the more complex moves later on.

What if I have other dance experience?

Some people who come to Lindy Jazz with previous experience in different dance styles may feel that they are not beginners and they want to skip the basics. We recommend that you focus on the basics because there is quite a lot of material that’s completely different from other dance styles.

What if I want to book the Intermediate course without completing six beginner courses?

Please see Joo-Lee for options such as private lessons, workshops, and the opportunity to attend an audition.

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What To Expect At Lindy Jazz

February 23, 2020 by Joo-Lee

So you’ve decided to start your swing dance journey with us, and you probably have a lot of questions. In this blog post, I want to answer some of those questions for you, and give you some of my top tips on how to get the best from your swing dance class.

1. Relax

This is a very informal course. You can try everything we show you in class, or you can choose to have a go at some parts of the material. The choice is yours. As long as you’re enjoying yourself and having fun, the rest is easy!

2. Release the need for perfection

If you are new to dancing, it is normal to feel you have to concentrate or try hard, and the chances are that the moves won’t come easy. But if you are concentrating too hard, your muscles (and your mind!) are tense, and this can stop you from just letting go and enjoying the dancing. We want you to relax, have fun, and enjoy yourself.

So remember to release any tension in your arms, hands, knees, and also your mind. You don’t have to get everything right and no one is expecting you to. Just turn up, enjoy the classes, and I promise you that everything will click into place.

3. Go with the flow

If you allow yourself to relax and let go of the need to get things right, you’ll find that it’s so much easier to learn to dance. Learning the steps will come much easier when your mind and body are relaxed, so let go of any worries and just go with the flow.

4. Get out of your head and connect with the rhythm

Being able to relax your mind and release tension in the body can also help you feel the rhythm more easily. Great dancing is about connecting with a rhythm, so we like to encourage everyone who comes to our classes to repeat the rhythm with the teachers during the lesson. When you focus on the rhythm, the movements come easily. If you get caught up in looking at your feet, overthinking the steps, or constantly wondering whether you’re good enough, you’ll only find it more difficult to learn and have fun.

5. Repeat, repeat, and repeat some more

You will find that we repeat a few steps over and over in the lesson. This is because we want to practise the moves with you so that they become second nature to you. Repetition is very helpful when it comes to learning how to dance, so that’s why we recommend lots of practice and lots of repetition in order to build strong foundations. Having strong foundations will help you to learn the basics and the fancy moves much more easily. You’ll go from two left feet to competent dancer in no time, and have a great time doing it.

We just know that you’ll fall in love with swing dance and we hope that these tips make it easier for you to get the most out of the experience.

This is just the beginning of your dance journey, and we’re so happy you’re on it with us! For more details about beginner courses at Lindy Jazz, click here to read more.

Happy Dancing!

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When Can I Join The Intermediate Class?

February 6, 2017 by Joo-Lee

So you’ve been attending beginner classes on and off for a while and you’re wondering when you can join the Intermediate Class? Here is everything you need to know!

I’m often asked by dancers if they can join the Intermediate Class as the class time suits them better or they have previous dance experience in another style and therefore consider themselves to be able to pick up new steps quickly or they feel it’s been some time since they’ve started beginner classes, and although these are all valid reasons, there are certain skills and qualities that I look for before inviting dancers to join the Intermediate Class.

It is worth noting that progress is not always related to the number of weeks or months that you have been dancing in the class. Progress usually relies on both attendance and engagement, so if you turn up to class regularly and engage as fully as possible, then your dancing will improve quickly, whilst if you attend class sporadically, you have to leave early and you rarely dance with other students, then your progress will be slower. It is important to really focus on building your basic Lindy Hop toolkit, so that you don’t struggle or hold others back in the Intermediate Class.

What do I need to know about joining the Intermediate Class?

When joining the Intermediate Class, you will be joining a group of experienced dancers who have been working on their dancing for a while. They are also keen to keep improving all the time, and although you can expect everyone to be very welcoming and encouraging, please bear in mind that when you rotate partners all of you will affect each other.

If you’re interested in joining the Intermediate Class, then practice, attendance, an openness to teacher feedback and enthusiasm are key. My advice would be to stay back after class to practise with other dancers and to ask for feedback from your teachers as regularly as possible to build your foundation before moving to the Intermediate Class.

The focus of learning to dance at Lindy Jazz is personal development; to build our skills, confidence and to gain more joyful dance experiences. Our focus is not social status so you will find that we are not concerned about which ‘level’ we might be. Within the Intermediate Class, you will find that some dancers are more advanced, more skilled and more experienced than others and everyone has different aims and learn at a different pace.

What skills or qualities do you look for when inviting someone new to join the Intermediate Class?

Every scene or community runs classes in their own way, and at Lindy Jazz, we have some expectations of what we’d like to see before you join the Intermediate Class. These skills are taught at our weekly classes and weekend workshops, and we encourage you to attend these classes before jumping into the Intermediate Class.

1. a clear and consistent pulse (or ‘bounce’)
2. relaxed arms & shoulders that ‘stretch & release’ without over-extending
3. a ‘free foot’ when shifting weight
4. triple step footwork with ease
5. Charleston footwork with ease
6. an open attitude to feedback
7. a positive response to mistakes e.g. joy instead of stress
8. regular attendance at intermediate and beginner classes – every week if you can
9. regular attendance at weekend workshops – at least once a month if you can
10. regular practice – staying back to practise social dancing every week and practising your drills for 5 minutes every day if you can

When I see dancers meet most of the above expectations, I will invite them to join the Intermediate Class. Sometimes, I may invite them to join the warm up drills at the beginning of the class and then to observe the rest of the class, sometimes, I might ask a lead-follow couple to stay with each other instead of ‘rotating’ for a couple of weeks until their basics are secure.

Every class is different

Please remember that there are no set rules in the ‘world of Lindy Hop’ and that every class is run independently so the expectations as explained in this blog post are created as a guide for classes at Lindy Jazz. Having said that all Lindy Hop communities are united along similar key philosophies which are joy, fun and friendship through social dancing, so keep dancing!

Join Lindy Jazz classes on Tuesdays at Gosforth Parish Hall NE3 1YT

19:30 Beginners’ Class

20:45 Intermediates’ Class

21:30 Social Dancing & Practice

Join Lindy Jazz classes on Wednesdays at St Aidan’s Church Hall DH1 5BL

19:30 Beginners’ Class

20:30 Intermediates’ Class

21:15 Social Dancing & Practice

Category Beginners, Dance, Health & Fitness, Lindy Hop | Tags: | No Comments
Do I Need To Learn Routines?

December 9, 2016 by Joo-Lee
New beginners often ask us to teach them a routine or a sequence when in fact, it’s easier to dance if you learn the skills to dance rather than try to memorise a lot of moves. So often we see new dancers busy learning a whole bunch of moves. My question is, “Do you remember everything? Do your moves work when you social dance with dancers who haven’t done that exact class and those exact moves?” Perhaps what you’ve just learnt doesn’t work because you haven’t had the chance to consolidate anything and your body hasn’t had the chance to learn how to move. Then at social dances, you end up forgetting your moves.

When learning a social dance such as the Lindy Hop, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut by just dancing patterns and routines, rather than learning to move naturally and confidently so that you don’t need to think and concentrate hard when you dance. If you develop the skills to move well and train your body to do what you want it to do, then you will be able to carry out new and exciting moves. I truly believe that we all need to learn how to move easily before being concerned about how many moves we can pull off on the dance floor.

Using the building blocks and drills taught in class will give you structure, certainty and security when you dance. These are short phrases that you can practise over and over again until you develop the muscle memory for the basics, such as the pulse and rhythm. However, if you are new to this and have got used to set moves and routines, you may find it to be very unfamiliar but if you are able to spend 5 minutes a day practising these simple techniques, you will soon find dancing easier and more enjoyable.

Then you might be asking yourself, “Will I have enough moves to get through a whole song without being boring to my partner?”. Well, the constant repetition of techniques like triple steps and Charleston kicks in class is not meant as a pattern for every dance, but rather they should be practised as useful drills that can help you to develop muscle memory, so that, with practice, you will be able to simply enjoy dancing without thinking consciously about the actual steps. When you start to intuitively dance like this and let your mind relax, then you will find it easier to move to the music in a fluid manner, which in turn will give your partner a really good dance too. In other words, knowing a few rules without being rigid with the rules can give you a lot of freedom!

There’s no right or wrong way to dance, so if you prefer to dance a set of routines that you know, then that’s absolutely fine. As you gain more experience, you will find yourself naturally being able to take on these amazing and exciting skills.

So if you’re keen to take your dancing to the next level, and wondering what skills you need to learn so that you get a strong grasp of the techniques to social dance with confidence, then why not join us on Sunday 8^th January for one of two excellent workshops, and give it a go?
- Intermediate Level Swing Out Workshop
- Beginners Lindy Hop Workshop
Category Dance, Health & Fitness | Tags: Balboa,Blues,Charleston,Lindy Hop,swing dance,Swing Dance Durham,Swing Dance Newcastle | No Comments
Share With A Beginner

August 24, 2016 by Joo-Lee

I’ve been working on something new and I can’t wait to tell you about it!

It’s mainly for beginners but if you’re not a beginner, it’d be fantastic if you can help by sharing this with your friends who are new to dancing. So, what’s going on…..?

Well, it’s been a busy summer with quite a few of you coming for one-to-one private lessons. Beginners want to have a sense of control so they don’t feel embarrassed when they attend their first class, whilst experienced dancers usually ask for a check up and tune up, where they can get feedback and make better progress. So, it’s great to teach so many private lessons. However, as my schedule is getting a bit crazy (in a busy & exciting way), I have decided to create Swing Dance Beginner, an online course so more dancers get the chance to build some brilliant basics.

This course is perfect for beginners who may be concerned about feeling embarrassed when learning to dance ‘in public for the first time’. By learning online in the comfort of your own home, you can learn how to do the basic steps and build your confidence before you join a class.

If you are no longer a beginner but you want to build strong foundations in your swing dancing, or perhaps you’ve missed a few classes and need to catch up, this course will not only show you what the moves are but will teach you how to do them step by step. You can also use the video lessons on this course to practise in between lessons and if you do this, you will soon become a more confident swing dancer.

Registrations will be opening on 12 September so check it out here and be among the first dancers to join this new course!

Plus…….. If you Invite Your Friends to join the Swing Dance Beginner online course, you will receive £10 off any one of the Lindy Jazz courses.

Happy dancing!

Category Dance, Health & Fitness | Tags: Balboa,Blues,Charleston,Lindy Hop,swing dance,Swing Dance Durham,Swing Dance Newcastle | No Comments
Five Mistakes Beginners Make And What To Do About Them

August 7, 2016 by Joo-Lee
Beginning to learn to dance can be a scary and worrisome time and I often try to think about how beginners feel when they’re just starting out, and try to see things from their viewpoint to help make things less daunting.

Before you attend your very first dance class, you’re probably asking yourself:
- Will everyone else be super advanced?
- Will I fit in with the rest of the class?
- Will I be able to keep up?
These are all extremely valid questions, and when it comes down to it, we all feel the same the very first time we try something new. You don’t want to feel like you’re floundering, or make yourself look like a fool in front of the whole class, but it helps to know that lots of people feel this way no matter how confident they look!

Did you know that overthinking things and worrying excessively can stress you out and can actually impact on your dancing abilities? The following are just a few traps that beginners fall into when they first come to a class:
1. Creating tension
2. Trying to prevent mistakes
3. Looking at what others are doing
4. Trying to assess your own progress
5. Trying to memorise the moves
These are all common mistakes, and ones that are easily fixed, so here’s some advice on how to cope when you find yourself falling into one of these traps:

1. When you worry or overthink what you’re doing you create tension and your brain can freeze up, causing your muscles to get stiff. This is not ideal when you’re trying to dance, and will make your ability to learn a lot more challenging. So try relaxing, just go with the flow and you will find yourself catching on in no time!

2. Take it from me; it’s absolutely impossible to prevent mistakes so why even try? Mistakes are a normal part of learning any new skill, so you shouldn’t worry if you miss a step or two. It’s not like you’re training to be a heart surgeon, dancing should be a fun and entertaining experience, so don’t take it too seriously.

3. It may be tempting to look at what everyone else is doing during the class, but your instructor is probably the only one who is doing it right! If you are busy looking at everyone else, you can find yourself not really knowing what version of the dance is correct, so simply focus on the teacher and you will find it a lot easier to learn.

4. Not everything in life is about grades and exams, and trying to assess your own progress while dancing can be extremely distracting. You don’t get tested in social dancing classes as it’s all about having fun, so just go for it! If you do want to know how you’re doing, you can ask your teacher for an update.

5. It’s simple; you don’t need to memorise the moves. If you try and concentrate too hard on remembering what comes next, your brain will be working too hard and you’ll seize up. Instead of over thinking, try to feel the moves and let it flow naturally.

As with any new class, everything will seem unfamiliar and confusing at first, but the more classes you attend, the more familiar you’ll get with how everything works. When you see experienced dancers out there enjoying themselves effortlessly at a social, you might be asking yourself what’s their secret? Here are the secrets! Experienced dancers attend regular classes, dance as much as possible outside of their weekly classes and they focus on what they are doing whilst staying as relaxed as possible. Most of all, they love dancing and find it a joyful experience.

I really hope that you found this article helpful, and that you’ll feel encouraged to try a dance class. In fact, attending a free class is a great way to find out if you’d like to learn more so look out for free classes that will give you a chance to try a taster. If you’d like to get to grips with the basics of swing dancing, then check out these beginner-friendly events in Sunderland and Gateshead.
Category Dance, Health & Fitness | Tags: Balboa,Blues,Charleston,Lindy Hop,swing dance,Swing Dance Durham,Swing Dance Newcastle | No Comments
Sitting Out Is Not Missing Out

June 14, 2016 by Joo-Lee

Is injury causing you to miss out on the fun, friendship and learning that you enjoy? Injury can be so frustrating!

However, it is really important that after an injury, you prioritise your recovery and allow yourself to get better. This may be weeks or even months before you can dive back into dancing. However, there is no need to sit out and miss out.

You may be feeling down about not being able to dance but there is no need to stay away and miss out totally. Sitting out during a class can be so frustrating!

This is not uncommon and has happened to other dancers. Not to worry! We have a plan to keep you learning and enjoying the fun and friendship that you enjoy every week.

Is sitting out better than staying away?

This all depends on how much you want to want to learn. If you have an injury (or even if you are OK), sitting out to observe a class can still give you lots of information. But what should you be looking for? To help you we will give you some written guidance with useful bullet points to get you started. Observation skills are a key learning tool and, after a while these will develop and you will gain more and more from watching other people dance.

Try to focus on one thing at a time. Start by watching one body part. For example, what are the dancers doing with their arms? Are they relaxed and connected? Next, watch their feet. How far apart are they during triple steps? Then watch their shoulders. What are the signs of tension and what is the result of tension? How about their bounce? What happens when someone does not bounce at all?

Learning to dance covers so many aspects, from learning about the music, to watching videos, to watching a class in action. So watching a class in a focused way is a great way to learn and I would encourage everybody to do it at some point even if they aren’t injured. It’s easy to be so busy dancing that you rarely get to just sit and watch.

What Will You Learn By Watching People Dance?

This is a good question! Peter, whilst recovering from an injury (I hasten to add this is due to more adventurous outdoor pursuits!) instead of staying away he came to classes regularly and observed the dancing. Here are his comments on the experience.

“Yes, it sucks being injured! But I felt I got a tonne of information by watching people. It was interesting to see just how different people lead and follow. And I’m not just talking about how different levels dance. I’m talking about how all dancers of all levels dance so differently. Although I think I’ve also realised this by starting to follow (trying to anyway!). You could blindfold me and I could tell exactly who I’m dancing with, as they are all so different. One of the most important things I learned though was, as obvious as it sounds, was if ya gonna lead, lead! Don’t half lead. Lead with confidence, even if you lead with confidence and something doesn’t quite work it’s better than not really leading in the first place.”

As keen Lindy Hop dancers we all love watching YouTube clips of impressive dancers from all over the world. Let’s take some time in the coming weeks to watch a class or watch some social dancing. I am sure we will discover many things that we are not aware of when we are busy dancing.

Category Dance, Health & Fitness | Tags: Balboa,Blues,Charleston,Lindy Hop,swing dance,Swing Dance Durham,Swing Dance Newcastle | No Comments