1. Don’t Let The Triple Step Pass You By

    October 16, 2021 by Joo-Lee

    Our Social Dance courses will help you to improve and sharpen your pass-by technique, to let you perform the move more clearly and easily. If you are an experienced dancer who is familiar with the pass-by, it will pay dividends to work the finer details of pass-by technique, as this will help prepare us for the ultimate Lindy Hop move – the Swingout.

    The pass-by and the Swingout combine many movement elements and many many layers of rhythm – so I’d love you to take this opportunity to enjoy each mini move and each little element to solidify your core technique, rather than rush ahead now, and then have to fix your pass-by or Swingout later on.

    One of the most important aspects about being a good partner is to have good rhythm. We connect with our partners in different ways, so when people say “I want to connect with my partner”,or “I want to have better connection from my partner”, “How do I connect with an advanced leader”, or “I want better connection when I’m leading”, I’d say that you need to start with yourself and focus on developing your own technique. Your ability to stretch will connect you but your rhythm is key. If your rhythmic accuracy is off, then no amount of good stretch will make it work.

    So to help you improve, I’d like you to practise your Triple Steps by watching short 20 second videos of your feet. Check whether you’re dancing flat-footed or are you rolling through your feet. Check whether your ankles are flexing a little rather than looking stiff. Check if you have enough of a bounce. Check if your arms are swinging from your shoulders or if your arms are still and your hands are gripping. All these habits will affect your Triple Steps.

    By thinking about the techniques when practising and by repeatedly training your body to develop good habits, you will be able to enjoy dancing without over-thinking, even when you are combining exciting moves and rhythms on the fly. Come & join us!

    Check out the course details here.


  2. Get Ready to Social Dance Again

    August 5, 2021 by Joo-Lee

    Shim Sham, Tranky Doo
    Lindy Jazz Dancers dancing together in the hall after months of practice on Zoom

    As a Lindy Hop dancer, you’ll know that the absolute best things about coming to classes are meeting other people and dancing with different partners in a warm and wonderful social environment.

    But how do you do that in a world where we still feel unsure about giving people a hug?

    Covid rates are still high, so that means it’s not yet safe to dance in the sociable way that we used to.

    However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t use this time to prepare for when we can social dance and dance with partners again.

    You see, many people think that social dancing is about dancing in close contact or it’s only possible if you dance in pairs.

    But really, social dancing can be whatever you want it to be.

    Want to dance with friends, old and new?

    It’s the perfect chance to have fun and see your friends.

    Don’t feel safe being in close contact right now?

    You don’t need to be. You can dance Lindy Hop solo, in pairs, or in groups of 3, 4, 5, or more.

    Hopefully, very soon, we’ll all be partner dancing again, but for now, why not work on your skills so you feel confident when the time comes?

    First, there’s something I need you to know.

    Learning partner dancing skills does not require you to:

    • Have a dance partner or have close contact with anyone;
    • Lead and/or follow a partner;

    Confused? Don’t be!

    The most effective ways to hone your partner dancing skills are:

    Mastering your own movement

    If you’re not in control of your own movement and coordination, this affects your dance partner.

    Improving your dance vocabulary

    This means learning as many moves as you can BEFORE you partner up. That way, you’ll have the confidence to dance with dancers of different levels when social dancing is back again.

    Improving your leading and following skills

    If you have a partner, you can dance with them in hold, as we all did before the pandemic. If you don’t have a partner, this can be done with ‘shadow dancing,’ where no physical contact is needed. Often, dancers over-rely on physical contact to help them lead or follow and this can affect the flow of the dance.

    Do you want to be confident with all of this and more?

    Get yourself back into the swing of things for the social dancing comeback with our next course which starts 7th September.

    The course is designed to get you feeling confident enough to enjoy social dance events again.

    Don’t let fear or a lack of confidence stop you from doing what you love.

    Learn new moves, rewind and re-learn the moves that you used to know, and learn to lead and follow with confidence.

    Your next social dance event awaits.

    What are you waiting for?

    Click here to see the course details.

    • 6-week course – Tuesdays 7 September – 19 October 19:30 on Zoom
    • 6-week course – Wednesdays 8 September – 20 October 19:30 at St Aidan’s Church Hall, Durham DH1 5BL
    • Workshop and Social Dance – Saturday 23 October – 12:00 at St Aidan’s Church Hall, Durham DH1 5BL


  3. Three Qualities You MUST HAVE to dance well

    January 5, 2021 by Joo-Lee

    Relax……

    Ever wonder why some people can pick up dance easily, while others seem to struggle? 

    Or why some understand what’s going on in a class while others only get a vague idea? 

    We’ll give you a hint – it has NOTHING to do with how hard they work to memorise moves!

    The main reason your moves might not be working as well as you want is your MOVEMENT. 

    Being able to move with ease is the secret to dancing well. Repeat after me: “Movement is not the same as moves”. Movement is about learning to move well. Moves are a bunch of patterns and sequences.

    You can have movement without moves – but you cannot have moves without movement.

    So what’s the secret for moving with EASE? 

    Here are the 3 Core Qualities of Moving with EASE: 

    1. Relax — If you are trying too hard and you grip your hips, your hands, your shoulders etc, or carry too much tension…. You will feel stiff. You will look stiff. Gripping and tensing will make it harder for you to move. Dancers who are relaxed look so cool. They make everything look so easy. That is because it’s easy (or easier) when you relax! Trying to force a move is a recipe for creating tension.

    2. Release — When you allow yourself to relax, your body is ready to move and your mind is ready to take in the information given to you in class. If you can relax, then the next step you can take is to RELEASE and that means letting go of tension and very importantly, letting go of the need to get everything right, right now. Allow yourself to miss a few things, stumble a little and feel like you don’t know everything. If you can release the need to be in full control all of the time, you will start to ‘get it’

    3. Receive — When you let go of the need to be right, to be in control and to make sense of everything, you will start to receive the information in class. When you can RELAX and then RELEASE the need to be right all of the time, you will be in a more receptive mood and you will take in more of the information shared with you. 

    Focus on relaxing and releasing and your dance will flow with natural ease.

    So go ahead, and give yourself the chance to let go and not have to know anything prior to joining a dance class.

    P.S. Have a specific dance question or want some feedback? Email us info@lindy-jazz.co.uk and we’d love to chat. 


  4. Why am I confused?

    November 27, 2020 by Joo-Lee

    Hands up if you’ve ever been confused in a dance class?

    You’re definitely not alone.

    So when might confusion happen and how do you deal with it?

    Confusion tends to happen when we have an idea about how something is, or how it will be, then we go to a class and we see it being presented in a different way to what we expected.

    Our brain is looking for a match; something that fits in with our ideas, and when our ideas don’t match someone else’s, confusion can occur.

    Confusion can also happen when we dance with a partner who may interpret the music very differently from us. What can happen in this case is that it throws us and we freeze, or feel tense and confused.

    My advice for when you feel confused is to not look for uniformity. We are not meant to dance in perfect unison with our partners or in exact timing. The thing you have to remember about social dance is that we’re all different. Our minds are different, our bodies are different, and so are our personalities and preferences.

    We can be ourselves in social dance, and therein lies the magic.

    Dance the steps you want to dance and do your own thing; you can still be a responsive partner.

    So for example, if I dance with my partner and s/he dances a different way to me, I can choose my response. I can either imitate my partner, do something that will contrast to what they are doing, or do nothing.

    What I always do when I’m dancing is tell myself to stay relaxed and open. That means I don’t feel under pressure to do anything or to try and match him.

    If you find yourself getting lost in confusion in your Swing Dance class, my suggestion is that when something presented to you and it’s completely in contrast to what you imagined it to be, try NOT to have a solution. You don’t need to be right, fix anything or analyse. Go with the flow.

    In the social swing dance world, the song is played once and that’s it for the evening. Just go with it.


  5. Not Just a Bunch of Moves

    October 31, 2020 by Joo-Lee

    NotJustaBunchofMovesWhat 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


  6. No longer new? What can you expect?

    February 23, 2020 by Joo-Lee

    Deep Roots Tall Trees

     

    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.

     

     

     


  7. What To Expect At Lindy Jazz

    February 23, 2020 by Joo-Lee

    DJAM 2020 C-25-Ellie-Thomas

    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!

     


  8. Give Yourself a Chance!

    December 28, 2017 by Joo-Lee

    Screenshot 2017-12-28 10.55.34

    We hear the same things so often from people who wish they could dance but have not yet given it a try.

    “I have Two Left Feet…. I have no rhythm…. I am the world’s worst dancer… it’s impossible to teach me to dance ……

    My response is simple. It’s about making the decision to turn up to your first class with an open mind. If you have already decided that you’d be no good then you are not giving yourself the chance to try something that you might come to like a lot. You don’t know unless you try!

    Learning to dance takes time but it won’t be long before you’re having fun if you allow yourself to relax, enjoy and see what it’s about. To enjoy the experience, my advice is to follow the instructions but don’t be tempted to do anything that is distracting or unhelpful to yourself. I see so many new beginners looking at their feet so that they can assess their progress. It’s very distracting if you are busy assessing yourself whilst trying a new skill at the same time. You will learn much more easily if you allow yourself to follow the class without checking if you’re doing the right thing. Everyone makes mistakes and you will, too, so just keep moving as it doesn’t matter.

    One thing everyone needs to realize is if you think everyone is looking at you, think again; they are probably worrying about the same thing as you and are too worried to be looking at you!

    You will never know if you can dance if you don’t give yourself the chance to try. Everyone was once a beginner and most of these beginners are now enjoying the fun of dancing to fantastic live bands and having the most amazing social life. Imagine how you’d feel by this time next year, when you, too could be dancing like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

    Anyone can enjoy social dancing. This kind of dancing will not require you to do the splits, spin on your head or even memorise a routine! You just need give yourself the chance to take your first step, and that is to try a class.

    Your first visit to Lindy Jazz is free so you can check it out for yourself. Try one class and if you feel OK about it, then maybe try a course so you can give yourself the chance to make progress.


  9. What are the Teaching Philosophies for DJam?

    October 1, 2017 by Andy Lewis

    How many times have you learned an amazing new technique or move in a workshop and said to yourself: “That’s incredible! That’s one I’m going to keep using forever….”

    As for me? Honestly? I have no idea. It’s happened a lot – but I keep forgetting them. Which is a little ironic…

    Too many times, I rush out of a workshop, and straight into the next one… before the first one has fully “taken” – and no matter how well taught – how great the material – it’s vanished from my head. In a well-intended attempt to provide as much for its students as possible, a camp has quite simply made it much harder for me to retain what I’ve learned.

    In other words – after decades of going to dance camp after dance camp, experiencing workshop upon inspirational workshop, from teacher after wonderful teacher…. from which I’ve remembered far too little… I’ve come to realise some key things about workshops:

    1. An hour for a workshop is not enough.
    2. Practice it right away, or lose it.
    3. Recap videos are useless once you’ve forgotten the workshop
    4. Small class sizes are great

     

    For DJam 2018, we’ve decided to put a big focus on providing a truly transformational learning experience – so we’ve made some key changes to the core workshop format.

    1. Each core workshop will last an hour and a half, so you really will have time to learn, absorb and practice the techniques and ideas that are being taught.
    2. Each core workshop will be followed with half an hour of practice / consolidation time, so that you can make the most of what you’ve learned. Practice with your partner, or with others in the workshop. Work with your fellow students – they may have had insights that will help you – and you may well have insights that will help them.
    3. The class sizes will be smaller and more intimate. This lets the teachers give a lot more personal attention to the individual students, giving them the help that they need to make the most of the material.

     

    In this way, and by choosing some truly wonderful teachers that we love learning from, we hope to make DJam 2018 the best learning experience it can possibly be. I’m so excited for this event – and I truly hope it helps make DJam the perfect event for people that truly want to focus on transforming their Lindy Hop or Balboa, and reaching the next level in their dancing.

    AJL


  10. 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