{"id":842,"date":"2022-08-07T12:39:21","date_gmt":"2022-08-07T12:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/?p=842"},"modified":"2022-08-07T12:47:10","modified_gmt":"2022-08-07T12:47:10","slug":"fudging-or-improvising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lindy-jazz.co.uk\/?p=842","title":{"rendered":"Fudging or Improvising?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Improvising is a key skill in swing dances such as Lindy Hop. You learn a few key skills and you use these skills to communicate with different dancers or dance partners at a social event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s very much like learning a new language. Say you learn Spanish in the classroom before you go on holiday. You\u2019ll start with learning some vocabulary and maybe before long you can read a menu or ask for basic directions. But you wouldn\u2019t expect everyone you meet in Spain to speak in exactly the same way as the words appear in your textbook. However, you don\u2019t need to be fluent in Spanish to go to Spain. Learning the language just helps with your confidence and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s very similar with swing dance. You don\u2019t need to know how to dance before you go to a social dance event. But learning to improvise will help with your confidence to communicate and switch things up if something doesn\u2019t go to plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improvising is NOT Fudging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So back to the learning Spanish analogy. You\u2019ll get the best results if you don\u2019t fudge. What I mean by fudging is if you didn\u2019t know how to say something so you just guessed. Guesswork confuses you and it confuses the person you\u2019re speaking to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s far better to take the time to learn what the words mean, how to pronounce them properly, and try to be clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fudging won\u2019t get you very far at all. If you\u2019re in Spain speaking Spanish to Spanish people, you\u2019ll need to improvise as the person you\u2019re speaking to might not respond to you in the way you expected them to from your textbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s just the same with Lindy Hop. You learn new moves and your leading and following skills, but everyone is different. The more people you dance with, the more quickly you will develop your social dancing skills and you\u2019ll realise that everyone responds differently to your leading or following. So being able to adapt and improvise as you go are key skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How a Lindy Jazz Course Teaches You To Improvise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Lindy Jazz classes, we teach dancers of all levels how to improvise. Improvising is an essential part of building good foundations in your dancing. At social events, you will hear a range of music from the band or DJ. You will not be dancing to the exact same music tracks you’d practised to in class so having the skills to improvise and adapt is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our courses:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginners are taught how to improvise when things don’t go to plan;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improvers learn how to improvise when different partners respond differently;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intermediates are taught how to improvise so they can link different moves together to suit them, their partner, and the music;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advanced dancers are taught how to improvise so they can create different variations from the basic moves as an instant response to the different elements of the music e.g. the tempo, dynamics, or rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Lindy Hop,  every dance is different and every exchange between dancers is different. That\u2019s what makes it an exciting improvised dance experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to Improvise, Not Fudge?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to skilfully improvise rather than fudge your way through dances, here are my top tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n