I want to share with you a conversation I had the other day. I was talking with a swing dance friend of mine from out of town who, for the moment, we’ll call “Jane.” Jane is still fairly new to the Lindy Hop scene, but she is an excellent businesswoman. She and I were discussing how to expand and bring new classes and opportunities to Sioux Falls (I don’t remember it word for word, so I might be paraphrasing a little).
Jane: “Why don’t you offer classes to younger kids? You can make a lot of money from parents who want their 4 or 5 year old to take dance.”
Me: “That’s true, but I don’t really feel comfortable teaching kids that young when the style is, by its very nature, about sex and chaos and rebelliousness.”
Jane: “It doesn’t have to be about that. If the dance is just chaos,
what’s the point of steps? Why wouldn’t you just do whatever you want?”
A momentary pause…
Jane: “Oh, wait. That’s how you dance, isn’t it?”
Me: “Now you’re getting it.”
This conversation really made me laugh, because there’s so much truth in it about what swing dance is. When Jane and I dance, she is always a little surprised at the variety of steps and styles that I use. I’m always a little surprised myself. Very rarely does a night of dancing go by where I don’t try something I’ve never done before. It’s chaos, and it’s awesome.
Yes, when you take a dance class you learn steps. But that’s not the point. Not even close. Dance is about having fun. There are no rules. There is no right and wrong. But rather than think that you can do whatever you want, remember that the trick is being able to communicate whatever it is that you want to do to a partner. Learning steps is just a means to an end. Imagine dancing with someone and being able to use steps and tricks from hip-hop, tap dance, belly dance, break dance, even disco,* and not only have your partner follow you, but make it look flawless! Like it was the plan all along. This is the glorious benefit that you get from all of our classes. Freedom.
If that’s something you want to experience (and it’s even better than it sounds), then treat yourself to one of our classes. Become an artist, and share your creativity with every person you dance with.
*I have personally used each of these styles when dancing Lindy Hop.
